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The infamous, crap I broke the gpu slot tab when installing my nvidia or ati card~

J

jjahshik32

macrumors 603
Original poster
Sep 4, 2006
5,366
52
I knew about the tab but once I stuck the ati 3870 card in the slot it was in there secure but maybe a little TOO secure and it wouldnt pull back out even with me pulling back the tab as far as I could without breaking it.

5 minutes of trying to get that 3870 card out and with me using the tab to the fullest the card came out and the tab broke off.

Its no big deal as the card slides in the slot just fine with a nice sound that its in there all the way and once you screw the right side down the card doesnt even budge... whats the whole point of those tabs??
 
Mainly so they don't fall out when your computer is upside down.

BTW you just voided the warranty on your video card.
 
Seems like it works better with the tab broken because the card still has a good deep snap inside and when you screw and mount the right side, you cant even budge the card (I've tried pulling on it or pushing it from the back side upwards and wont even budge).

And its much easier to install as well lol.
 
Video cards are fairly heavy and big in size nowadays, I think the tab is there to further secure the card in place.
 
alphaod said:
Mainly so they don't fall out when your computer is upside down.

BTW you just voided the warranty on your video card.
Click to expand...

No the video card's tab is ok but on the mac pro where the slots are, the far left there are tabs that keep the cards in place, that piece broke off (I've done the exact same thing on the 2.66ghz mac pro too).

Also I noticed that the ati 3870 card doesnt quite fit exactly in the first slot (very bottom slot) and that it looked a tiny bit off so I tried to take the card out which was stuck and even with properly pulling on the tab it still broke off and I didnt force the tab so hard that it should break off. I guess it was stuck or something?

Ah wells it stays on just the same but I'm just curious on the point of the tab I see no difference since the card is on there where the first slot's tab is broken.

But this time I knew about the tab that keeps the cards in place but even properly pulling on it to open up for the card to slide out it still broke off.

Even placing the card in the slot with the tab broken off, if you look at the right where the metal piece should be aligned it seems a bit higher than it should and not exactly matching.

The funny thing is that I prefer it with the tab broken off like how cards used to be installed with no tabs.
 
The 3870 is even lighter than the 8800 so I certainly wouldnt worry about it -

I couldn't get my hand in there to get it out and broke that little plastic tab removing the 8800 myself also - I could on the top one but honestly the bottom 3870 is staying just fine like the top one is also

For some monster like the 280gtx or 8800gtx's I could see the tab being necessary but for a single slot card like the 3870 without a casing especially the actual PCI E slot and slot/screws will hold it in just fine
 
kahine said:
The 3870 is even lighter than the 8800 so I certainly wouldnt worry about it -

I couldn't get my hand in there to get it out and broke that little plastic tab removing the 8800 myself also - I could on the top one but honestly the bottom 3870 is staying just fine like the top one is also

For some monster like the 280gtx or 8800gtx's I could see the tab being necessary but for a single slot card like the 3870 without a casing especially the actual PCI E slot and slot/screws will hold it in just fine
Click to expand...

I had the 2.66ghz mac pro from last year before and I installed the x1900 which is bigger than the 8800gt or the 3870 and it stayed on there without budging at all because all you need is to screw on the right side for the card to securely stay on.

I just really dont see the point of those tabs, its like might as well just break them off because its easier to insert and still snaps on there good and the right metal bar/screws holds it in place and impossible to move.
 
The plastic tabs break off very easily, and unless you're treating the computer like it lives in a blender, it won't fall out once screwed down. :)
 
nanofrog said:
According to some members who work in video production, Yes! :D :p
Click to expand...

picard.jpg


That was great, I loved it! :D
 
jjahshik32 said:
No the video card's tab is ok but on the mac pro where the slots are, the far left there are tabs that keep the cards in place, that piece broke off (I've done the exact same thing on the 2.66ghz mac pro too).
Click to expand...

How does one avoid breaking off these tabs?

Thanks.
 
zmttoxics said:
Never force things when connecting / disconnecting things in the computer. If it feels impossible, your doing it wrong.
Click to expand...

Or your hands are too big to get behind that ridiculous location they have the bottom PCI E x16 card in covering the tab - you cannot see it at all and its behind the card in a very small spot to try and get to
 
kahine said:
Or your hands are too big to get behind that ridiculous location they have the bottom PCI E x16 card in covering the tab - you cannot see it at all and its behind the card in a very small spot to try and get to
Click to expand...

It's the same spot as my PCIE G5 and I didn't have any issues.
 
I did it the proper way and took 10 minutes time to gently pull the card out.

The tab was properly pulled opened so that it would be enough room for the card to come out and I pulled the tab so that its at the farthest without snapping off.

But after 10 minutes I might've pulled the card out a little too hard and the tab snapped but I swear I was pulling on the tab back as far as I could.
 
kahine said:
And you have the 8800gt in your PCIE 5 that you had to remove and the same size hands as me right ?
Click to expand...

A 7800gt and my hands are average sized. You're trying really hard to make it seem like your special here... :p
 
zmttoxics said:
A 7800gt and my hands are average sized. You're trying really hard to make it seem like your special here... :p
Click to expand...

No you are trying to make it seem like its the same thing

And its not

You have a different computer , different motherboard and a different video card and are not the same size hands so your experience matters jack as nothing is the same

So how you did it on yours matters jack to me
 
Ya, well it is the same, funny how that works out. If you look at the PCIE edition G5 and the Mac Pro, the card area is the same. Same company makes the motherboards too - same connectors.
 
I broke the tab in my AGP G5, just by lifting it up! The thing is brittle as a dry wishbone.
So long as you screw the card back into place, you'll be fine.

BTW, WTF is with the tiny, magnetic screw that came stock in my G5? The thing is too short to easily screw in, and falls into the case. The magnetism makes it stick places it cannot stay, and I highly recommend a replacement screw for anybody with the slightest difficulties. If it isn't easy with this bastard-dog-screw, you will grow to hate it if you keep trying. My 2 cents.
 
Ahahaha.. I broke the tab on my brand new MP not more than 20 minutes after setting it up. I _freaked out_ for about 10 seconds when the tab broke, because at first I thought it was a capacitor or something electronic. Then I realized it was just a plastic tab and I just laughed and said "It's always something!" Seriously, no point in getting upset over it. My card is nice and secure, anyhow.
 
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