• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Cable Management

Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Messages
621 (0.10/day)
So I recently discovered there is a place behind the motherboard for wires.... (yes I know I'm a nub) :D

So I decided that some cable management was in order....



I wrote about the steps I took on my webpage, also since then I have ordered a rounded IDE cable, and SATA power splitter so I can move the SATA power completely behind mobo:
http://www.pc-pad.com/

Let me know what you think, and any tips you have to improve it even more.

I'm also thinking of maybe cutting out the side of the case and putting plexiglass if I can do it cheaply... We'll see... ;)
 

p_o_s_pc

F@H&WCG addict
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
13,006 (2.11/day)
Location
Newark ohio
System Name el'lappy|Cruncher | Cruncher 2
Processor intel C2D T6400 | i7 3770k @4.2ghz | AII X2 220 @3.4ghz
Motherboard some Acer | Asus P8Z77-V Pro |Gigabyter GA-M61p-S3
Cooling dual 80mm cooling fan | WC'ing ) |cheapo
Memory 2x2gb ddr3 | 2x2gb Ripjaws 1600 |4x512mb D9s
Video Card(s) onboard | 60 1GB(hd7770 ) |8800GTS
Storage Momuntus xt 320gb |Kingston Hyper X 120gb SATA III|500gb WD
Display(s) 17in | 42" 1080P HD 3D TV
Case lappy case | CM HAF XB |none yet
Audio Device(s) onboard | onboard | onboard
Power Supply Dell brick w/ acer end end | Antec EW 650w |Antec SP 350w(upg.soon)
Software Windows 7 Ult. 64bit---->------->
looks better. but can i recommend you get that rosewill PSU out of that nice rig
 
Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
6,270 (0.95/day)
Location
New York
Processor INTEL CORE I9-9900K @ 5Ghz all core 4.7Ghz Cache @1.305 volts
Motherboard ASUS PRIME Z390-P ATX
Cooling CORSAIR HYDRO H150I PRO RGB 360MM 6x120mm fans push pull
Memory CRUCIAL BALLISTIX 3000Mhz 4x8 32gb @ 4000Mhz
Video Card(s) EVGA GEFORECE RTX 2080 SUPER XC HYBRID GAMING
Storage ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB 3D NAND NVMe,Intel 660p 1TB m.2 ,1TB WD Blue 3D NAND,500GB WD Blue 3D NAND,
Display(s) 50" Sharp Roku TV 8ms responce time and Philips 75Hz 328E9QJAB 32" curved
Case BLACK LIAN LI O11 DYNAMIC XL FULL-TOWER GAMING CASE,
Power Supply 1600 Watt
Software Windows 10
very nice house cleaning..I agree with p_o_s_pc about the PSU issue you have and may not realize .:eek:
 
Joined
Apr 3, 2008
Messages
3,051 (0.52/day)
Location
Pontaic Michigan
System Name The Netbook
Processor Intel Atom n270
Memory 1GB DDR2 533mhz
Video Card(s) Intel G945
Storage 250GB
Display(s) 10.1" LCD
Software Microsoft Windows 7 Starter x86
Good work. This is only the beginning though, soon you'll get all MacGuyver style when you're doing your wires and you won't be able to see them at all.
 

HolyCow02

New Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
1,638 (0.28/day)
Location
New York
System Name Shredder
Processor Phenom II 955 @stock (for the time being)
Motherboard MSI 790FX-GD70
Cooling Noctua U12P
Memory 8 GB muskin DDR3 1600 @ 7-7-6-18
Video Card(s) 2x Sapphire 4870 1GB
Storage 64 GB Super Talent UltraDrive SSD | 2 x WD Caviar Black 500GB in RAID1
Display(s) Samsung 22" 2ms GTG
Case Thermaltake Spedo Advanced Package
Power Supply Corsair HX1000
Software Vista Business 64-bit
very nice... Well done. I agree with all of the above. Your PSU doesn't really fit there lol
 

paulm

New Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
441 (0.08/day)
Location
United States
System Name Failbox
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 3.2 w/ Stock Cooling
Motherboard Intel D975XBX2
Cooling Air
Memory Crucial Ballistix 4GB DDR2 800
Video Card(s) EVGA 7900 GS
Storage Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB
Display(s) Chimei 22"
Case Enermax Chakra (upgrading)
Audio Device(s) Integrated
Power Supply Corsair CMPSU-520HX
Software Windows XP SP3
Agreed with the above, nice job, but the rosewill is just... bleh...

