Cable maneagement - how to start..?

steveinspain

steveinspain

steveinspain

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OK, so I am going to be rebuilding my pc in an old case, and would like a few tips on sorting my cables - how do YOU start with tidying the mess of cables - I have seen a few pictures here where pc's seem to have virtually no cables showing - is there a secret to getting this sort of result ?
I have big hands and am afraid of bending or damaging anything, so when do you start to tuck away the cables and in what order ?
 
Modular PSU will make things a lot easier, especially in a smaller case. As it allows you to just use the cables that you are actually going to use.

What i would do is get all the hard ware into the case, along the way planning where to put cables. After mobo/cpu/gpu and all the rest are in, then put in the psu and depending on the case, try and route as many as possible out of sight round the back of the mobo tray.

For me, cable management is one thing that takes a long time. Also check where the 24pin and 4/8 pin connectors are on your motherboard. As some motherboards, including mine have them poorly placed, making the cables get in the way of the good stuff. ;)
 
Thanks for th reply Blackhawk47 - no modular PSU, so loads of stuff to stuff 'round the back' - this is my biggest problem - when I built the pc, I was in a rush, so just shoved everything in, leaving a massive mess of cables. This time I want to go slower, purely for my pleasure - temps etc are fine, so just wanting to do a better job. I guess that as I know what is needed having had a test build, it ought to be easier to sort out what to hide away..
Case is a big old one, so space for everything.........

Just off to take a look at your build blog..
 
I don't have modular PSU and seems fine as i have quite good case for cable management i think :)

You can start tuck away all the cables behind your mobo tray and re route and connect them from there. Also get lots of cable ties and cable tie adhesive.

Have a look mine HERE
 
Willy - I have an old Antec case, no idea which one, but it is 10 years old roughly..
Having never thought about cable manement, this is all new to me, but my PSU is the same as yours - Corsair 650.
So, if the PSU is fitted after the mobo, how do you get to the backside of the mobo ?

EDIT - just had a feel, and it seems the other side of the case comes off......might make it easier then..........
Told you I was new to this !
 
steveinspain said:
Just off to take a look at your build blog..
Click to expand...

Go ahead but my cable management isnt anything special either. I did post a few other mini p180 builds so you can get an idea of what to do. Example:
picture3261.jpg
 
Get some cable ties, them ones that you can't remove unless you cut them off. If it's an old case, then you might not have room to stuff the cables round the back, so try shoving them under the DVD drive :)
 
dmarcisz said:
Get some cable ties, them ones that you can't remove unless you cut them off. If it's an old case, then you might not have room to stuff the cables round the back, so try shoving them under the DVD drive :)
Click to expand...

It is an old case, and it does seem pretty tight round the back, so I may have to do as you say, but will cable tie them together first - at present, they are just shoved into that space (got 3 blank bays at the top of the case !)
 
The best thing I ever did was to cut a hole inside my case above the motherboard tray which allows all of my PSU cables to go around the back of the motherboard tray and then the ones I need feed back in and to the bits I need :)
 
In a case like mine, without a modular PSU or space behind the mobo tray to route cables, I'm very careful with what I put where. Unused cables are hidden in the top drive bay, and I try and group cables into 'strands' which then receive both velcro and plastic cable ties.

Make cables as short as you can, and try and get them to 'catch' on case features; ie, there's a lip on my hard disk cage that my PCI-E cables sit nicely against. Wrap fan power cables around the fans themselves until you have just enough to reach a header.
 
I did my case today, used as many cable ties as i could, and on the back plate of the motherboard i used some black tape to keep them in place.

Much easier in my current case then my old 900, couldnt even do any mangment in there lol.
 
Im impressed with Blackhawks case too!! Thats pretty much wire free!! haha

That video he posted is a good bit of help when starting out too, watched that before I had my first shot at cable management. Its not too difficult really, just time consuming... plus having a good case helps out a lot!
 
Makes me wonder about getting a new case....
OK, so if I were to get a new case, what might be on my shortlist..?
I like plain, no windows, lights, as few dust entry points as possible, and size is not important. I have an Asus P5 pro Mobo, Corsair 650psu,1 or maybe 2 optical drives and want space for 4 or 5 hard drives. Silence is important, slow running fans and no silly door that always seems to be hinged on the wrong side for me. Soundproofing foam is a good thing too. Money is tight, so what does a more expensive case offer over a cheap one ??
I have the fans I want (noctua) so just want a case with nothing except space to work and good dust filters( here in Spain we get a lot of hot dry winds, so dust is a major problem !)
 
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Id say Lian Li :p but thats mainly because I love them! Most dont have the doors on the front or windows in the side, are very nice clean design. As far as Im aware most come with a dust filter for the front intake fan as well. Plus they come with anti-vibration HDD drives and are quite good at sound proofing. The one Im looking at looks great for stopping vibrations!

Or theres the Antec 300 :p simple and good for the money haha
 
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