9 Tips:Tips: PC Cabling(Part 2)

5-Inserting and removing power connectors can take elbow grease.

Molex connectors are the rectangular four-pin plugs that extend from your power supply, and they can require surprising force to insert into or pull out of a component. When inserting one, check that the cylindrical metal contact inside each of the four pin receptacles in the connector isn't bent or misshapen--this happens sometimes after a crooked insertion attempt. When detaching, check that the connector doesn't require squeezing first (a few do).

6-Stash excess wire out of the way for neatness and flow.

Unused drive bays make excellent storage areas for excess cable and power-supply leads, allowing for better airflow inside your case. Before stowing any cable slack into a bay, use a cable tie or twist tie to restrain the excess. Don't just stuff them haphazardly out of the way; extracting them later could require some major untangling.

7-Use caution when routing cables under your motherboard.

Stashing cables under the motherboard--in the space between the board and the case bottom--as you install them can make for a clean interior appearance. But bear in mind that some boards have sharp solder or other contacts on their underside that can nick a cable and lead to unpredictable operation, a short circuit, or fried hardware. If you do this, make sure there's plenty of clearance for your cable and no possibility of chafing.

8-Two-wire power connectors are good only for fans.

Some power supplies come with Molex power leads that have just two wires, not the usual four, labeled "fan only." Use these connectors only for case fans, never for items such as drives or graphics cards. On some supplies, fans connected to these "fan only" power leads have their speed automatically controlled for an optimal balance of noise and cooling.

9-Replace clunky, flat drive cables with rounded IDE cables.

Your hard drive and optical drive most likely came with a classic flat ribbon cable for data transfer between drive and motherboard. You can upgrade this cable, however, with an inexpensive (under-$10) rounded IDE cable. Rounded cables are much easier to route, and they block airflow less. They come in a variety of lengths and in versions that accommodate one or two IDE devices.