Keeping a neat and tiddy case...

[dmw16]

Im building a new system and Im tired of the rats nest of cables inside my case. I was thinking of rounding my cables but I always have trouble seperating the cables on ATA66/100 cables because they are so close together. Any suggestions of this one? Second, how do I just keep my cabling organized. Would wire loom help? Just basic tips/idea/suggestions would be great.
thanks,
-doug

 

[SWScorch]

Do not try rounding ATA66/100 cables yourself. It is almost guaranteed that you will wreck them, since they are so delicate. I'd just recommned that you buy some rounded cables. Also, I use a multitude of zip ties in my case to keep the wires neat and routed. I not only bundle the wires together, but also loop the ziptie around a hole in the case, so that the wires are out of the way. Works very well.

 

[Jhhnn]

Radioshack.com has an entire section devoted to cable management- I like the quick clamps. Very strong adhesive backs and available in a variety of sizes.

Drive cables don't necessarily need to be rounded to get them out of the way- they can be folded into a W shape and taped, or even run under the motherboard, depending....

 

[BeauJangles]

Round your own cables... it isn't that hard and much cheaper then those online stores.

 

[mooseAndSquirrel]

For the electrical ties (zip ties) you can also get adhesive backed "cable tie mounting pads" at any hardware store. They stick inside your case and provide a couple of channels to route the ties through. I'll try to post a picture somewhere, but for now try to imagine two of these on you the inside of your case spaced an inch or so apart; put a long cable tie around these and your flat cables and you can now bend the flat cables over the cable tie at a 45 degree angle and everything is nice and tidy.