Hmmm… the fairly large PCI bracket is blocking the heatsink and holding one side of the base away from the GPU. I immediately realize what I must do; cut away some of the offending PCI bracket.



I took a look at a 7600GT that happens to be on my desk, waiting to go into another rig. The PCI bracket would be in the way on that one too, though it would be a much easier fix, as only a small piece of metal would need to be cut. Both of these cards have unnecessary protrusions, and not every card has them. Both of them are fairly short compared to some of the newer higher end cards. I pulled a Leadtek 7900 GS from another rig. The VF-1000 would have no problems whatsoever fitting on that card. It doesn't have the protrusion, and even if it did, the card is long enough that it wouldn't be an issue anyway.

It is obvious that the VF-1000 may not work on every brand of every card. This probably would not be a problem on any of the longer cards like the 7900, 7950, and 8800 series geForce cards. I highly recommend carefully examining your card before purchasing a VF-1000.

WARNING: I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS! IF YOU ARE NOT AN EXPERIENCED MODDER, BEWARE! This 8600GTS is a review sample, with no warranty. If it was your card, the warranty would be instantly voided, and if you damaged it in the process, the card would probably then be useless for anything but a paperweight.



I used a pair of tinsnips and cut away some of the bracket. After several snips, I finally removed enough metal to allow the cooler to seat properly. Once again, this isn't recommended, besides voiding your warranty, it would be pretty easy to damage the card.

So, I cleaned everything again, reapplied the AS5 and placed the nipples in the holes.