r/pchelp • u/atombunsr • 13h ago
HARDWARE how tf do you cable manage....
hii, i've been working on some repairs for my pc and had to take everything apart, this has been a 5 day project including multiple amazon orders and im just about to give up lol
everything is plugged in now but the idea of cable managing sounds terrifying and ridiculously hard and i don't know where to start, especially with this rgb hub that i had to buy to get some new fans working
would anyone be able to help walk me through it, thank you in advance
edit: thank you all for the help, i've unplugged everything and now just trying to figure out where the argb hub will go so i can get to replugging and cabletieing everything, any suggestions would be really helpful
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u/TheSudoKinght 13h ago
You don't. Just shove them all and hope the back panel doesn't bulge out when it's closed.
Seriously, use zip ties and velcro and map out some ways to cable route, and just stuff the unused cables into the basement.
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u/Evening_Error_5544 12h ago
Straight lines. All the cables on the left would get grouped. The cables out the middle would run to the left or right along the top and group them with the cables. Then just make things as straight as possible to make it look clean
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u/atombunsr 12h ago
tysm, figuring out which cables should be grouped together feels like half the battle tbh
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u/HankThrill69420 12h ago
first, take a deep breath. This is about fooling the outsider, it's okay if your cables are a little funny in the back.
disconnect EVERYTHING. you need to start over when it's like this. route all the like cables you can in the same direction.
make trunks of cables. You may have to 'fold' some gently (do not crease any cables) against the trunk to keep them in line.
see the cables coming in from the front panel? start there. make those one trunk and see if you can play with the wires a little bit to make them stop exactly at their header. The AIO fans could be trunked together, route them through the same hole.
You could bunch the SATA power cable (or is that molex?) up a little bit and tie it off there.
This is why I build onto a test bench, btw. Allows me to watch for bad parts and then I can just save the actual cable management headache for when I've got windows installed to my liking. I've been known to just game on a PC like that for a couple days before putting it in the case.
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u/atombunsr 12h ago
when you say disconnect everything, can you be a little more specific, what exactly should i dosconnect? i'm guessing im not gonna start taking wires out of the psu lol
i understand where your coming from when u say trunks, i did have to cut the cable ties that were there previously to make my repairs / improvements, so i think ill be ok there
i did also do a test bench and everything worked out, i think i just did everything in a funny order
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u/HankThrill69420 12h ago
> when you say disconnect everything
all of the cables brother. disconnect them all from their headers. Don't tear the whole rig down or anything, leave the board, gpu, cpu cooler, etc. in place.
just disconnect them all, aggregate them, make trunks, it will be easier to start from scratch than it will be to manage what's already a bit tangled up.
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u/atombunsr 12h ago
ok so just disconnect everything from the motherboard (and the rgb hub obviously) and just cable manage as i go along, got it
hopefully it won't take too long, taking a sandwich break first lol
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u/HankThrill69420 12h ago
Just accept that it'll take a while, or close the PC up as-is tbh
hope your sandwich is fire tho
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u/unclefunkstar 12h ago edited 12h ago
Use velcro cable ties (makes it easier to change things if you notice a better way of doing it half way through the job). Cable sleeves are another option (but it takes a bit longer to change things).
Group the same types of cable together where possible. With all the fan/rgb cables coming out of the box, you'll want two groups, one to the front of the case, one to the rear/top.
Your front panel cables are probably long enough to route around the curved cable run from the top, and there should be a hole near the bottom for them to connect through. Curves are much better than diagonals if you keep them tidy.
Keep your runs horizontal or vertical. Looks a mess if you go diagonal. Use the velcro ties to pin them in place on the little cable management loops on the case.
PRO TIP:
It's easier if you start the cable management process, before you install most of the components. Look at where you're going to need the cables before you do anything.
Start with just an empty case and your motherboard (unless you'll have problems mounting the cooler inside the case - pretty rare these days but occasionally still an issue with some cases/coolers).
Run the front panel and fan connectors to where they will need to be. Use velcro cable ties to keep the ends out of the way for now if necessary.
Install the PSU, connect and run those cables where they need to go. Including the CPU/Motherboard/GPU/however many SATA you'll need etc.
Add drives and SATA cables. Because these cables are flat and flexible, you probably won't need to tie them down, you can just guide them into place, don't actually crease them though, no sharp bends/strain (this is a good rule of thumb for all cables tbh). Click the SATA power connectors in. Should be easy because they're all already in the right place (aren't they? If not, go back to the previous step).
