Poll: Rounded IDE and/or Floppy Cables -- good or bad?

[RaDragon]

I just spoke with a 'computer tech' today, and he mentioned that rounded IDE or floppy cables are not really good. He didn't mention any specific explanations why they're not such a good idea eventhough I explained to him that it does improve the airflow (and will gather less dust than your regular flat ribbons)...

If the price for rounded IDE cables were the same with the old-skool 80's style ribbons, would you get those?

Are they really just for airflow improvement in your case, or do they have some other 'special' qualities?

They look like this and cost as much as $17, while you can get a regular ribbon for $0.99 (or less).

For those who prefer to 'round' their own IDE ribbons: How-to Guide

 

[jcovercash]

Well I amde my own, they rock, see the poll. The only thing is I can't burn CDs withum

 

[prontospyder]

No problems with my rounded IDE cables....haven't tried rounding floppy cables though...

 

[Mikal]

Mr. Puter Know It All don't know what he's saying. I use them in my home pc's and have never had ANY trouble with them.

 

[Viper GTS]

I made my own as well (before the machine made ones were out), & they've worked fine for me all along.

Viper GTS

 

[mackstann]

the reason he said theyre bad is because they ARE flat for a reason---each positive wire has a grounded wire next to it, the grounded wires seperate the positive wires preventing crosstalk which can cause data corruption. Of course, sometimes you can get away with rounding them and not have a problem--but sometimes you do have problems. What I would do if youre that worried about airflow is to fold them in half, then in half again. That works great, and its really cheap! Rounded cables just seem to be a trend.

 

[Viperoni]

It does introduce a bit more intereference, but obviously not enough to give any problems.
I've rounded all my ribbon cables in both computers.

 

[Belegost]

I'm running home made rounded cables for my CDROM and HD with no problems. Though I doubt I would round cables used on CDRWs those have enough damn problems already.

 

[danii8]

I made myself one, and have no problem yet.
just too many cables in my case.

 

[shiner]

I made my own and have had zero problems. Just be careful when you are cutting them. The folding method works also but not quite as well, the cables are too stiff.

 

[Colt45]

i think i might go make some today, if i can find any electrical tape..
might be stuck with duct tape!

 

[bacillus]

I have a couple of those!

 

[RaDragon]

kewl... the response seems positive so far well, i bought an extra IDE cable just to try and round it, then see what happens -- you can never go wrong with this .99 ribbon!

thanks, btw, to those who answered the poll!

 

[nippyjun]

I switched from ribbon to rounded and didn't have any temp changes. The case is certainly neater inside but that's about it. I got them for about 6 bucks each.

 

[Ryan]

Mine are all flat. I don't really care what the inside of my case looks like, so I don't need them.

 

[TuffGuy]

<< Mine are all flat. I don't really care what the inside of my case looks like, so I don't need them. >>


how's your airflow? my case flows about 112cfm, so rounding my cables helped A LOT, especially since i have a cramped/crowded case.

 

[ALstonLoong]

May i know is 24&quot; raounded cables will cause data lost? After i install 24&quot; rounded cable .i got all osrt of error coming out..like during install software ...anyone ?

 

[flambus]

AMDman12GHz

Why can't you burn cds with them? Is there magnetic interference or something? i am confused.

i use old school ribbons.

 

[MichaelD]

Many folks make their own cables. I thought about doing them myself, but with the wires on an ATA66/100 cable being so thin, I figured I'd fubar it, or at least make some small unnoticeable (until you try to use it) nick or cut that would screw me up.

I bought th $14 jobbies from Plycon. They are well-made and very flexible. My case is noticeably neat now (big deal to me). Airflow has changed very little. My CPU idle temp went down 1C, which is negligible and case temp hasn't changed. I have four good case fans though (two in two out) so airflow wasn't really a reason for me to make the switch.

I made the switch because I hate a messy case. I'm happy with them and so far have had no probs.

My HDTach/SANDRA scores haven't changed at all either, which is a good thing as well.

 

[tornadobox]

I don't know if I'd go for the round cables. As it is, my flat cables are too long, so I end up clipping them together with IDE cable clips...not sure how round cables would deal with folding/bending too much.

 

[Helznicht]

With a bit of prethought on your drive placement, flat cables can be VERY neat and out of the way. My flat cables sit almost flat agaist my MB and the backs of the drives, take up hardly any room.....

 

[Dan]

I've made my own and purchased ready-made ones. I don't believe that rounded cables make a big difference one way or the other in terms of case temps. On the other hand, from an appearance standpoint, they do give one's case interior a nice clean, &quot;finished&quot; look.

 

[Raincity]

<< With a bit of prethought on your drive placement, flat cables can be VERY neat and out of the way. My flat cables sit almost flat agaist my MB and the backs of the drives, take up hardly any room..... >>

Thank You, I fully agree. This rounded cable thing is just another upgrade fad like last years fanbuss and cpu temp monitors gauges. If your system is so unstable due to improper cooling you better add another case fan or a bigger heatsink than sitting around showing your pc buddys the rounded cables for 15$ each that some online vendor suckered you out of.

Rain

 

[TunaBoo]

Do the Bush...

fold them in a W and zip tie them. I think thats what the guy ment when he said fold in half, then fold in half again. Dont do it literally, do the bushwacker fold.

 

[frankroh]

What's the big deal about rounded IDE cables? It's a waste of $50 for a set if you ask me. You can certainly make your own by using some shrink tubes. Anyway, who cares how it looks inside a computer: I certainly don't bring all my buddies to my lab and show off IDE cables on my rigs. So what do people do with all other &quot;ugly&quot; power, fan, and switch wires?? Do you guys look for the prettiest peripheral boards? What's next, color-coordinated PSUs?? Hell, AMD better start coming out with different colored CPUs to satisfy the cosmetics crowd.

If you really think rounded cables make a difference in ambient temp inside your computer, just twist the flat cables like a licorice. Costs nothing and takes 10 seconds!