How To Remove A GPU From Your PC

Whether you’re cleaning, upgrading, or replacing, there will come a time when you need to remove your GPU from your PC. It may seem daunting if you’ve never tinkered with PC components before, but it’s not that difficult, and as long as you’re careful, the chances of breaking anything are slim. In this guide, we’ll show you how to safely remove your GPU from your PC while keeping everything intact.

Before removing a GPU from your PC

Prepare yourself and your system

While almost all computer components are somewhat fragile, your beloved graphics card is one of the sturdier parts inside your PC case. Sure, you can break it with some effort, but it’s nowhere near as sensitive as a modern CPU. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions when handling one. Here are some steps you should take before touching anything inside your PC:

• Turn off your PC’s power supply and unplug the power cable.
• Unplug any peripherals that might get in your way or could get broken while moving your PC around.
• Place your PC on a flat, solid surface that’s unlikely to cause any static electricity (not carpet).
• Touch another metal object to discharge yourself of any static electricity.
• If you want to be really careful, use an anti-static wristband.

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How to remove a GPU from your PC

Out with the old, in with the new

With the precautions taken care of, it’s time to dig in. Follow these steps to safely remove a GPU from your PC:

1. Disconnect all display cables (HDMI and DisplayPort) from the rear of your GPU.
2. Remove any screws (if any) holding your PC’s left side panel in place. (Depending on the case type you have, you may need to secure the side panel while you do this to prevent it from falling — especially if it’s made of glass.)
3. Carefully remove the side panel.
4. Locate your GPU, then remove its power cables. (You’ll need to pinch the small tab on each connector to allow the cables to be disconnected.)
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5. Remove the screws that secure your GPU to the back of your PC case. (Bear in mind that once these are removed, the only thing that holds your GPU in place is the PCIe slot on your motherboard, so you may want to hold onto your GPU to prevent it from falling and damaging other components.)

   

6. Push the latch that holds the GPU onto its PCIe slot to release it. (This is located at the back of your graphics card on your PC’s motherboard.)
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7. Hold your GPU securely, then carefully pull it away from the motherboard to remove it from the PCIe slot.

Your GPU has been successfully removed from your PC. To put it back, or to install a new one, you can simply reverse the steps outlined above.

Final thoughts on removing a GPU from your PC

Thanks to its size and durability, a graphics card isn’t as fragile as it may seem. It’s certainly possible to break one if you try, but with a bit of care, you can safely remove and reinstall one from your PC without any trouble. Just be sure to turn off your PC’s power supply and remove the power cord before touching anything inside it.