Your graphics card's so fat, it's got its own gravity alert
- Reference: 1746032525
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/04/30/gpu_pcie_droop/
- Source link:
The [1]Asus ROG Astral line of graphics adapters now features a built-in sensor, a Bosch Sensortec Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), intended to detect any changes in the GPU's position, according to [2]Jon Peddie Research (JPR).
Styled as the Equipment Installation Check, this is to warn users about any potential issues with the GPU sagging under its own bloated weight, or Premature GPU Droop Syndrome (PGDS), as we fondly imagine it being labeled.
[3]
"Heavy GPUs can put stress on PCIe slots, and while reinforced slots and support brackets can help, they may not be enough to prevent long-term mechanical strain. The Equipment Installation Check feature can warn users if the support bracket slips or loosens over time," JPR president Jon Peddie wrote.
[4]
[5]
It is understood an update to the Asus GPU Tweak utility enables the app to alert users if there has been any movement in the card that may point to a potential droop situation. However, we suspect the damage may already have been done by the time any movement of your GPU is actually detected.
[6]Nvidia's latest AI PC boxes sound great – if you're a data scientist with $3,000 to spare
[7]Nvidia GPU roadmap confirms it: Moore's Law is dead and buried
[8]Nvidia's Vera Rubin CPU, GPU roadmap charts course for hot-hot-hot 600 kW racks
[9]Dell discloses monster 20-petaFLOPS desktop built on Nvidia's GB300 Superchip
This is a danger of PC gaming that had hitherto passed unnoticed by at least some members of The Reg news desk, but considering that some of the latest GPU cards now weigh in at over 3 kg (approximately 6.61 pounds), we are not entirely surprised.
In fact, some of the Asus ROG Astral cards not only have their own substantial built-in fan to keep them cool, but also come with a separate radiator equipped with another three fans. No wonder that goal of limiting climate change to 1.5° C of warming is beginning to look unachievable.
This wouldn't be the first time that GPUs have caused havoc for their owners. A few years back, [10]Nvidia faced a lawsuit in the US over melting power cables supplying the juice to its RTX 4090 cards.
[11]
However, Premature GPU Droop Syndrome seems to have been a problem developing over some time, as some motherboard makers are reportedly fitting reinforced PCIe slots in an attempt to combat the risk of damage to the board caused by an overblown GPU.
We've asked Asus for comment. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.asus.com/motherboards-components/graphics-cards/rog-republic-of-gamers/filter?SubSeries=ROG-Astral
[2] https://www.jonpeddie.com/news/asus-detects-sagging-aib/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aBKdfkBn7zjH6q00VzFngAAAA4A&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aBKdfkBn7zjH6q00VzFngAAAA4A&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aBKdfkBn7zjH6q00VzFngAAAA4A&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/31/can_nvidia_shakeup_pcs/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/29/nvidia_moores_law/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/19/nvidia_charts_course_for_600kw/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/18/gtc_dell_lenovo_hpe_news/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/18/nvidia_flawsuit_4090/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aBKdfkBn7zjH6q00VzFngAAAA4A&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Ditto
I only got a better graphics card because of my nephew and his old one is an NVidia and I can use it in Plex
I got miffed when my first Ryzen had no inbuilt graphics. I bought the cheapest card I could find in Amazon
Re: Ditto
In my "gaming" machine I have a slightly elderly Radeon RX580, which doesn't seem to struggle with any of the titles I play at 1080p; the most demanding ones I'm playing right now are Wreckfest and Grim Dawn. Yes, those titles are also slightly elderly, but then... so am I, so it's a perfect match.
I've been toying with replacing the card, but mainly to reduce power consumption rather than for any performance shortcomings.
For everything else I do, integrated Intel graphics are more than adequate, despite the dismal - and justified, let's be fair - reputation of their early offerings. Their hardware video encoding works great in both Handbrake and Jellyfin.
I'm a casual and untalented gamer, but the games I play (mainly Counter Strike S2) still run perfectly well with my now ancient seven-eight year old graphics card, and offer pretty decent graphics quality on a 27 inch display.
For those who want ultra-high res, and every single leaf in the background to be properly rendered, and demand frame rates beyond their ability to see, they might have a use case for the latest graphics cards. But they'll need deep pockets.
> demand frame rates beyond their ability to see
Try, if you can, playing counter strike on an 120 Hz OLED, and then on a 240 Hz OLED. A true Micro-LED display would work too (i.e. every dot is its own LED triplet). That might change your mind. Though your GFX card, if only seven-eight years old, might only be able to do 120 Hz, possibly as custom lower resolution. Though 240 Hz is not a really expensive card any more, if you only target CS. HDMI 2.1 is the only thing needed if you don't target 4k.
You can see the difference to 120 Hz and 240 Hz on the desktop already, before going into the game.
As for the detail level: Depends. Some play with low-res textures and lowest LOD level, but far view distance, by default since for some aspects lower graphics settings are an advantage.
Point taken, but is it going to improve my gameplay, or materially change my gaming experience? On the first it's a firm "no", and on the second I think it's "not within the bounds of materiality".
Obviously for those who can see and value the difference it can be a worthwhile investment, but it isn't for me.
The next generation will have [1]this in its package. Of course with RGB LED.
[1] https://duckduckgo.com/?t=h_&q=Wagenheber&ia=images&iax=images
Shame cases no longer have a front side groove for cards to seat in. I ended up designing and printing a brace to combat the card droop in my case. (it's a little odd because it sits in a stand that holds it at an angle.)
I have a little Lego tower to do the same thing.
Bonus points if you have Lego minifigs standing atop the tower and actually holding the card PCB edge!
Premature GPU Droop Syndrome
Viagra cures that.
Re: Premature GPU Droop Syndrome
“Premature” would seem to indicate that there’s some point of maturity where this would be normal. An implication I increasingly resemble.
3kg ?
Is the graphics card plugged into the motherboard, or is the motherboard plugged into the graphics card?
Re: 3kg ?
[1]Zimaboard 2 answers this question.
[1] https://www.zimaspace.com/products/single-board2-server?utm_source=head&utm_medium=menu
Card orientation
Why not change the orientation so that the graphics card sits vertically in its slot, not horizontally?
Or has this been done already?
Re: Card orientation
There are all sorts of mounting kits available.
My latest (as in, 2020 vintage) Big Black Case came with bits of iron and screws to mount the GPU vertically, away from the mainboard. With all the necessary blanking plates and next to places to mount yet more fans to the outside.
I don't recall if it came with a PCIe riser and cable as well (probably, to be sure the holes match up) as the "spare bits" are all in the loft (my GPU is - smaller & fanless). But anyone spending on huge cards would be buying their own PCIe extender cable anyway, to get it bling matched to the water tubing :-)
Re: Card orientation
That would be a desktop case then.
Yes, it's been done, but mini-towers seem to be the preferred form-factor/orientation these days.
Ah, now I am pining for my old Amiga 2500 and 4000 - probably the last desktop-factor systems I had.
This is an excellent application for beginner-level 3d printing.
Sometimes I'm glad I'm not a gamer or in need of that level of graphics performance. My current graphics card is ten years old and I'm only using it because I acquired a free second-hand machine (thanks, Windows 11) with one that was better than what I was using, albeit of similar vintage.