Also, out of curiosity, any particular reason for not having a SATA DVD drive?
 
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
2,062 (0.37/day)
Location
Volos, Greece
System Name ATLAS
Processor Intel Core i7-4770 (4C/8T) Haswell
Motherboard GA-Z87X-UD5H , Dual Intel LAN, 10x SATA, 16x Power phace.
Cooling ProlimaTech Armageddon - Dual GELID 140 Silent PWM
Memory Mushkin Blackline DDR3 2400 997123F 16GB
Video Card(s) MSI GTX1060 OC 6GB (single fan) Micron
Storage WD Raptors 73Gb - Raid1 10.000rpm
Display(s) DELL U2311H
Case HEC Compucase CI-6919 Full tower (2003) moded .. hec-group.com.tw
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Music + mods, Audigy front Panel - YAMAHA quad speakers with Sub.
Power Supply HPU-4M780-PE refurbished 23-3-2022
Mouse MS Pro IntelliMouse 16.000 Dpi Pixart Paw 3389
Keyboard Microsoft Wired 600
Software Win 7 Pro x64 ( Retail Box ) for EU
Well looks better than before , and it does not bother me the PSU , if it does the job its good .

Ok the eye candy look , will cost extra on PSUs , sleeved cables etc etc .

But who cares ... :)


This tower look similar to my HEC tower ...
 
Last edited:
Joined
Apr 3, 2008
Messages
3,051 (0.52/day)
Location
Pontaic Michigan
System Name The Netbook
Processor Intel Atom n270
Memory 1GB DDR2 533mhz
Video Card(s) Intel G945
Storage 250GB
Display(s) 10.1" LCD
Software Microsoft Windows 7 Starter x86
Well looks better than before , and it does not bother the PSU , if it does the job its good .

Ok the eye candy look , will cost extra on PSUs , sleeved cables etc etc .

But who cares ... :)

Not true, the PSU is the most important part of the system. POS is warning of the PSU because he had his Rosewill kill out and take the rest of his system with it.
 
Joined
May 5, 2008
Messages
3,318 (0.57/day)
Location
Dallas, Tx
Processor Intel i5-3570K @ 3.4Ghz
Motherboard Asrock LGA1155 Z77 Extreme 4
Cooling Cooler Master Evo 212
Memory 16GB (4X4) G.Skill Ripjaw 2 DDR3-1600
Video Card(s) Nvidia gForce GTX 660ti
Storage 1x Samsung 840 EVO 256GB 6Gb/s, 1x WD 500GB 6Gb/s, 1x WD 80GB 3Gb/s
Display(s) ASUS VH242H Black + 2 HP 2311x 23" LED
Case Fractal Design R4
Audio Device(s) Realtek OnBoard Both
Power Supply Cooler Master 850w
Software Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
You did what I pretty much when I built my first system.
 

p_o_s_pc

F@H&WCG addict
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
13,006 (2.11/day)
Location
Newark ohio
System Name el'lappy|Cruncher | Cruncher 2
Processor intel C2D T6400 | i7 3770k @4.2ghz | AII X2 220 @3.4ghz
Motherboard some Acer | Asus P8Z77-V Pro |Gigabyter GA-M61p-S3
Cooling dual 80mm cooling fan | WC'ing ) |cheapo
Memory 2x2gb ddr3 | 2x2gb Ripjaws 1600 |4x512mb D9s
Video Card(s) onboard | 60 1GB(hd7770 ) |8800GTS
Storage Momuntus xt 320gb |Kingston Hyper X 120gb SATA III|500gb WD
Display(s) 17in | 42" 1080P HD 3D TV
Case lappy case | CM HAF XB |none yet
Audio Device(s) onboard | onboard | onboard
Power Supply Dell brick w/ acer end end | Antec EW 650w |Antec SP 350w(upg.soon)
Software Windows 7 Ult. 64bit---->------->
Not true, the PSU is the most important part of the system. POS is warning of the PSU because he had his Rosewill kill out and take the rest of his system with it.

I had a Hiper take out my main rig once and i had a Rosewill take out my home server/2nd rig before. Then i had a Xclio take out my main rig after getting it fixed. so as you can tell i have used cheap PSUs and have paid more for it in the long run :banghead: now i am with a good brand(Silverstone) may have paid more for it then the other PSUs but its been great.
 
Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Messages
621 (0.10/day)
Yeah, I know, people always tell me the PSU is crap. :laugh:

Well, it has been going strong for over a year, with a 3850/8800gt and now the 4870, so I don't know. :)

I mean, I'd love a modular power supply, but I think the only reason I'd upgrade is if I ever went crossfire, since 550w is not going to cut it.

Although, right now another 4870 would run into my HD's, so meh.

Also, out of curiosity, any particular reason for not having a SATA DVD drive?

I didn't know they existed when I built the rig. :D
 
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
5,207 (0.87/day)
System Name Addison Clark
Processor Ryzen 9 7950x3D
Motherboard Asus Strix X670E-I Gaming
Cooling Custom Bykski loop CPU and GPU
Memory G.Skill DDR5-6000 64GB CL30
Video Card(s) Gigabyte 4090 Aorus Master
Storage Kingston Fury 2TB and 4TB NVME
Display(s) LG 32" 1440p
Case Lian Li O11 mini
Audio Device(s) Asus Hive
Power Supply Thermaltake 1000w SFX-L
Mouse Corsair Dark Core RGB SE
Keyboard Corsair K95 Platnium
Software Win 11 Pro
I can give you some advice on those SATA cables. Take a nice long screw driver, phillips or standard..doesn't matter, and basically coil the sata cable around it. It's a simple mod to shorten them up and when you tuck them away you'll hardly notice them. Overall though your wire cleanup looks good :toast:
 
Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
6,270 (0.95/day)
Location
New York
Processor INTEL CORE I9-9900K @ 5Ghz all core 4.7Ghz Cache @1.305 volts
Motherboard ASUS PRIME Z390-P ATX
Cooling CORSAIR HYDRO H150I PRO RGB 360MM 6x120mm fans push pull
Memory CRUCIAL BALLISTIX 3000Mhz 4x8 32gb @ 4000Mhz
Video Card(s) EVGA GEFORECE RTX 2080 SUPER XC HYBRID GAMING
Storage ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB 3D NAND NVMe,Intel 660p 1TB m.2 ,1TB WD Blue 3D NAND,500GB WD Blue 3D NAND,
Display(s) 50" Sharp Roku TV 8ms responce time and Philips 75Hz 328E9QJAB 32" curved
Case BLACK LIAN LI O11 DYNAMIC XL FULL-TOWER GAMING CASE,
Power Supply 1600 Watt
Software Windows 10
I watched fireworks on a 420watt PSU and a x1800xtx ...litterally sparks flying snaps and crackles ..a very traumatic experiance...I was running for the power cord like a friggin mad scientist running for the spilling beaker.:roll:

I was testing if the PSU would handle the GPU for a member of TPU a while back ..like when the X1800XTX first came out...lol
 
Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Messages
621 (0.10/day)
I can give you some advice on those SATA cables. Take a nice long screw driver, phillips or standard..doesn't matter, and basically coil the sata cable around it. It's a simple mod to shorten them up and when you tuck them away you'll hardly notice them. Overall though your wire cleanup looks good :toast:

