Build Redux
GPU/Video Card Reseating Guide
STEP 1: We will need a Phillips head screwdriver for this procedure
STEP 2: Move the system to a position where it is free of obstructions and easy to access.
Make sure you have easy access to the side of your PC. Leaning over or around items on your desk will make the process much more difficult.
STEP 3: Gently hold the Glass panel to the case with one hand while unscrewing the 2 thumb screws until they are loose from the case. You don’t need to remove the screws from the glass.
As seen above hold the glass with one hand while removing the screws. The glass sits on a bracket at the bottom of the case and should stay in place without falling over. Its still good to brace the glass with your hand as a safety precaution.
Screws are imbedded in glass. Don’t remove screws from glass panel.
STEP 4: Grab the glass panel firmly with both hands. Pull it away from the PC and gently set it aside.
STEP 5: Unplug all monitor cables coming from the back of your video card. *Warning* Display port cables may have a button that needs to be pressed in on the bottom of the connector. See next Photo for details.
If your system has a display port cable it may have a small button on the bottom of the connector, these connectors will not release from your video card until you press and hold down on this button.
If your display port cable has a button. Press down on and hold the button while gently pulling the connector out of your video card. Pressing the button retracts two locking pins (Seen Above) and allows the connector to release from your video card.
STEP 6: Next we need to locate your Video card
*The video card in your Build Redux PC will be situated as shown above. Your video card may look different than the model shown.
STEP 7: If your Video card has PCI-e power cables running to it we will need to unplug them. Not all Video cards will have this cable. Many entry-level cards do not so if you don’t see a cable, don’t worry!
- PCI-E cables. You may have 1-2 or even 4 of these based on your video card model. These are the most common type of connector.
- Nvidia Founders edition adapter. These are only found on Nvidia’s founders’ cards and adapt 1 or 2 PCI-E cables into a single 12-pin connector. These unclip in the same manner than their larger counterparts but may be oriented a different direction.
- No PCI-E Power. This video card has no PCI-E power cables, instead getting all the power it needs from the mainboard. This setup is only found on budget/ entry level video cards.
*Depending on your configuration your cables may look slightly different or have a different color than the cables shown.
STEP 8: Now that we have located the PCI-E cable We will need to remove it. The cable will have a clip on either top bottom or even side in the case of some founder’s edition cards. * This orientation varies from card to card but the connectors all function in the same way.
Our example video card has 2 PCI-E power cables plugged into it. You may have 1,2 or 3+. Above I’ve color coded the 2 cables to make them easier to see. Each cable each cable has its own retention clip. We will remove the cables, one at a time until all cables are removed.
 |
 |
 |
|
PCI-e power cable and power connector on Video card. |
Grab the connector and clip on connector. |
Press down on the clip. This will lift the front of the clip up, unlocking it from the video card. |
Some cables may be difficult to remove on certain video cards. If a cable feels like it is hard to remove, gently wiggle the connector side to side as you pull back on the cable. Never wiggle up and down (unless your connector is oriented vertically.
*Note* Some Founders Edition Video Cards have their PCI-E power connectors sitting vertically not horizontally. On these cards, wiggle up and down instead of side to side. See example image below.
 |
 |
| Pull back on the connector, away from the video card. It helps to gently wiggle the connector side to side while pulling back. | The connector should come loose. |
*Example* Some but not all founder’s edition cards have the power connector oriented vertically, putting the retention clip on the side. On these cards, wiggle up and down. Wiggling a connector the wrong way can potentially bend or weaken the connector on the card, causing damage.
STEP 9: Repeat this process until all PCI-E power cables are unplugged from the video card.
All PCI-E cables are unplugged.
STEP 10: Next we need to remove the screws that hold the video card to the chassis. There are two screws on the left edge that we need to remove. Once those are removed you may also need to remove a third screw directly below the 2 you removed. This isn’t connected to the video card but on some systems, it may overlap the video cards bracket by the tiniest amount, preventing it from coming out.
These 2 screws secure the Video card to the case.
 |
 |
 |
|
Remove both screws holding in the video card bracket.
|
Both screws are removed.
|
Sometimes the screw from the slot below overlaps the video card bracket, holding it in place. You may need to remove or loosen this screw.
|
STEP 11: The only item holding the video card to the system, is a small plastic retention clip on the motherboard.
