GPU Forum - Hardware Talk https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/ Hardware Discussion Board en-US Sun, 17 May 2026 01:32:44 +0000 wpForo 60 What are the best support brackets to prevent GPU sag? https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/what-are-the-best-support-brackets-to-prevent-gpu-sag-44627/ Sat, 09 May 2026 11:56:05 +0000 Just finished my build with a Gigabyte 4080 Super and honestly I am panicking a little bit seeing how much this thing weighs. It is literally drooping the second I let go of it and I am so scared I am gonna wake up to a snapped motherboard or a broken pcie slot tomorrow morning... it looks so bad. I didnt think it would be this heavy but the heatsink is just massive and the shroud is way bigger than it looked in the pictures. I am currently propping it up with a stack of my kids old lego bricks but that looks ridiculous in a $2k build and I dont think it is even that stable.

I have about $25 or maybe $30 max left in my budget for this because the GPU drained my soul and I need to get something on Amazon Prime today so it gets here by Saturday at the latest. I am stuck between two different styles and I cant decide which is actually gonna work. Option A is one of those vertical kickstand poles like the ones from Cooler Master or just a generic uphere one. My worry there is that I have intake fans at the bottom of my case and I dont know if there is enough flat space on the PSU shroud to even stand the thing up without it hitting the fan blades or just being super unstable and tipping over the second I bump the desk.

The other option is one of those horizontal brackets that screws into the expansion slots right below the card. I was looking at the EZDIY-FAB one or maybe the ASUS ROG one if I can find it on sale. But I keep reading reviews saying the horizontal ones just bend under the weight anyway which would totally defeat the whole purpose of buying one. Then there is that Lian Li anti-sag bracket that actually screws into the motherboard standoffs but it looks like a total nightmare to install now that everything is already put together and cable managed.

My card is a triple fan beast and the sag is already making me nervous every time I look at it. Is the pole style actually stable if I have to squeeze it between fans or should I just get the horizontal bar and hope it doesnt just sag along with the card? I really dont want to ruin a $1000 card because I was too cheap to get a $20 bracket...

]]> GPU Forum depzvyfhsz https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/what-are-the-best-support-brackets-to-prevent-gpu-sag-44627/ What are the best thermal pads for GPU maintenance? https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/what-are-the-best-thermal-pads-for-gpu-maintenance-57248/ Thu, 07 May 2026 11:55:58 +0000 So my RTX 3080 FE is basically a space heater at this point. I was playing Cyberpunk last night and noticed my memory junction temps were hitting like 104 or 105 degrees which is insane. The fans sound like a jet engine taking off and honestly Im worried the thing is gonna fry itself before the end of the year. I use this rig for some 3D rendering work too so I really cant afford for it to die on me right now. Ive been watching a ton of teardown videos and I think Im finally ready to swap out the stock pads because everyone says the factory ones are oily trash.

Ive narrowed it down to a couple of options but Im stuck. First one is the Gelid Solutions GP-Extreme. People say they are super soft and squish well which is good because Im terrified of using pads that are too hard and causing the core to not touch the heatsink. But then I see everyone talking about the Thermalright Extreme Odyssey II pads because they have a higher thermal conductivity rating on paper. The Thermalrights are like 12.8 W/mk while the Gelids are 12.0 I think? Not sure if that small difference actually matters in the real world or if the stiffness of the Thermalrights is gonna be a headache for a first-timer like me.

Im also looking at Kritical Pads since they sell custom kits for specific cards but theyre a bit more expensive and Im trying to stay under 40 bucks for this whole fix. I need to get this done by next Saturday because I have a big project deadline coming up and I need the PC stable. Im buying from Amazon US just for the fast shipping.

Should I just go with the Gelids because theyre easier to work with or is the performance jump with the Odyssey II worth the risk of them being too stiff? Or is there something else Im missing entirely? Ive got the 1.5mm and 2.0mm sizes in my cart but Im just staring at the checkout button...

