Graphics card degradation, or GPU degradation, is something almost everyone who has ever owned a high-end graphics card has experienced. It’s that sinking feeling you get when your expensive new GPU sits in its PCIExpress slot, testing the strength of its brackets to keep it in place. But even if it works, the long-term effect of a GPU crash can be quite dramatic, leading to degradation and even crashes.
Fortunately, GPU degradation is easy to fix. If you act early, you have nothing to fear.
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What is GPU mat?
GPU degradation is when the usually larger and heavier graphics card cannot be fully compatible with PCIExpress slots and PCI slots. Modern graphics cards can often carry large heat sinks, adding significant weight, more than these traditional mounting points can handle. With a PCB unable to maintain its rigidity, the board sags or sags down at the top corner without direct support.
This isn’t necessarily a short-term problem – as long as the card is fully in the slot, it should work fine. However, there is a reason many manufacturers include additional support brackets with particularly large, heavy, and expensive graphics cards: GPU degradation can damage your GPU. YouTuber KrisFix-Germany reported in April that he had Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti GPU samples that no longer worked because the memory modules closest to the PCIExpress slot had bad connection points. He noted bad solder joints on the PCB and oxidation on the memory contacts.
He suggests this is due to GPU flexing, where a stressed PCB bends as it heats up and cools down during use, ultimately damaging nearby connections. While it was able to fix this particular issue, it suggests that GPU degradation is a real problem that has the potential to ruin expensive hardware that would otherwise have a long lifespan.
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How to fix GPU degradation?
The GPU drop is caused by inadequate support for the GPU weight, so the solution is to add more support.
There are several ways to improve GPU support. Certain cases have a more robust PCIExpress bracket design, and many high-end motherboards have extra reinforcement (sometimes called armor) around the PCIExpress slots.
However, the best way to add additional GPU support is below, in the top corner. There are GPU mounts designed specifically for this, like Cooler Master’s modern-looking solution above; many high-end GPUs come with one in the box. However, you don’t need to use the GPU support bracket. Anything strong enough to support the weight and non-conductive will work fine. Lego blocks, a tupperware or even a roll of toilet paper will suffice.
Another option is to change the GPU mount. Vertical mounting of the graphics card is possible in some cases, and there are expansion kits that can make it viable in others. This involves connecting the GPU to a ribbon cable which is then plugged into a PCIExpress slot, allowing you to mount the graphics card in a vertical (or alternate) orientation. No longer fighting gravity, the card can sit comfortably, without sinking.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn