Back in the days, we didn’t care too much about what was happening inside our PC case, even less so around it, as long as everything was working fine. However, times have changed, and we’ve gotten (slightly) smarter, and more interested in taking care of this valuable possession. Plus, today more and more people are looking to build their own computers, and have to choose one of the different ways to cool them down in order to get the best possible performance.
The most popular way to cool down a computer by far is with the help of heat fans and sinks, which leads to the main point of this article – managing the cables inside the case. Even in liquid-cooled computers, which are becoming increasingly more popular lately, cable management can be extremely important. That being said, ensuring your cables are tidily arranged and secured with cable wire ties can be the difference maker between a well-cooled and quiet PC, and a poorly-performing, loud PC whose parts will wear down faster than you’d like.
Besides cable wire ties, there are a couple of other simple and affordable tools you can get your hands on in order to ensure proper cable management. Some of these tools include a screwdriver, pliers, twist-ties, rubber bands or hairbands, wire cutters, ESD-compliant electrical tape, etc. However, there are also some commonly used tools that you should avoid at all cost, like zip-ties, for example, which need to be cut away in case you need to rewire your PC or remove a component, as you could easily cut a cable accidentally instead.
There is no definitive way to manage the cables on your PC, but here’s some advice that can help you assemble and lay out the cables and components of your rig.
- The power supply should go first, as it usually has the largest cables which can act as support for the smaller ones;
- Get the drives out of the way sooner rather than later;
- Ensure you put the CPU and RAM and their heat-sink before putting them into the PC case;
- Think ahead when shopping for case fans, consider beforehand where you should place them for ideal performance;
- If you have more than one PCI slot, consider which one would be best for your video card, as it’s the hottest component by far. Avoid placing too many hot components nearby to avoid them releasing warmth near each other;
- Get creative with your peripherals. Your main goal with them is to avoid blocking air flow;
- Look for possible ways to hide the other cables and use cable ties to hold them as close as possible, so that they’re not scattered all over the place.