*Read full explanation before removing video card. *
There are 2 styles of retention clips. They do the same job but operate differently. The first and most common type is the hinged clip.
 |
 |
|
This is the most common type. It is a lever that swings to the side when pushed on. |
Push straight in on clip toward mainboard. The clip will open, swinging to the side and unlocking the video card.
|
Here is the second and least common type of PCI-E clip.
 |
 |
|
This clip is a small button like lever. |
Press down toward the floor on the top of this clip.
|
*Before proceeding follow the below info for safely grabbing your video card. *
 |
 |
|
Do not put your thumb on surface mount components. This may cause permanent damage to your video card. |
Put your thumb/ fingers off to the side of sensitive components. This card has a back plate with ample room to grab.
|
 |
 |
|
Do not put your thumb on surface mount components. This may cause permanent damage to your video card. |
This video card does not have a back plate but there is usually room free of tiny components along the edge of the card. Some cards may not have as much room but try your best to avoid components. |
STEP 12: Safely and securely grab the video card with one hand. Use your other hand to press and hold in the PCI-E retention clip. *Note don’t heave down on the clip, too much pressure may break the clip off. Follow the steps below to help avoid issues.
Continue to press on the PCI-E clip while slowly and gently pulling the video card out, away from the motherboard. If you pull too hard or fast on the video card. It can jam against the clip, preventing the clip from opening. Sometimes you may need to gently rock the video card left and right while pulling straight out to get the clip to release. These clips can be a little stubborn. If things are not working, gently push the video card back into its slot and try again.
 |
 |
| This PCI-E clip has moved but is not fully unlocked. This is still holding the video card to the mainboard. | This PCI-E clip is now fully unlocked. You can see the edge of the video card is free from the mainboard clip. |
The video card may get caught up on the back of the case.
 |
 |
|
Sometimes the video card gets stuck on the rear I/O slots directly below it. |
If this happens, gently lift the video card up a few mm while pulling it out away from the motherboard. Notice above the small gap between the card and the slot below. |
It may take a few attempts but eventually the video card will release from the mainboard. Gently pull the card out of your system.
Set the video card down in a safe area, away from fluids and table edges.
STEP 13: inspect the PCI-E slot for any dust, hair or obstructions. The older / dustier the inside of a system is, the more prone it may be to dust impaction. If the slot is covered in dust this may cause poor contact, leading to malfunctions and instability. Blow away any dust and check for hairs before re-inserting the video card.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Canned air
|
Hand pump
|
Datavac electronics air duster
|
Vacuum
|
*Compressed Canned air, hand operated squeeze pumps and electronics specific electronic blowers are great tools to dust out your computer. Do not use Vacuum cleaners, even if they have a reverse flow option. Household vacuum cleaners are not made with electronics in mind and may create a static charge that could damage your PC.
* This PCI-E slot is dust free and ready for reinstallation.
STEP 14: check copper PCI-E contacts for dirt, fingerprints etc. Another possible source of poor contact is the video card contact pins. The contacts should be shiny and evenly colored. It’s likely your contacts look perfectly fine but it’s always good to inspect. If you see anything out of the ordinary or just want to fully eliminate any potential issues, you can clean these gently with a shop towel or microfiber towel and some rubbing alcohol or plastics-safe contact cleaner.
Gently dampen a microfiber towel with rubbing alcohol or a plastics-safe contact cleaner. Gently run the towel along the video card’s copper PCI-E slot contacts. To avoid damaging surface mount components, do not rub higher than the copper contacts.
STEP 15: It’s now time to reinsert the Video card. The first thing we want to do is make sure the PCI-E clip is fully unlocked.
 |
 |
|
Above PCI-E clip is locked. This will prevent the video card from seating into the slot. |
Make sure PCI-E clip is fully unlocked.
|
On Mainboards equipped with the button style PCI-E retention clip you will have to press down on and hold the lever in when re-installing your video card.
 |
 |
|
Button style clips are spring loaded, popping back up as soon as released. |
This style clip will need to be pushed down and held in place while re-installing the video card.
|
STEP 16: Make sure no PCI-E power or other cables are in the way of the Video card. They can get hung up on the card or pinned between it and the motherboard, making install difficult and possibly causing damage.
