Cable Management Tips and Tricks

Description: This reference article will provide you with some tips and tricks you can use to better manage cables when building a computer.

  1. Understanding your power supply: Power supplies can come in different forms - modular, semi modular and non modular. The difference between each of them is the ability to add or remove cables to the power supply. Non modular power supplies cannot be altered and will leave you with extra cables that need to be managed. Semi modular power supplies usually have the 24-pin and ATX12V cables built into it, but other cables may or may not be built in. Fully modular power supplies allow you to add or remove every form of cable that can come with it.
    Modular vs Semi-Modular
  2. Understanding your case: With the varieties of chassis to house computer builds, many allow you access behind the motherboard tray, giving you more space to work with your cables.
  3. Understanding your motherboard: Most motherboards use standard connections that are similar to one another, however their placement on the board can differ depending on the design. Understanding the layout of your board can help with planning your cable management.
  4. Using cable ties: Cable ties, also known as zip ties or velcro ties, will help hold cables together, especially for different cables that are going along the same paths from the power supply or elsewhere.
    Cable Ties
  5. Minimizing loose additional connections: Some cables will have additional connections such as fan controllers or a daisy chain setup between multiple parts, most commonly with the hard drive SATA power cables and more recently with PCIe power cables. Keeping loose connections tied or tucked away can help maintain a clean aesthetic and prevent the connections from coming into contact with other components in the system.
  6. Functionality vs. Cosmetics - planning ahead: Some methods of cable management are easier to modify than others. Consider whether you intend to perform future upgrades before settling on your management solutions.

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