Tell me more ×
Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 1 down vote favorite
1

I recently brought an AMD Radeon HD 6450 1gb (sapphire) graphic card but while installing this graphic card to pci x16 expansion slot(motherboard D102GGC2), the cabinet/chassis was causing problems.

So, I removed the metal inserts from the cabinet. The Red circle area shown in image was all removed by me, so that the graphic card could fit easily.

But, Now I am worried because the Graphic card is just supported by the PCI x16 slot and I heard that expansion card should be grounded.

So,I just want to know will this cause any problem to my graphic card in any way?

share|improve this question
1  
You had to remove three of the brackets to make the card fit? How does it mount? – Daniel R Hicks Sep 27 '12 at 18:02
I removed the near by all metal brackets to fit my graphic card. Now, it is only supported by graphic card slot. – FrozenKing Sep 27 '12 at 18:05
1  
Is there any particular reason you didn't fix the cards bracket to the chassis with the screw(s) provided? You say you're worried that the card is only supported by the PCIe slot (which is indeed a problem waiting to happen), so why do you even have to ask about this? I mean, both the graphics card's and motherboard's manuals probably tell you to fix expansion cards to the chassis. – Indrek Sep 27 '12 at 18:43
1  
I would not trust the PCIe slot retention mechanism to hold the graphics card in place long term. I'd worry about it wiggling out. – David Schwartz Sep 27 '12 at 19:03
1  
@FrozenKing Put that metal part of the chassis (not the dummy covers) back and figure out why your card doesn't fit. Because it should. All expansion cards should be fixed to the chassis for mechanical support, especially larger and heavier ones like graphics cards. – Indrek Sep 27 '12 at 20:28
show 8 more comments

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

The connector provides plenty of grounding. And the PCIe specification requires keep-out zones be around the mounting holes (where the I/O bracket is mounted to the PCB) so as to prevent short-outs on the I/O bracket. So there shouldn't be any electrical connections to the chassis at all.

share|improve this answer
Nice. From "I do not think so" (my answer) to clear hard reasoning. +1 – Hennes Sep 27 '12 at 19:49
up vote 2 down vote

Grounded? Via the case? I doubt that.

I do not have any hard evidence except that both my GPUs at home do not make electric contact except via the PCIe slot and for the high end card for PCIe slot and the additional power connectors. Neither of them get anything but physical support from the chassis.

Having said that: Screwing it down so it does not fall or vibrate out of the PCIe connector is a good idea.

share|improve this answer
So you mean to say it is Ok , if graphic card is not in contact with any metal part of the chassis!! – FrozenKing Sep 27 '12 at 18:10
To be honest, you might be right - I know the IO plate brackets on some motherboards have flanges for grounding purposes, so I've always assumed expansion cards had the same concerns, but that's just an assumption. (Of course, I've run plenty of systems not in a chassis at all with GPUs with no problems so really it's not a big deal...I'd be more worried about screwing it down so it doesn't go anywhere!) – Shinrai Sep 27 '12 at 18:11
@Shinrai : Ohkkk thanks for helping. – FrozenKing Sep 27 '12 at 18:15
@shinrai: Good point about running open systems. I done that in the past, as have many others (including benchmark sites). – Hennes Sep 27 '12 at 18:15
Hey Hennes and Shinrai can you just tell any ideas by which I can make my graphic card more stable?? – FrozenKing Sep 27 '12 at 18:18
show 5 more comments

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.