NOOO why is the bracket on my card like this!!??

pic 1


pic 2


i'm trying to install the Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer Rev3 on my Gecube Radeon 9600XT.

the bracket on my card happen to have a bent edge (shown in pic 1. i'm too lazy to get my card out to take pics so pic 1 is actually showing the bracket of my cooler. the bracket on the card has a similar bent edge like that). my problem is shown in pic 2. pic 2 is exaggerated: the contact between the cooler and the GPU is not bad, but it just doesn't fit in the case when i install it back into the motherboard.

the VGA Silencer is rev3 so it doesn't have the "twin" bracket like rev2, and i don't have any access to metal cutting or bending tools... what should i do??

I was having a similar problem when installing a VGA silencer on my geforce 3. I think the best way to fix this is by using a dremel, and removing that edge. If u don't have a dremel u can borrow one or buy a el cheapo imitation like me that will do the job.

Or maybe if u have a old card laying around, with a bracket that fits the 9600 and doesnt have a edge, u can swap brackets

Panzerknacker said:

Or maybe if u have a old card laying around, with a bracket that fits the 9600 and doesnt have a edge, u can swap brackets

Click to expand...

i know, swapping the bracket is the best way to do it... if i had another card

i was thinking about getting rid of the bracket from the video card, but i read from Arctic Cooling's site that a card without such "ground plate" can cause the card to crash. is it a good idea?

you can get a black and decker rotory tool for like 40 bucks, and it's much better than a dremel....or if your poor, get some sand paper and get to work...make sure you remove the bracket first before you dremel or sand

Also I would leave the bracked on as your adding even more weight that's not gonna be screwed down except for a VGA/DVI connector...not cool IMO.

Or if spending $40 on a tool for a 50c problem seems silly, take off the bracket and pound it flat with a hammer. It will slightly obstruct the slot next to it, but your cooler is gonna do that anyway.

RoadWarrior said:

take off the bracket and pound it flat with a hammer. It will slightly obstruct the slot next to it, but your cooler is gonna do that anyway.

Click to expand...

yes a hammer!! why didn't i think of that... just flattened it and now it finally fits no problem

thanks for the ideas everyone

RoadWarrior said:

Or if spending $40 on a tool for a 50c problem seems silly, take off the bracket and pound it flat with a hammer. It will slightly obstruct the slot next to it, but your cooler is gonna do that anyway.

Click to expand...

Amazing how sometimes the best solutions are the easiest, simplest, and cheapest.

When in doubt take a hammer (or better yet a sledge hammer to it) does the trick everytime, LOL... Glad you got it working.

Mr B said:

Amazing how sometimes the best solutions are the easiest, simplest, and cheapest.

Click to expand...

Occams Razor in action.

If anyone else is thinking of doing this make sure you remove the plate first. You could have also taken a pair of cutters and cut the damn peice of metal off. You can still do this if you decide to add another card in the future and it wont fit in the obstructed slot. Just an idea

If anyone else is thinking of doing this make sure you remove the plate first. You could have also taken a pair of cutters and cut the damn peice of metal off. You can still do this if you decide to add another card in the future and it wont fit in the obstructed slot. Just an idea