Redditor uses gallium vial to stop GPU sag — calls it a 'ticking time bomb'

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Behold, Anti-sag temperature indicator and ticking time bomb from r/pcmasterrace

For a nervy PC Gamer such as myself, cracking open your gaming rig for even a spot of light dust busting can feel like you're flirting with danger. Well, one Redditor has decided to laugh in the face of danger by using a tube of gallium to stop their GPU from sagging.

Philip_777 shared their unusual anti-sagging intervention, describing it as both a " temperature indicator and ticking time bomb ." For those a little unclear on why this is such a bad idea, allow me to share some of my recent education on the subject.

Gallium has a super low melting point, meaning that it will revert to liquid form if you attempt to hold it in the palm of your hand. Apparently, gallium can also 'eat' other metals, like aluminium. In other words, a gallium leak inside of your PC would be a very bad, no good time.

Philip_777 has taken some precautions by confining the gallium in what I'm hoping is a sturdy plastic vial. They write in a follow up comment, "It shouldn't become brittle or anything. I think it was HDPE [High-density polyethylene]. Still one of those moments where you know it's safe, but there's still a chance for it to go south somehow."

Obviously, if you want to avoid GPU sag there are other options besides risking an embrittling gallium leak inside of your PC. Should simply installing your GPU in a vertical position not be an option, GPU brackets of all shapes and sizes are not hard to find.

Besides a funny Reddit post, Philip_777 explains why they elected to dance with death instead, writing, "It was the only thing I found that had almost the perfect height. And since then I haven't bought one of those fancy anti-sag brackets."

To be fair to the Redditor, some GPU support brackets like this one with a screen from Zalman are needlessly extra (and pricey as a result). But I also just found this adjustable GPU support device for a fiver on Amazon . Alternatively, you could 3D print one of your faves to hold up your graphics card ( like Goku about to drop a Spirit Bomb ). I suppose there's no accounting for taste (says the girl who would absolutely love to have Miku Hatsune holding up her rig's GPU).