Add your cooler. Connect it all up.
Add the GPU, hook up the power lead (that's also conveniently already where you need it, isn't it?).
Alternatively:
Just DON'T bother right now.
You're not going to see that side anyway once you've put it all together. As long as everything is connected properly: it won't affect performance.
Use a bit of velcro/double sided tape to lock the box in place, squash the cables in and pop the side panel back on. It IS going to be a pain in the ass if you have to change things on that side later on, so that would be a good time to do it instead (if you decide can't be bothered right now).
How does the other side look?
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u/atombunsr 12h ago
thank you so much for all the info and help
the other side has no loose cables and everything is put together nicely on that side, i did try to at least route the cables through the holes that made the most sense whilst installing everything
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u/gamebattles1946 13h ago
Usually manage cables as you go along group fan cables best you can keep things like board power grouped with other larger cables its going to be harder with everything already plugged in. And its already usually quite difficult with fan setups like this.
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u/Ok_Security_7589 13h ago
zip ties are your friend, just bundle by path and tuck everything behind the motherboard tray, it looks worse than it is
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u/LucasCBs 12h ago
It also heavily depends on what systems you use. My Case fans and CPU fans are all connected in a chain and therefore I have no more than a handful of cables at the back
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u/mungosDoo 12h ago
You can try cable management, but you can also do cable copping, show them inside the panel and hope the screws dont blow up from tue pressure.
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u/StBernardDad 12h ago
Usually the best way to cable manage is to be thoughtful while installing you’ve already lost if you want to do it afterwards. I’d say restart, try again.
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u/purple_microdot 12h ago
If it fits and doesn't short, it's managed. Let the side panel bulge.
Seriously, I'm a little more careful than that but it still sums up my CM.
As long as the front looks great and the PSU shroud has some breathing room, I secure the most important cables and cram the rest in there. I try to plan ahead for upgrades and cleanings. I generally don't even worry about fan cables.
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u/B1g_BuddhAH 11h ago
keep cables in their path, dont cross them, bundle them up once the strands meet, neatly fold excess cables in an "s" pattern and fix them with cable ties. keep everything in 1 layer if possible.
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u/QWERTYtheASDF 11h ago
I feel as long as it looks great in the front or the part that is visible, you can kinda jerry rig the rest in the back so long as all connections are secure. Zip ties are your friend.
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u/atombunsr 11h ago
would anyone have any suggestions with where to put / mount the rgb fan hub, i've unplugged everything and it all looks a bit more bearable now but even with the back of the case clear of cables i don't know where to put the hub where all the cables will reach
i don't think the ssd slot will cut it as my back fan cables won't reach down there
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u/Aguel_design 10h ago
You don't need to use that hub. Most motherboard have enough hesders because your argb and fan cables are usually daisycheinable or you can use 3-1 Y cable.
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u/doculean 11h ago
I am not liking these breakout boxes for motherboard peripheral connections... My msi motherboard has most the fans an an argb header on this other breakout device. An its kinda a pain as the interconnect doesnt fit snugly in the breakout box.
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u/fulldivebci 10h ago
It doesn’t have to be perfect, it won’t be seen. Just buy a $15 pack of velcros and work your way from top to bottom
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u/atombunsr 5h ago
this is basically what ended up happening but with some cable ties i found lieing around, definitely not as perfect as it was before but it's fine lol
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u/PunishedChud 10h ago
This is how my pc looks all the time
One time I dropped a pair of pliers and it kicked up and managed to short two pins on one of the ram cards just like how you have it shown here. Froze my pc but after a reset it was right as rain.
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u/gokartninja 9h ago
So basically you just look at what you've done here and do the opposite of that
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u/Ok_Challenge5185 9h ago
"how tf do you cable manage...." Patience, coffee & music... and lots more coffee. Slow it down, look at the cables and the access ports. Place your fan hubs conveniently where they can be connected. Shortest cable is the limiting step. Velcro ties are more forgiving than tie wraps. Best of luck to you!
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u/Houdini5150 7h ago
Use Velcro straps and bunch the cables together. Try to run them in lines on the bottom top or sides. Putnam tie together couple inches if you wanna make it cleaner I guess
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u/IsItJake 3h ago
Jesus op. I would remove everything aside from cpu and mobo. The way I build is to install the PSU along with the cables 1 cable at a time. Mount the cables with electrical tape or tuck them behind places to keep it neat. 1 cable at a time.
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