]]> GPU Forum misterdick.ru https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/what-are-the-best-thermal-pads-for-gpu-maintenance-57248/ Which thermal pads offer the best cooling performance for modern GPUs? https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/which-thermal-pads-offer-the-best-cooling-performance-for-modern-gpus-45860/ Sun, 03 May 2026 23:55:24 +0000 Ive been building and modding my own rigs for like a decade now so repasting a GPU is usually a walk in the park for me but man this 3080 I just picked up is giving me a headache. Found a decent deal on a used FTW3 model here in Austin but the memory junctions are hitting 104C-106C literally five minutes into Cyberpunk which is way too high even for GDDR6X. I opened it up and the stock pads are just leaking oil everywhere and look like total garbage.

Usually I just buy whatever generic blue pads are cheap on Amazon but I think I need the actual high-end stuff this time since I'm planning a long gaming marathon this weekend. I've heard mixed things about the Gelid GP-Extreme vs the Ultimate ones because the Ultimate ones are supposedly way stiffer and might stop the die from making good contact with the coldplate. Has anyone tried those new Valorods or maybe the Thermalright Odyssey II pads lately? I'm trying to figure out which ones actually have the best thermal conductivity without being so hard that they crack the board or mess up the mounting pressure. Is the K5 Pro putty actually worth the mess or should I just stick to high-end 12.8 W/mk pads...

]]> GPU Forum ByInilk https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/which-thermal-pads-offer-the-best-cooling-performance-for-modern-gpus-45860/ Are custom power cables worth it for high-end GPUs? https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/are-custom-power-cables-worth-it-for-high-end-gpus-41309/ Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:55:20 +0000 so i'm finally pulling the trigger on a 4090 build next month and i'm stuck on the power situation. i read online that the stock adapters are prone to melting if the bend is too tight which is scary for a $1600 card but then i also saw people saying custom ones like cablemod are basically just for looks and can have their own pin issues.

my logic was that since i'm already $3k deep into this rig i should just buy the best cables possible to be safe but now i'm wondering if i'm just overthinking it and if the premium ones are actually any more reliable than what comes in the box... is there any actual performance or safety gain or is it all just cable management vibes?

]]> GPU Forum dwpgfwxwxu https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/are-custom-power-cables-worth-it-for-high-end-gpus-41309/ What are the top-rated vertical GPU mounts for PC cases? https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/what-are-the-top-rated-vertical-gpu-mounts-for-pc-cases-33838/ Mon, 20 Apr 2026 23:55:42 +0000 i am honestly so stressed out right now because i bought this cheap vertical mount off amazon and it is literally sagging so bad i think my pcie slot is gonna snap off. like i paid way too much for this rtx 4080 to have it looking like a slanted mess in my lian li case. i have about 100 dollars left in my budget for this build and i need to get it fixed before my brother comes to visit next friday cuz he thinks im a pro at this lol. i keep looking at reviews but everyone says something different and im just terrified of buying another piece of junk. what are the actually good top-rated vertical gpu mounts that wont bend under a heavy card??

]]> GPU Forum wddrgdhfsr https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/what-are-the-top-rated-vertical-gpu-mounts-for-pc-cases-33838/ Which high-quality thermal pads improve GPU cooling performance most? https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/which-high-quality-thermal-pads-improve-gpu-cooling-performance-most-75202/ Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:56:01 +0000 My 3080 memory is hitting 105c and its driving me nuts. Need to fix this by friday before my long weekend stream. I'm stuck between the Gelid GP-Ultimate and Thermalright Odyssey II since they fit my $30 budget. Between those two which one actually drops VRAM temps the most?

]]> GPU Forum remont_alMn https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/which-high-quality-thermal-pads-improve-gpu-cooling-performance-most-75202/ Which vertical mounting kits offer the best airflow for GPUs? https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/which-vertical-mounting-kits-offer-the-best-airflow-for-gpus-88864/ Sun, 19 Apr 2026 11:55:26 +0000 I'm honestly so annoyed right now because every single vertical mount I look at seems to have some massive dealbreaker and my build is just sitting there half-finished. I really want to show off my new 4080 Super because the shroud is beautiful but I am terrified of the temps. I saw the Cooler Master Universal V3 and it looks okay because you can supposedly move it away from the glass but then I read a bunch of reviews saying the bracket is super unstable with heavier cards and sag is a nightmare. Then people keep bringing up the EZDIY-FAB multi-angle one but I've heard the PCIe 4.0 cables they include are hit or miss and sometimes just flat out dont work at full speed.

