How many cables do you actually use from your PSU?

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bru

bru

bru

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Someone asked in another thread if modular PSU are worth it and the general consensus seems to be they are nice to have but not worth paying lots extra for. Now I'm not saying that I disagree with that, but the last couple of builds I have done I have used "Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply". These are not modular but do have a reasonable range of cables.

The thing is with both of my last two builds I have needed:

24 pin ATX... motherboard
6 pin PCI-E...AMD 7850
4+4 pin ATX...motherboard
SATA x4...SSD, 2xHdd, optical
Molex x1...case lighting

So I have ended up having to use all the cables anyway.

With that in mind what do you use in your machines?

Do you have spare cables that you don’t need to connect with your modular PSU?

Or is it more a case of you’ve got the choice between a cable with 3 SATA connectors or 5 SATA connectors or Molex, but you can use all at the same time?
 
I've never had a modular power supply before, and I don't think I need one; the ability to only use the cables you actually need is a great idea, but not one that is used by everyday consumers (like myself).
 
I am currently using three of my four modular peripheral cables, and one of my two modular PCI-E cables :)
 
Three, one molex power cable for my SSD, two pci 6 pins for my gpu.

I don't have a lot in my pc, would drive me mad with loads of cables hanging around for no reason. The modular supplies aren't that much more, i'd rather have a tidier pc inside.
 
Having a modular PSU in budget midi towers or a smaller chassis can be a god send but it depends on the PSU you buy as well.

I have the semi-modular Bequiet L8 630W. The 24pin and 4/8 pin are hardwired and you add the rest. So I needed to add 3 cables, one for PCI-E, one for sata and one for molex......I still have spare cables in the box.

I've used the Corsair TX range and that has most of the cables you would need hardwired and the PCI-E are optional. If you have very few components in the case then there would be excess cabling.
 
My modular PSU is quite flawed in its design. The whole idea of a modular PSU is of course, to reduce cable clutter, but instead of having a 4+4 pin CPU power cable, it has a 4 pin CPU power cable and an 8 pin CPU power cable. And guess what? They're both hardwired.. ¬_¬ So I still have a 4 pin CPU power cable to get rid of somewhere :p
 
Went from a ModXstream 600w modular to a 750 TX V2 when I went sli 560ti. In my old case it was a bit of a nightmare, with cables everywhere. Now I have the P280, all cables are at the back of the mobo. Only cables you see now are, 1 molex to the fan controller, Cpu cable comes out over the top of the mobo, so not much to see. 24 pin cable, 4xPcie and 1 sata connecter for my Icydock hotswap drive. All cables to the ssd and hdds are connected on the same side as the cable management area.
So if you have a case with excellent cable management, then a non-modular Psu is not a problem.
 
I have a Corsair TX850 and a large bundle of left over cables... Lol

Basically i'm going to get another case soon as my Coolermaster Centurian as been due for an upgrade for some time now. Its been a great case, even though on the bare minimum of the Mid-case. The air flow as always been brilliant. I'm just fed up with so many left over cables bundled up in the top section of my tower.

The next case i get WILL have cable management and i'll hide most (if not all) spare cables behind the motherboard tray :)
 
I first thought that a modular PSU is a waste of money, before I got a non modular one. My computer don't use many cables and because this is not modular, I have tons of unused cables sitting at the bottom of the case :(

If I ever need a new PSU I would now consider a modular one.
 
bru said:
So I have ended up having to use all the cables anyway.
Click to expand...

Exactly!

This is exactly why i wouldnt choose modular over non-modular

Modular PSU's are more expensive generally, you lose the extra cables and it doesnt have as clean look as the non-modular

Considering I use all the cables anyway, why not save money and have a cleaner looking PSU (no sockets all over it)?
 
panyan said:
Exactly!

This is exactly why i wouldnt choose modular over non-modular

Modular PSU's are more expensive generally, you lose the extra cables and it doesnt have as clean look as the non-modular

Considering I use all the cables anyway, why not save money and have a cleaner looking PSU (no sockets all over it)?
Click to expand...

I think you have hit the nail on the head there!

For anyone who is going to use all the cables anyway, then there is really no point in installing a modular PSU, but if you are going with an SSF, or are looking to minimise the amount of 'cable clutter' within your case than a modular PSU is certainly worth a look.

It is also worth mentioning that Silverstone (and possibly other companies also) offer a short cable set for with their Strider series of modular PSU's, and which is ideal for SSF builds, and the like.
 
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Got a semi modular hx 850 here, 24 pin, 8 pin and x2 pcie are hardwired and in use, (bitfenix blue extensions on the pcie cables). Also using the following.

1x sata power cable for optical drive
1x molex cable with molex - sata adapter for x2 hdd's
1x molex for fan controller and a few case fans
1x molex for audio card.

Due to the layout of components in the case, this means im using molex cables a lot as the parts are so far apart. As for the hdd's, the corsair sata cable connectors are spaced so far apart, it makes connecting multiple hdd's a bit akward. Doesnt matter how you arrange the drive trays. It was so much easier to just use a molex - sata adapter i had lying in a drawer.
 
Cable chaos with a TX650V2. Hopefully moving to a seasonic fanless or xp as the fan noise from the corsair is terrible. (Ignoring the advantage of moving to modular)

1x 24 pin atx
1x 8 pin Eps
1x 8 pin pcie
1x 6 pin pcie
8x sata (6x hard disks, an ssd & a BD-RW)
5x molex (xonar card, 2x lights, D5 pump, fan controller)
 
I wish I'd got a fully modular PSU (mine being semi-modular). I do have a few unused cables which really annoys me.
 
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