Cables in the way of video card.
Cables gently moved out of the way.
STEP 17: With the path clear it is now time to grab our video card and reinstall it. Grab the video card and hold it level with the PCI-E slot it came out of.
STEP 18: Make sure the video card is aligned properly with the slot it is going into
PCI-E connector on video card is perfectly aligned with PCI-E slot on the motherboard.
STEP 19: Next, we want to check the back of the PC. On some systems, it’s easy to accidently slip the leading edge of the video card bracket to the outside of the chassis as seen below. If you do this. The video card will not be able to seat into the slot properly.
 |
 |
|
Video card bracket sticking through back of chassis.
|
Video card bracket sitting perfectly between chassis and motherboard.
|
Video card bracket must go here between chassis and motherboard.
STEP 20: With our video card alignment taken care of push the video card straight and level into its slot. It should slide in gently. Give the card a little extra push once it is in to make sure it is fully seated. This should engage the PCI-E clip on the mainboard.
Gently push the video card straight and level toward motherboard. Once in give a few extra gentle pushes to make sure the video card is fully and evenly seated. It helps to brace your free hand against the back of the PC to prevent the system from sliding or tilting.
*Note* sometimes when attempting to reinstall the video card, the clip might get bumped closed prematurely. If your card seems like it is unable to seat properly, check to make sure the clip is still unlocked. It may be necessary to remove the video card, re-open the clip and try again.
STEP 21: We can now screw the video card back in. Start with the middle of the 2 screws but don’t tighten the screw all the way.
Heavier video cards sag under their own weight. To get a cleaner installation, gently lift and hold the video card level with one hand while tightening your first screw.
Screw in all the screws you removed earlier. If you loosened or removed a screw below your video card. Be sure to re-install/ tighten it as well.
STEP 22: Our last physical step is plugging the PCI-E power cable/ cables back in. These plug in like how they were unplugged. Some 8-pin connectors will split into 2 pieces when unplugged. If you have this type of cable refer to the info below for putting the 2 pieces back together
 |
 |
|
8-pin split into 6-pin + 2-pin segment
|
2-pin slides on to side closest to top clip. Slide in from front to back.
|
 |
 |
|
Push down on 2-pin connector to seat it on the 6-pin connector. |
Connector reassembled; some connectors may not clip into place so you will have to hold them together while plugging into the video card.
|
STEP 23: Let’s plug our PCI-E cables back into the card. First make sure the cable orientation is correct.
Orientation of connector varies from card to card. Make sure to match the cable’s clip to the connectors clip.
 |
 |
|
Begin plugging in cable.
|
Press down on clip and push cable straight into connector.
|
 |
 |
|
Be sure to push the cable in far enough for the connector to clip in. The above connector is not fully clipped. This may cause the video card to function improperly. |
The above connector is fully clipped in. |
If the cable is difficult to plug back in, brace the back of the video card with one hand and use the other hand to push the cable back in. Wiggling the cable gently from side to side as you push in.
STEP 24: If you have multiple PCI-E cables on your video card, be sure to plug in every cable. Double check to make sure cables are fully seated.
STEP 25: The cables can get a little messy during a video card replacement. Before you put the glass panel back on, be sure to tidy up the cables to make them look visually appealing again.
 |
 |
|
Cables got messy during video card replacement. |
Spend a few minutes and tidy things up so they look beautiful again. |
STEP 26: We recommend starting up the computer and testing to make sure everything is functioning. If the system is functioning properly, we can then complete the repair process by re-installing the Glass side panel.
Grab your system’s Glass panel and align it next to your PC as shown below.
The Build Redux side panel has a bracket that sits on a small metal rail along the bottom of your PC.
Gently place the Glass panel’s bracket on the rail along the bottom of your Build Redux case.
Once on the case, the glass panel can slide slightly from left to right, align the side panel screws with the holes in your case.
Gently push the glass panel up against the chassis. Continue to hold the panel against the system with one hand while securing the 2 upper thumb screws.
Congratulations on reseating/ replacing the GPU/Video card in your system. If you are still experiencing issues, please contact our technical support staff. They will be happy to assist with getting your computer fully up and running
Please contact one of our support agents to assist you via (Submit Request) or email (support@buildredux.com)