Nice idea, I'll have to try that when my new ide cable/power splitter comes tomorrow.
 

p_o_s_pc

F@H&WCG addict
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
13,006 (2.11/day)
Location
Newark ohio
System Name el'lappy|Cruncher | Cruncher 2
Processor intel C2D T6400 | i7 3770k @4.2ghz | AII X2 220 @3.4ghz
Motherboard some Acer | Asus P8Z77-V Pro |Gigabyter GA-M61p-S3
Cooling dual 80mm cooling fan | WC'ing ) |cheapo
Memory 2x2gb ddr3 | 2x2gb Ripjaws 1600 |4x512mb D9s
Video Card(s) onboard | 60 1GB(hd7770 ) |8800GTS
Storage Momuntus xt 320gb |Kingston Hyper X 120gb SATA III|500gb WD
Display(s) 17in | 42" 1080P HD 3D TV
Case lappy case | CM HAF XB |none yet
Audio Device(s) onboard | onboard | onboard
Power Supply Dell brick w/ acer end end | Antec EW 650w |Antec SP 350w(upg.soon)
Software Windows 7 Ult. 64bit---->------->
Yeah, I know, people always tell me the PSU is crap. :laugh:

Well, it has been going strong for over a year, with a 3850/8800gt and now the 4870, so I don't know. :)

I mean, I'd love a modular power supply, but I think the only reason I'd upgrade is if I ever went crossfire, since 550w is not going to cut it.

Although, right now another 4870 would run into my HD's, so meh.



I didn't know they existed when I built the rig. :D
just because it has been working for you so far doesn't mean that it won't go and take your rig with it.
 
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
5,207 (0.87/day)
System Name Addison Clark
Processor Ryzen 9 7950x3D
Motherboard Asus Strix X670E-I Gaming
Cooling Custom Bykski loop CPU and GPU
Memory G.Skill DDR5-6000 64GB CL30
Video Card(s) Gigabyte 4090 Aorus Master
Storage Kingston Fury 2TB and 4TB NVME
Display(s) LG 32" 1440p
Case Lian Li O11 mini
Audio Device(s) Asus Hive
Power Supply Thermaltake 1000w SFX-L
Mouse Corsair Dark Core RGB SE
Keyboard Corsair K95 Platnium
Software Win 11 Pro
Those Ros-not-well PSU's are junk. Have a looksy at some Coolermaster, Enermax, Antec, Corsair, or even FPS PSU's. Those would be a million times more reliable than that Roswell and I'm sure you can find one that's not going to break the bank.
 
Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Messages
621 (0.10/day)
just because it has been working for you so far doesn't mean that it won't go and take your rig with it.

Yeah, there is a point there. But then again, I have heard of high-end PSU's crapping out as well.

After all, most brands are probably made in the same factory over in China anyhow. :laugh:
 
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
2,062 (0.37/day)
Location
Volos, Greece
System Name ATLAS
Processor Intel Core i7-4770 (4C/8T) Haswell
Motherboard GA-Z87X-UD5H , Dual Intel LAN, 10x SATA, 16x Power phace.
Cooling ProlimaTech Armageddon - Dual GELID 140 Silent PWM
Memory Mushkin Blackline DDR3 2400 997123F 16GB
Video Card(s) MSI GTX1060 OC 6GB (single fan) Micron
Storage WD Raptors 73Gb - Raid1 10.000rpm
Display(s) DELL U2311H
Case HEC Compucase CI-6919 Full tower (2003) moded .. hec-group.com.tw
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Music + mods, Audigy front Panel - YAMAHA quad speakers with Sub.
Power Supply HPU-4M780-PE refurbished 23-3-2022
Mouse MS Pro IntelliMouse 16.000 Dpi Pixart Paw 3389
Keyboard Microsoft Wired 600
Software Win 7 Pro x64 ( Retail Box ) for EU
Well , i never had a damage caused by the PSU .

