Case Tidiness... tips and tricks?

[jinexile]

The new Ultra power supplies allow you to have as many or as little amount of cords plugged into them as needed, a great way to reduce clutter.

Fitting a filter between your external fans (remembering to clean them once in a while as well) helps keep dust to a minimum (there's no way to complete avoid it.)

Canned air or a compressor (with variable power settings so you don't blow your computer to bits) is a good way to give it a good cleaning once in a while (make sure you're outside and if you have allergies put on a face mask.) Make sure you get all your fans, heat sinks, inbetween drives in the bays and in the power supply. (I'm kinda OCD when it comes to it and I take my power supply appart to clean it as well.) If you want to make your computer shine, use electrical contact cleaner and wipe it down.

 

[bigstanklo]

fold the flat IDE's a couple times over, use zip ties and blam you got round cables.

Ahh very good idea. I tried that in my own case with good results.

 

[jinexile]

Ahh very good idea. I tried that in my own case with good results.

If you score the cable just between the indvidual wires they peel apart pretty easily and you can then bunch them together much easier

 

[bigstanklo]

I was always leary about cutting IDE ribbons apart. Isn't there the chance or shorting them out by cutting them like that? Or am I just being overly cautious?

 

[jinexile]

You can't go hack and slash but if you're a little careful it's pretty risk free... just take your time... it is a long process.

 

[CreditSolutions]

Round cables are only a few bucks, even in most retail stores. So if you slice them up a little *too* much, replacement parts arent hard to come by.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

I have a new round IDE cable for my hdd going around my MOBO Once i get home ill post a pic of it in this thread caz i cant here at school. -.-

 

[Inskipp]

Let me say, of you have a lot of hardware, and you don't have a modular power supply, it isn't that easy. You can pretty much bend or twist any cable how you want, but you don't want to have to twist it more than once.

Another consideration is replacing or reconnecting hardware. If you tie everything down, and have to replace a piece of hardware, you'll likely have to do the job over.

Most important with today's systems is airflow. You must keep air moving through the case. In through the bottom (front) and out through the top (usually in the back, but better if you have a blowhole too).

I like to use unused power supply cables to hold all the other wires in place. It's nice to have a power supply that has the wires wrapped in shrink or mesh. Rounded IDE cables make everything nicer, but you can carefully fold ribbon cables (once!)

Tucking the small wires under the mainboard helps too, but don't wedge anything.

You can tape velcro onto the most unruly wires, and put the other end of the velcro on the chassis. Cleverly done, this offers some of the neatest results.

Hope this helps, and I'm sorry I repeated some of the other ideas already posted. Here's mine, flash off!

 

[jseber1982]

back in my lan party days, i had a nice clean case, all painted up pretty and modded with fan holes n crap. Now that i am a dad and dont have time for that stuff, my pc has all the latest and greatest in it, but it looks like shit lol. I still got the ol lial li case i had 2 years ago, the paintjob is all gashed and pealin off and lotsa wires hangin out lol

 

[Nubius]

slicing them is just the long way to folding them. They don't get any thinner from slicing all the ribbons and you just increase your chances of screwing something up.