GTX 750Ti too tight a fit on Micro ATX Board

[TwoCentsRen]

I recently upgraded to a GTX 750Ti (from the much smaller GT 630) and the way it fits on my Micro ATX Motherboard (Asus P8H61-M LX3 PLUS R2.0) makes it nearly impossible to get to the SATA ports. All four ports are hidden under the new GPU. I have two hard drives, one connected with a right angle SATA cable that is barely able to fits in one of the four ports that just happens to have slightly more clearance than the other three. I cannot connect the other hard drive even with a right angle cable. The three remaining ports are so obstructed by the new GPU I don't know how to connect my other HD. Does anyone know of any fix that will allow for everything to fit together, perhaps some kind of super thin SATA cable? anything that might help me here would be greatly appreciated?

Note: Still haven't figured out posting pictures yet, seams like I need to use a URL to do it? I don't know. Anyway. with this updated info can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[bambiboom]

I recently upgraded to a GTX 750Ti and the way it fits on my Micro ATX Motherboard makes it nearly impossible to get to the SATA ports. All four ports are hidden under the new GPU. I have two hard drives, one connected with a right angle SATA cable thats barely able to fits in one of the four ports that just happens to have slightly more clearance than the other three. I cannot connect the other hard drive even with a right angle cable. The three remaining ports are so obstructed by the new GPU I don't know how to connect my other HD. Does anyone know of any fix that will allow for everything to fit together, perhaps some kind of super thin SATA cable? anything that might help me here would be greatly appreciated?

TwoCentsRen,

That's tough one: the GTX 750 can be one of the most compact good performing GPU's.

If a right angle connector doesn't have enough space, my first idea is- hoping there is a spare PCIe x1 slot:

StarTech PEXESAT322I PCI-Express x1 Low Profile Ready SATA III (6.0Gb/s) 2 Int/2 Ext SATA Controller Card > $33

I chose this particular one after an exhaustive 45 second search, but it looks quite good and I've have good results with a StarTech 3.5" Aluminum enclosure, which I like as it has a switchable fan.

And this means simply plugging into the two conveniently accessible internal ports on the card. The really useful extra is that there are also two eSATA, extremely convenient as you could have all the large volume storage in an external enclosure, and have a hot swap bay for example or that' the backup drive at SATAIII.

If you would post the exact model number of the motherboard, it might be possible to suggest something less expensive, but the more I look at this kind of card, the more I might have one myself.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

 

[TwoCentsRen]

I'm new to the forum but can I post photos of my situation so you can see for yourself?

 

[bambiboom]

I'm new to the forum but can I post photos of my situation so you can see for yourself?

TwoCentsRen,

Images may be added to posts with CNTRL + P.

Please list the make and exact model of motherboard.


BambiBoom

 

[TwoCentsRen]

I'm new to the forum but can I post photos of my situation so you can see for yourself?

TwoCentsRen,

Images may be added to posts with CNTRL + P.

Please list the make and exact model of motherboard.


BambiBoom

Updated original post with motherboard model.

When I try to add an image it requests a URL, do I need to upload my images somewhere and then post them here with a URL? Sorry this is a dumb question, I just feel like some pictures would hep explain y problem better.

 

[bambiboom]

I'm new to the forum but can I post photos of my situation so you can see for yourself?

TwoCentsRen,

Images may be added to posts with CNTRL + P.

Please list the make and exact model of motherboard.


BambiBoom

Updated original post with motherboard model.

When I try to add an image it requests a URL, do I need to upload my images somewhere and then post them here with a URL? Sorry this is a dumb question, I just feel like some pictures would hep explain y problem better.

TwoCentsRen,

An image hosting service is the best- Dropbox or setup Google Drive, paying attention to security settings.

Looking at the Asus P8H61-M LX3 PLUS R2.0motherboard layout, it's possible see that the GPU to SATA connector clearance problem as the GTX 750 would overhang and obstruct the connectors by it's thickness.

I hope to think of another way, but the first idea is to use a PCIe Riser- an extension that allows the GPU to be moved away from the motherboard: New PCI-Express PCI-E 16X Riser Card Ribbon Extender Extension 20cm Cable > $3.26 [See this page of these devices].

I've never used one of these but it seems the key would be to be able to secure the GPU securely, with good cooling, and a way to connect the video cable (through the open rear panel slot I should think). There are also bracket-type 90 degree risers that would be plug-in and secure, but these are expensive- $30+ and may not create a good new position as the GPU would obstruct anything in the x1 PCIe slots and the back of the card would be jammed against the real panel at 90 degrees. That's a tough one.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

 

[TwoCentsRen]

thank you I will see what I can do, I appreciate all the advice.

 

[TwoCentsRen]

I'm new to the forum but can I post photos of my situation so you can see for yourself?

TwoCentsRen,

Images may be added to posts with CNTRL + P.

Please list the make and exact model of motherboard.


BambiBoom

Updated original post with motherboard model.

When I try to add an image it requests a URL, do I need to upload my images somewhere and then post them here with a URL? Sorry this is a dumb question, I just feel like some pictures would hep explain y problem better.

TwoCentsRen,

An image hosting service is the best- Dropbox or setup Google Drive, paying attention to security settings.

Looking at the Asus P8H61-M LX3 PLUS R2.0motherboard layout, it's possible see that the GPU to SATA connector clearance problem as the GTX 750 would overhang and obstruct the connectors by it's thickness.

I hope to think of another way, but the first idea is to use a PCIe Riser- an extension that allows the GPU to be moved away from the motherboard: New PCI-Express PCI-E 16X Riser Card Ribbon Extender Extension 20cm Cable > $3.26 [See this page of these devices].

I've never used one of these but it seems the key would be to be able to secure the GPU securely, with good cooling, and a way to connect the video cable (through the open rear panel slot I should think). There are also bracket-type 90 degree risers that would be plug-in and secure, but these are expensive- $30+ and may not create a good new position as the GPU would obstruct anything in the x1 PCIe slots and the back of the card would be jammed against the real panel at 90 degrees. That's a tough one.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

Could I just use a PCI-E 16x Male to Female Riser Extension Card Adapter instead of the 90 degree angled version? I feel this would give me enough clearance and not block cooling. I believe this would give me the ability to connect my second drive via a 90 degree SATA cable and I wouldn't need any extra support. Am I mistaken in how this would work?
Here is a link on amazon of what I am talking about:
http://

 

[bambiboom]

Could I just use a PCI-E 16x Male to Female Riser Extension Card Adapter instead of the 90 degree angled version? I feel this would give me enough clearance and not block cooling. I believe this would give me the ability to connect my second drive via a 90 degree SATA cable and I wouldn't need any extra support. Am I mistaken in how this would work?
Here is a link on amazon of what I am talking about:

https://www.amazon.com/CY-Female-Extension-Adapter-Chassis/dp/B00NPXCE8U/ref=pd_sim_147_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=73AQS2PV43SHA8JYV97V]http://

TwoCentsRen,

Give it a try. You'll need to remove or modify the rear bracket on the 750. If the 750 isn't too tall for the case-"on stilts", it should work.

Cheers

BambiBoom