I need something that actually lets the card breathe because my O11 Dynamic isnt exactly huge when you start shoving a thick 3-slot card in there vertically. I spent way too much money on this build to have it thermal throttle just for aesthetics. My constraints are:


  • Budget is strictly under $75 since I already blew my cash on the GPU

  • Needs to be a PCIe 4.0 riser obviously

  • Has to fit a 3-slot card without it being pressed right against the side panel

  • Available in the US quickly since I need to finish this by Sunday for a stream

Has anyone actually tested these for thermal performance? Like is there one that stands out for keeping the fans from just recycling hot air? I dont want to buy something just for it to turn my PC into an oven...

]]> GPU Forum rnmrhwenwe https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/which-vertical-mounting-kits-offer-the-best-airflow-for-gpus-88864/ Are high-performance thermal pads worth the upgrade for GPUs? https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/are-high-performance-thermal-pads-worth-the-upgrade-for-gpus-15749/ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:55:29 +0000 Honestly fed up with my 3080 Ti hitting 105C while gaming this weekend here in Chicago, the stock pads look like oily trash and I'm ready to rip it apart. I'm actually super excited to try those Gelid ones though... are high-performance thermal pads worth the upgrade for GPUs?

]]> GPU Forum emeeyfmpwj https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/are-high-performance-thermal-pads-worth-the-upgrade-for-gpus-15749/ What are the best sag brackets for heavy modern GPUs? https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/what-are-the-best-sag-brackets-for-heavy-modern-gpus-33060/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 23:55:30 +0000 Honestly I'm so fed up with these massive cards. I just got an RTX 4090 and I swear it's heavier than my entire old build from like 2018 and the sag is actually terrifying to look at. The little support stick that came in the box is absolute garbage it keeps sliding around on my power supply shroud and every time I bump my desk it falls over. I'm literally staring at my PC right now and the PCB looks like it's bending under its own weight and it's making me so anxious I can barely play anything without worrying my PCIe slot is gonna snap off. I need something that actually works and doesnt look like a cheap piece of plastic trash.

Requirements:


  • Must be rock solid like zero movement allowed

  • Under $40 if possible because I already spent way too much on this rig

  • Needs to fit in a Lian Li O11 Dynamic case

  • I'd prefer something that screws into the case slots rather than those flimsy kickstand things since they never stay put

Im in the US so I can grab stuff from Amazon or maybe drive down to Microcenter this weekend if they have something better in stock. Does anyone actually have a recommendation for a bracket that doesn't suck? I'm honestly ready to just zip tie the thing to the top of the case at this point...

]]> GPU Forum vvypmillex https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/what-are-the-best-sag-brackets-for-heavy-modern-gpus-33060/ What are the top-rated vertical mount kits for any GPU? https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/what-are-the-top-rated-vertical-mount-kits-for-any-gpu-19968/ Sat, 04 Apr 2026 23:55:32 +0000 So I finally saved up enough to get this massive card for my new computer—it is an ASUS something—and it is so heavy. I am honestly scared it is gonna snap my motherboard in half or something lol. I saw these pictures online where the graphics card is standing up sideways instead of plugging straight in and it looks way cooler because you can actually see the fans and the lights. I think they call it vertical mounting?

The thing is I have no idea how it works. Do I need a special case for this or is there a part I can just buy? My budget is maybe 60 bucks because I spent way too much on the actual card and I need to get it set up by Friday before my cousin comes over to help me finish the build. I searched on Amazon but there are so many brands like Cooler Master and Lian Li and some cheap ones I never heard of. I dont even know if they fit every card.

Is there like one kit that everyone thinks is the best for a beginner? I really dont want to break anything or have it not fit my case which is just a standard black box I got. Sorry if this is a really basic thing I just dont want to mess up my first real PC...

]]> GPU Forum ytkthhzwim https://www.hard-reset.com/gpu-forum/what-are-the-top-rated-vertical-mount-kits-for-any-gpu-19968/