EK, the leading computer cooling solutions provider, releases a vertical GPU mounting bracket designed specifically for cases with closed-off PCI-E expansion slots (with horizontal bars in-between). The EK-Loop Vertical GPU Holder – Shifted, like its previous variant used for open expansion slot cases, uses a patent-pending solution with two ATX motherboard mounting points to additionally secure the graphics card. This unique holder is not just implementing patent-pending technologies but also thicker materials compared to other similar solutions currently on the market.
Displaying your liquid-cooled graphics card or even the standard massive air cooler is something that became more popular over the years. One way to do this is to use the special aftermarket brackets that allow mounting the GPU vertically if the case is not already equipped with vertical PCIe slots. However, the user is often facing issues with how these solutions work since they don’t offer enough support, allowing the GPU to move around. Things can be even more challenging when dealing with liquid cooling and installing fittings and tubing to a vertically placed GPU, not to mention trying to ship a PC with a vertically mounted GPU.
Fortunately, EK has come up with a unique, patent-pending approach that eliminates all of these problems that can be potentially fatal for expensive hardware. The EK-Loop Vertical GPU Holder – Shifted allows the graphics card to be vertically mounted in any ATX PC case regardless if it has a closed or an open-style rear PCI-E I/O slot layout. The vertical GPU mount is made of 1.5 mm thick, black-coated steel to provide excellent structural rigidity. Additionally, it uses two motherboard screw standoffs to get two additional points of contact and stability, ensuring no sagging and no horizontal movement of the GPU. Before the bracket is attached to the ATX mounting points, two plastic standoffs are placed to protect the motherboard and also allow the installation of the bracket onto motherboards that have intricate and complex aesthetic covers.
The premium-quality gen 3.0 PCI-E riser cable is 200 mm long, allowing for plenty of leeways for the GPU mounting. EK-Loop Vertical GPU Holder – Shifted can be mounted on cases with open or closed-off PCI-E expansion slot designs, with a minimum of 6 free slots. The GPU has to be either a 1- or 2-slot design in terms of the I/O shield. The height of the GPU cooler is irrelevant to the bracket compatibility.
Up until this point, the cases with horizontal bars between PCI-E expansion slots required modding and cutting to fit a vertical GPU bracket. EK-Loop Vertical GPU Holder – Shifted solves this problem. “Shifted” indicates that the entire bracket is moved forward to allow additional space for the display cable to be plugged in. Each Shifted version will be delivered with a special angled 1.8-meter long DisplayPort cable that is DP 1.4 compatible.
Availability and Pricing
The EK-Loop Vertical GPU Holder – Shifted is made in Slovenia, Europe, and is available for order through the EK Webshop and Partner Reseller Network.