I love my ultra high quality HIPER ...
But i am not cheap dog ... I have 1000W APC SMART-XL UPS, as safety net , and yes cost to me 400 EUROS ..

PSUs are like humans , i they get a stroke , they all go to intensive care . :D
 

p_o_s_pc

F@H&WCG addict
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
13,006 (2.11/day)
Location
Newark ohio
System Name el'lappy|Cruncher | Cruncher 2
Processor intel C2D T6400 | i7 3770k @4.2ghz | AII X2 220 @3.4ghz
Motherboard some Acer | Asus P8Z77-V Pro |Gigabyter GA-M61p-S3
Cooling dual 80mm cooling fan | WC'ing ) |cheapo
Memory 2x2gb ddr3 | 2x2gb Ripjaws 1600 |4x512mb D9s
Video Card(s) onboard | 60 1GB(hd7770 ) |8800GTS
Storage Momuntus xt 320gb |Kingston Hyper X 120gb SATA III|500gb WD
Display(s) 17in | 42" 1080P HD 3D TV
Case lappy case | CM HAF XB |none yet
Audio Device(s) onboard | onboard | onboard
Power Supply Dell brick w/ acer end end | Antec EW 650w |Antec SP 350w(upg.soon)
Software Windows 7 Ult. 64bit---->------->
Yeah, there is a point there. But then again, I have heard of high-end PSU's crapping out as well.

After all, most brands are probably made in the same factory over in China anyhow. :laugh:

i have heard of high-end PSUs dieing too but it doesn't happen as much and alot of the time if it does it doesn't take out the rig with it. i don't know why it doesn't :confused:
 
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
5,207 (0.87/day)
System Name Addison Clark
Processor Ryzen 9 7950x3D
Motherboard Asus Strix X670E-I Gaming
Cooling Custom Bykski loop CPU and GPU
Memory G.Skill DDR5-6000 64GB CL30
Video Card(s) Gigabyte 4090 Aorus Master
Storage Kingston Fury 2TB and 4TB NVME
Display(s) LG 32" 1440p
Case Lian Li O11 mini
Audio Device(s) Asus Hive
Power Supply Thermaltake 1000w SFX-L
Mouse Corsair Dark Core RGB SE
Keyboard Corsair K95 Platnium
Software Win 11 Pro
My experience with high end PSU's crapping out is either it was damaged during shipping or user error. I had a Nspire 750W that I thought was the shit. After 3 months my system would just randomly reboot, could be 3hrs of gaming or 5min of watching a movie..didn't matter. I tested it and even threw it in another system which it didn't have problems with. Finally figured out the PSU couldn't handle the load my system was putting on it..I only had 2 3870's, not 2 3870X2's at the time. I bought the Corsair 750W and not once have I had an issue due to the PSU. I'm Corsair for life now(besides their memory).
 
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
2,062 (0.37/day)
Location
Volos, Greece
System Name ATLAS
Processor Intel Core i7-4770 (4C/8T) Haswell
Motherboard GA-Z87X-UD5H , Dual Intel LAN, 10x SATA, 16x Power phace.
Cooling ProlimaTech Armageddon - Dual GELID 140 Silent PWM
Memory Mushkin Blackline DDR3 2400 997123F 16GB
Video Card(s) MSI GTX1060 OC 6GB (single fan) Micron
Storage WD Raptors 73Gb - Raid1 10.000rpm
Display(s) DELL U2311H
Case HEC Compucase CI-6919 Full tower (2003) moded .. hec-group.com.tw
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Music + mods, Audigy front Panel - YAMAHA quad speakers with Sub.
Power Supply HPU-4M780-PE refurbished 23-3-2022
Mouse MS Pro IntelliMouse 16.000 Dpi Pixart Paw 3389
Keyboard Microsoft Wired 600
Software Win 7 Pro x64 ( Retail Box ) for EU
I am not get married with brands .

I select the best device , no matter the brand.
And i always protect my self , from the ripoff brands.

