Gadgetory

hey everybody this is Steve from gamers Nexus dotnet and I'm here with another hardware guide today today we are going to look at cable management practices and tips this guide has meant more for the intermediate builder and some of the beginning builders keep in mind that we do skip a couple of the steps because we're assuming that you have an intermediate level knowledge of PC building but on that note we will talk about cable management practices and what you can do to properly manage your cables which we'll talk about why that's helpful in just a second here so check the full guide on the site I want to say first of all check the full guide on the website for more detail on each of these tips and for more custom support Nick from a former an tech representative is now writing for us and he wrote the guide so huge props to him for doing that your objective with cable management is pretty simple you want to create the cleanest internal computing environment that ensures your system will operate at peak efficiency loose or jumbled cables in general will decrease your airflow and they will increase the amount of preventative maintenance you have to do in terms of dust management and system clean-out so you definitely want to decrease that workload and make sure your parts will not be damaged by any dust and not be damaged by hampered airflow so Caleb management and the in the long run definitely saves you time and it helps increase the lifespan of your components it's also conducive to showing off your system which of course is always the most important factor in a gaming build you want to show off those parts and not look like a fool who just spent a lot of money and didn't spend the time to properly clean the case so let's talk about how you can actually do that the build order itself there are a million different ways you can build a system many of you already know how to build a system but the order I personally prefer to do when I'm building with cable management in mind is I like to start with the power supply and then actually move to the drives a lot of people will do the motherboard pretty early but I do the power supply just because it's huge and has the most potential to damage something if it's not mounted properly so I like to get that in there early and I move to the drives because some cases just it's easier to put the drives in before the motherboard because you're not fighting with other internals if you just put them in first and they're not in the way if they're in their first so then I move to the motherboard after the drives with the CPU heatsink and RAM all pre-installed outside of the case because I normally test them before installing them in the case then I manage all the cables and then I move to the video card and finalize cable management the video card is last because I know that some cases will not allow the eight or four pin 12-volt connector that plugs in near the CPU to pass through the back of the case so you normally have to pass it under the video card if that is the case in your case also keep electrostatic discharge compliance in mind when you're building if you have more questions on ESD comment below or post on our forums for in-depth support be very careful you want an ESD wrist strap to ensure you're not zapping any components and don't stick anything in your case that is not ESD compliant because it can permanently damage components so keep that in mind when using things like tape because some tape will hold the charge depending on what you're using once everything is installed it's time to start managing cables though so let's talk about the basic principles of cable management there are a few key principles of cable management that you want to keep in mind throughout the entire process first your main goal is to elongate the cables to maximize their travel distance to the target this actually helps stretch out the cables and it prevents the cable bulge on the backside that will of the motherboard tray that is which will obviously prevent you from closing the case or cause dents or other problems next it's time into its well actually it's just very important in general to keep future expansions in mind determine if there's anything you're planning to upgrade in the near future if there is leave that component somewhat unfinished so that you can more easily modify it when that time comes and while you're at it make sure there are no major fan ports being obstructed by the excess cable tools for the job there are few tools that I recommend for managing cables most effectively a modular power supply of course is very nice to have and will make your case more free of clutter as you'll be able to remove excess cables that aren't getting used you also want twist ties and zip ties and all the ties to hold cables down and tie them to each other before we start routing cables check if your case will support routing an eight pin or four pin 12 volt connector that's the one that plugs in near your CPU through the back of the case if your cable isn't long enough you can get an extender for it and if the motherboard doesn't have enough room to support that cable head to fit through in the top then you'll have to resort to routing it under the video card instead which is fine don't sweat it just just keep that in mind and pass it under your video card before you plug the video card in it's time to start actually moving cables now though so let's start with the fat 24-pin connector since it's the most obvious untangle everything and shove it through the bottom pass-through or grounded hole then push it through these push through all these SATA power connectors and if relevant the 12 volt connector before plugging these in though we do want to deal with the cases tiny connectors remember how I said that I like to keep the small things under the big things well we're going to find those small things in the form of front panel connectors the USB connector HD audio LEDs power switches all that stuff relevant cables that are routed from the front send them through the back if possible either push them between the drive bays and the motherboard wall or find a grounded hole for them some cases will have them pre routed through the back so take advantage of that if you can once they're in place stretch them out along the wall of the motherboard tray and then pull them back into the case through the pass-through that is closest to their destinations repeat this process until all front panel connectors are in place and then plug them in of course next grab your SATA power connectors and route them to your drives preferably your hard drives and SSDs should be facing the right side of the case in newer models which makes it much easier to conceal the connectors and easier to swap out in general if you want to change things later once the power is in do the same for the data cables the actual SATA 3 or SATA 2 cables patch those all through and plug them in to their respective ports try to keep everything as as tight on the motherboard as possible you don't want a lot of cables showing on the inside plug the 12-volt eight the 12 volts 8 pin or 4 pin connector into the motherboard if there's a pass-through for it otherwise hold it until the video just before the video card is in and plug that in right before you plug the video card in and then of course make sure the cable fits under the card plug the 24 pin connector into the board and do this just by passing it through the back first and then pull it back through the hole nearest its destination just try to hide it as much as humanly possible you basically only want the connector and an inch or two of wire to be or wire shielding to be showing on the inside of the case just because it is fat and pretty noticeable so with all of those and finish connecting the 12 volt connector if you haven't yet mount the video card pass its PCIe connectors through the bottom pass-through then pull them through the one nearest the GPU and connect them and finally connect any stray cables or fan cables that we've missed anything from other expansion cards or from drives or from front panels or whatever anything hanging around that you don't like this is the time to reroute it and begin using your zip ties twist ties and other means to hold cables down to ensure they don't move around on you don't commit to zip ties until you've confirmed that you're happy with the cable routing though because it is a huge pain in the butt to cut those ties and retie them over and over and of course you run out of them eventually so do keep that in mind and be careful not to scratch the case when you're cutting that's pretty much it though you should be all done at this point let us know down below if you have any questions at all or register on our forums for more in-depth and one-on-one support we help everyone for free so check out the forums if you liked this video please like it subscribe to our channel for more gaming hardware and gaming videos and of course just like comment and subscribe let us know what you think let us know if you need help and I'll see you guys next time peace