Vertically mounting your graphics card rarely has a performance benefit, but who cares about that when it looks so much cooler facing out through your side panel? While flipping your GPU vertically used to be a complicated, costly, and time consuming process, it's now super easy to do with the right tools and kit. If you're building a PC, it can really help the project look amazing.
Here's how to get started with vertically mounting your graphics card.
Desktop PC with enough space for a vertically mounted GPU
Before you vertically mount your graphics card, it's important to consider whether you can do it all. Although most of the best graphics cards can be vertically mounted, and most motherboards will work just fine with a riser cable connecting your GPU to it rather than it being directly mounted, not many cases support it natively.
There are some PC cases that are designed to offer vertical mounting as an option, and if that's your case, then you can crack on and use it. However, if your case doesn't support it, then you need to see if is compatible with any of the mounting kits out there. If it is, you'll then need to check whether you will have the clearance to have your graphics card vertically mounted and still be able to get the side panel on.
Whatever case or kit you are considering, check that they support your graphics card, especially factoring in its length, breadth, and weight.
If all looks good, then proceed as planned, but if not, you may need to consider buying a different case or opting for a more DIY mounting solution.
When it comes to vertically mounting your graphics card, you have three options you can use:
The first option is the most straightforward, though the second isn't overly complicated. The third is more involved and not every case will support it, but it remains an option.
Step 1: If your case supports vertical graphics card mounting, then simply find the appropriate section from your manual or the manufacturer website and follow the instructions to mount your GPU vertically. You will almost certainly need a graphics card riser cable, so locate that in your box of accessories if you have it handy.
Step 2: For a third-party kit, remove your existing graphics card and any other add-in cards and PCI brackets that would be in the way of the new mounting bracket. Most designs are toolless, so you should be able to put the new bracket in place and then use your case's thumbscrews to attach it.
Then you can plug in the riser cable, mount your graphics card, and attach the power and riser cable. At that point, you should be good to go. If in doubt, follow the kit's instructions for more detailed steps.
Note, however, that when using a kit like this, you are often restricting access to other PCI Express slots, so you may not be able to use add-in cards with a GPU mounting kit.
Step 3: For remote mounting kits, you will have to be a little more creative with running the riser and power cables. You may need to buy longer cables to reach, and you'll want to consider how you plan to attach video cables, which depends on where you end up mounting your GPU. Some kits let you attach the GPU to the base of the case, others to 120mm fan mounts -- there are all kinds of mounting kits out there, though not all of them are high in quality.
The actual installation should be relatively straightforward, though, once you have everything planned out.
Remove your graphics card from its slot on your motherboard, install the remote bracket securely, and attach your graphics card. Run the riser cable from the motherboard's PCI Express slot to your graphics card and attach the power cables. Keep in mind the importance of tidy PC cable management to reliable airflow.
Note: If you're using extended riser and power cables, it can be a good idea to test the GPU with both before mounting to make sure it all works.
Wondering what all the fuss is about with vertically mounted graphics cards? There isn't much of one, really. It's mostly for aesthetic reasons. Very rarely will a case be designed where the airflow will be better with a vertically mounted graphics card. In fact, in most instances, vertically mounting your graphics card will typically lead to far worse airflow. That goes doubly so if you have a plexiglass or tempered glass side panel, since those don't let any air in at all.
If you have a mesh case, however, then mounting vertically won't make as much difference. With side-mount fans, it might actually improve things, but that's going to be a rare case and shouldn't be considered the norm.
It does look cool, though, and it can help with GPU sag -- though you could always just add a GPU bracket if your card is dipping too much.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.