Question How to improve cable management in my PC ?

[darkknightrasil]

So I just finished my PC after nearly 2 years of waiting for a GPU and my cable management is atrocious. It could be my tower or me I am not sure but I am looking to improve the cable management and make it much more appealing.

As I wanted to make sure everything worked accordingly I did not organize wires efficiently enough so the back is a terrible mess currently. Having so many fans and hard drives in the tower possibly do not help either but I want to fix my problem as best as possible.

PC case is a full size tower but I do not mind making it smaller if I can improve the overall flow of things. There is no cage for the wires to stay out of sight except for the back but that side has a glass side which would just be scratched from plastic cables.

SPECS:
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero Z490 (WiFi 6) LGA 1200 (Intel 10th Gen) ATX Gaming Motherboard, 14+2 Power Stages, DDR4 4800+, 5Gbps LAN, Intel LAN
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4, BK022, 250W TDP, CPU Cooler
CPU: Intel Core i9-10900K Desktop Processor 10 Cores up to 5.3 GHz Unlocked LGA1200 (Intel 400 Series Chipset) 125W
PSU:Corsair RMX Series (2021), RM1000x, 1000 Watt, Gold, Fully Modular Power Supply
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3200 (PC4-25600) C16 Desktop Memory - Black
GPU: 3080 ROG Strix
Case Fans: Cooler Master MasterFan MF120 Halo 3in1 Duo-Ring ARGB 3-Pin LightingFan, 24 Independently LEDS, 120mm Fan, PWM Static Pressure Fan, Absorbing Pads for Computer Case & Liquid Radiator
Case Fans #2: 2 LED fans in front of the tower as well
Case: Thermaltake View 71 TG (Tempered Glass) RGB Plus PC-Case - Black
Hard Drives: (4 HD drives), 1 SSD, 1 SSD m.2 NVMe

 

[Ralston18]

This:

"that side has a glass side which would just be scratched from plastic cables."

The plastic is much much softer than glass and will not scratch the glass.

As for suggestions: Use simple narrow double-sided Velcro strips to bundle wires and cables. Do not crunch up ribbon cables.

Avoid zip ties because they may prove difficult to remove afterwards.

That said, I recommend that you take 3 or 4 applicable photographs and post the photographs here using imgur (www.imgur.com).

Likely to prove helpful if people can actually see what you are working with.

 

[geofelt]

What is the problem you really need to solve?
You always run a risk in breaking something if you start replugging cables.
Your case is a nice showcase type and I imagine that the graphics side would be the one you need to showcase.
It looks like that should be easy.
One problem with doing a good job of neatining up cables is that a hardware change messes everything up.
I think I would ignore cable neatness on the back side.
Place that side where it does not show.

As a tip, on the hard drives, use different colored sata cables for each so you can identify them where they are plugged in to the motherboard.

 

[darkknightrasil]

What is the problem you really need to solve?
You always run a risk in breaking something if you start replugging cables.
Your case is a nice showcase type and I imagine that the graphics side would be the one you need to showcase.
It looks like that should be easy.
One problem with doing a good job of neatining up cables is that a hardware change messes everything up.
I think I would ignore cable neatness on the back side.
Place that side where it does not show.

As a tip, on the hard drives, use different colored sata cables for each so you can identify them where they are plugged in to the motherboard.

posted updated pictures. the gpu cables themselves use up a lot of space

 

[darkknightrasil]

This:

"that side has a glass side which would just be scratched from plastic cables."

The plastic is much much softer than glass and will not scratch the glass.

As for suggestions: Use simple narrow double-sided Velcro strips to bundle wires and cables. Do not crunch up ribbon cables.

Avoid zip ties because they may prove difficult to remove afterwards.

That said, I recommend that you take 3 or 4 applicable photographs and post the photographs here using imgur (www.imgur.com).

Likely to prove helpful if people can actually see what you are working with.

posted pictures of the pc. thx for the advice on imgur

 

[hotaru.hino]

I wouldn't put zip ties out of the question for more permanent or what you expect to be permanent bundling. And if you have to cut them, I've found cutting pliers/wire shears with a narrow tip work really well assuming you didn't make the zip tie super tight.

Otherwise get yourself a pack of these: https://www.amazon.com/VELCRO-ONE-WRAP-Organization-Management-Organizing/dp/B001E1Y5O6/

 

[ex_bubblehead]

NEVER use zip ties on cables. For any reason. EVER! They are always pulled too tight and cut the insulation either immediately or over time and with any flexing. Use Velcro only.

 

[hotaru.hino]

NEVER use zip ties on cables. For any reason. EVER! They are always pulled too tight and cut the insulation either immediately or over time and with any flexing. Use Velcro only.

I've had zip ties on cables for years and never experienced a problem. I don't secure them too tightly and they don't get tighter over time.

I don't understand where the concern is coming from other than your own personal experience.

 

[Ralston18]

I am okay with one-wraps but I prefer wraps without the holes - have cut off the hole from time to time Just simple straight strap snaked around a couple of time before hooking the velcro.

Unfortunately, it is all too easy to end up with an all too tight of a zip tie.

They only need a little bit of room and even less effort to hold and pull tight, Overshoot and the tie is too tight.

Getting back in to grasp and cut with some tool is often quite problematic.

Plus manufacturers often use skinny thin ties that do start cutting into the insulation. Cheaper than wider smoother ties.

But even those ties can be difficult to remove.

= = = =

Back panel cables.

As for cables in the photo I would try dress them up some, Maybe change cable lengths to avoid stretching across the back or needing to coil up excess cable.

Add some strategically placed supporting/guiding velcro strips and then simply leave things alone.

 

[hang-the-9]

You got a custom extension for the motherboard power, why not use the same for the video card connection? For the loose smaller cables by the fans, you can simply see how you can hide them under the motherboard or along the case top, or collect them together and put a sleeve around them as well. I would not worry too much about the hidden cable runs behind the motherboard tray unless you are building a something for a computer show. Using the custom cables for the video card power will help a lot, this is what mine looks like, a lot cleaner than with the stock power supply cables. And my StarWars theme works very will with May the 4th