My GPU won't fit!

[Calories]

Here are a few important parts for your reference:

GPU: EVGA GTX 580 1.5 Gb
MOBO: Asus p8p67 Deluxe
CASE: Cooler Master HAF 932

Okay, so there I am - all bright eyed and bushy tailed - building my first computer. I install the standoffs and screw the motherboard into the case. I then proceed to place the massive 580 into the PCI-e slot and… it won't fit!

This is NOT the "won't fit" as in: "my case is not big enough and the 580 is too long!". The GPU would just not fit snuggly into the PCI-e slot. I must of spent about 20 minutes pushing and trying to re-seat it but every time the card would never go in in the correct orientation and would never properly line up with the tool-less clips on the HAF 932 case. Specifically, I could never seem to line up the 580's little metal fins/appendages (sorry, don't know a better way to describe it) on the end of the card with the small slits in back plating of case.

After a spell of severe depression and some hardcore brainstorming, I thought to myself: "What if I put the GPU on the motherboard FIRST and then screwed the motherboard into the case?"

Interestingly enough, with the motherboard free from the case, the GPU fit just fine into the PCI-e slot. Then, with the GPU already connected to the motherboard, I was able to line up all the holes and screw in the motherboard into the case despite it being extremely awkward given that the GPU is so big.

So here's my question to you guys: has anyone else ran into a problem like this? Was I just not pressing the GPU hard enough/in the correct way into the PCI-e slot because I'm just that silly or are there some case + motherboard + GPU combinations that are just that hard to seat correctly?

[Deleted]

Loads of times.
Sometimes the I/O plate gets bent so the card won't slot in neatly. Other times the bottom side of the I/O is bent so it hits the metal as it goes down (stopping the card from lowering into the slot). Then you have those spring pin things that get stuck if you try to alter the card to a more central location.

Graphics cards tend to not fit 100% all the time :P

[Diber]

Awww, here I came here thinking it was going to be an awesome chance to suggest case modding, or something... Turns out it's just a slot issue ): Boo Urns!

Aside from that, look what it's hitting, see if you can seat the GPU in another PCI-E slot (If your mobo has a second x16, all the better).

Good luck!

[EDIT] Just realized, Tool-less clips can sometimes (often) not line up properly, if you can put a screw(s) in place of the tool-less clip(s), then it's more then likely seated properly, and the clip is bad. Sometimes (I know on my 6970s at least) They simply do not fit "snugly" as they really should, due to the sheer weight of the card.

[Shamburger]

I have a xclio 777 case and I just replaced my 9600GT with a gtx 560ti and I had to remove the board to get seat the card right. There was just 1 little random metal slip sticking out that prevented me from fitting the card regularly. I can see no use at all for said-clip but it's there. /shrug

[Deleted]

Loads of times.
Sometimes the I/O plate gets bent so the card won't slot in neatly. Other times the bottom side of the I/O is bent so it hits the metal as it goes down (stopping the card from lowering into the slot). Then you have those spring pin things that get stuck if you try to alter the card to a more central location.

Graphics cards tend to not fit 100% all the time :P

The man speaks the truth.

The main problems are that sometimes your case is not perfectly machined and the back panel needs to be bent back slightly to compensate, or you can sometimes forget the plastic locking tab that needs to be moved in order for the card to fit in the slot.

Usually I save fiting the graphics card until last, as it just gets in the way of everything else, trying to route fiddly SATA cables with a massive GPU in the way is depressing.

Good luck with the build :-)