108 JULY2020|COMPUTERSHOPPER|ISSUE389
GPU BRACKETS NOISE DAMPING
WHAT?
GPUbracketscomeinoneof
twoforms:verticaland
anti-sag.Verticalbrackets
aremoreofapurely
aestheticmodification:they
re-orientyourgraphicscardso
itsitsonitsside,fansfacing
outward,insteadofitsconven
flat position. Anti-sag brackets
the horizontal angle,focusing
more on supporting particular
heavy graphics cards and
preventing them from straining
the motherboard over time.Theycan still be added as astylistic
touch, however.
WHY?
Anti-sag brackets might be useful if you have alarge,heavy GPU.
It’s not an immediateconcern, but if leftinanon-reinforced PCI-E
slot, you might eventually notice the card drooping slightly,asign
that it’s putting strain on the motherboard.
Avertical bracket can make foraninteresting design twist,
although there are some hardware requirements to consider first.
You’ll need acase that actually supports vertical mounting
brackets, with acutout hole in the rear and screw holes on the
PSU shroud. The leftsidepanel should also be all-glass or have a
window,orelse you won’t be able to see your handiwork.
HOW?
Assuming your case is compatible,installing avertical bracket is
simply amatter of attaching the GPU riser cable to the bracket,
screwing the bracket on to its dedicated mounting point in the
chassis and plugging the riser intothe motherboard’s main PCI-E
x16 slot. This cable is what allows the GPU to still communicate
with the motherboard, even though the new orientation prevents
it being socketed directly.
Fitting an anti-sag bracket is even easier.You’ll probably have
to adjust the height of the contact pads to ensure the GPU is
level, as all graphics cards are of different thickness, but once
that’s done,simply fasten it to the case’s rear PCI slots as you
would the GPU itself.
WHAT?
Whilesharingthecoolingloadbetweenmultiplefanscanreduce
noise,theadditionofsound-absorbingfoampanelscanmake
yoursystemevenquieter
therightsortofhigh-den
foam –any old fluff won’t
applied correctly it works
on two fronts, blocking
the sound of internal
fans from leaking outside
the chassis while also abs
vibrations that can create
buzzing or rattling effect
lower-quality cases.
WHY?
The benefits of aquieter PC should be self-explanatory,but noise
damping might be particularly suitable forhome-office PCs and
workstations, when you’ll need to stayfocused without being
distracted by fannoise.
HOW?
It’s possible to buy adhesive acoustic foam and cut it to fit
yourself,but before you do,consider searching Overclockers UK’s
catalogue of pre-cut kits (tinyurl.com/389modding). These include
multiple slabs of foam measured to fit dozens of cases from the
likes of NZXT,Corsair,Cooler Master,Antec andLian Yi, so it’s
worth checking just to make things really easy foryourself.
If apre-cut kit foryour chosen case isn’t available,just be
careful to correctly measure and record the spots in your case
that could hold apiece of foam without impeding airflow or
coming intocontact with important, heat-producing components.
The base,front panel and both side panels should be your first
ports of call.
Once the foam is cut, simply peel off the paper on the back
and use the adhesive to stick it on the chassis. Double check it’s
not pressed against any components, and if not, you’re set.
g p
r.Ithastobe
sity acoustic
tdo–but
s
e
sorbing
ea
on
⬆Installing aGPU bracketisone of the easiest mods you can make ⬆Overclockers UK offers aselection of pre-cutkits fordifferent cases
o
ntional
skeep
ly ⬆Verticalbracketsre-orienntyour
graphics card so it sits on ittsside ⬆Sound-absorbingfoampanels
canmakeyoursystemquieter