Any brand has more than 30 models.

They do not cost the same , their not the same .

What people usually do , when they build a complete system,
are to cut corners , so to round up the price.

Usually , they care less about the PSU .
They remember their mistake , after the damage .
 
Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Messages
621 (0.10/day)
Still though, I have had this PSU for about 15 months, leaving my computer on 24/7, and I have had 0 issues. I think that at least proves that it is an 'o.k.' PSU. At least that is my opinion.

For my next build, I will probably get a high end psu, since hopefully I will have the spare money for it. But right now, swapping out the PSU is not high on my list. If it ain't broke don't fix it, right?
 
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
2,062 (0.37/day)
Location
Volos, Greece
System Name ATLAS
Processor Intel Core i7-4770 (4C/8T) Haswell
Motherboard GA-Z87X-UD5H , Dual Intel LAN, 10x SATA, 16x Power phace.
Cooling ProlimaTech Armageddon - Dual GELID 140 Silent PWM
Memory Mushkin Blackline DDR3 2400 997123F 16GB
Video Card(s) MSI GTX1060 OC 6GB (single fan) Micron
Storage WD Raptors 73Gb - Raid1 10.000rpm
Display(s) DELL U2311H
Case HEC Compucase CI-6919 Full tower (2003) moded .. hec-group.com.tw
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Music + mods, Audigy front Panel - YAMAHA quad speakers with Sub.
Power Supply HPU-4M780-PE refurbished 23-3-2022
Mouse MS Pro IntelliMouse 16.000 Dpi Pixart Paw 3389
Keyboard Microsoft Wired 600
Software Win 7 Pro x64 ( Retail Box ) for EU
But right now, swapping out the PSU is not high on my list. If it ain't broke don't fix it, right?

Well thats true ...

Does it gets hot after an hour of gaming .. Hot = 45 C hot air coming out.
 

$Reloaded$

New Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
7 (0.00/day)
Location
South Carolina
System Name nForce 570 SLi AMD
Processor AMD Athlon x2 6400+
Motherboard M2N-SLi Deluxe
Cooling Zalman 9700 HSF, 4-120mm 133CFM, 2-140mm ?CFM
Memory Patriot Viper DDR2-900
Video Card(s) NVIDIA 9600 GT OC SLI *OCd*
Storage 250GB Western Digital Caviar
Display(s) 22" Gateway HD-LCD
Case NZXT Tesmpest
Audio Device(s) X-Fi Extreme Gamer
Power Supply Rosewill 750
If that's the the 750w version I have been running on it for about 8 months now with no issues except the cable sleeves are a bit of a pain. Powers my my Athlon x2 6400+ and dual 9600 gt's without a hitch. If you look at the reviews on newegg.com there is a good bit of bad reviews on it, mostly DOA's though. Im thinking about cutting the sleeves off and just wrapping it every few inches with electrical tape lol. My first post at TechPowerUp but looks to be a great spot to bang my head against the wall with others
 
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Messages
8,518 (1.43/day)
Location
Kansas City
System Name The Dove Box Rev 3.0
Processor i7 8700k @ 4.7GHz
Motherboard Asus Maximus X APEX
Cooling Custom water loop
Memory 16GB 3600 MHz DDR4
Video Card(s) 2x MSI 780 Ti's in SLI
Storage 500GB Samsung 850 PCIe SSD, 4TB
Display(s) 27" Asus 144Hz
Case Enermax Fulmo GT
Audio Device(s) ON BOARD FTW
Power Supply Corsair 1200W
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Win 10 64x
On topic:

Great job at managing those cables! It looks like your case restricts much air flow anyways, so it's a good idea to allow for the most optimal air flow for your setup. Once suggestion would be to finish up those sata cables, maybe tuck them above the drives or below. That helps the added fan to push more air to the gpu.

Off topic: Your PSU could stand to be upgraded, but are you overclocking? If your at stock then your fine as long as you havn't had any issues prior.
 
Top