A YouTuber receives a graphics card. It’s broken because it wasn’t mounted properly. And this mistake, he explains, is made regularly.
The YouTuber KrisFix is an electronics and repair technician. In his latest video, he received an RTX 4090. The graphics card showed severe artifacts and intermittently a black screen.
In the video, he explains that the cause of the problems lies in the way it was installed in the PC. Because the GPU wasn’t properly secured and was “hanging through.” This means the graphics card is tilted in the system and over time stresses the connection.
New graphics cards are (too) big and heavy
What is the problem? Graphics cards are connected to the motherboard in gaming systems via the PCIe port. For small graphics cards, this is usually completely sufficient to stabilize the graphics card.
However, the problem is that graphics cards have been getting bigger and heavier for some years now. With increasing performance, manufacturers come up with new and sophisticated cooling systems to transport the heat away from the chip. As a result, graphics cards are becoming quite monstrous. Just recently, a user messed up his system because he bought a huge GPU and wanted to fit it into his system at all costs. The result looks quite terrible.
What should gamers keep in mind? When you mount the graphics card, the size and especially the weight put stress on the PCIe port. It is important that the GPU is additionally connected to the case or secured with a bracket.
Some manufacturers already include a bracket in the package that is intended to prevent the graphics card from bending. If there isn’t one included with the GPU, you can get a bracket for under 10 euros on Amazon:
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
upHere Grafikkarte GPU Brace Support-Videokarte Sehnenhalter/Holster-Halterung, eloxiertes Luft- und... | Zu Amazon |
*Affiliate-Links. Wir erhalten bei einem Kauf eine kleine Provision von Amazon. Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!
The repair is cumbersome and tedious
Can such errors be corrected? In principle, it is possible, but the path there is tedious. YouTuber KrisFix shows in his video that the problem can be solved by remelting and resoldering the VRAM chips onto the board. But for that, you need the right tools and sufficient experience. KrisFix is already a professional technician; most of you probably are not.
His tip: Secure your graphics card properly and you will benefit from your valuable technology for many years. Those who do not take care of their hardware should not be surprised by damaged or broken components.
Cleaning your gaming PC thoroughly once in a while can also be worth it:
