9 Tips:Tips: PC Cabling(Part 1)

1-Certain fasteners don't fare well in PC cases.

You'll do a lot of cable routing and restraining if you're building a complex PC, and there are two materials you should avoid using: rubber bands and adhesive tape. The interior of a PC tends to be warm, with constantly running air, and rubber bands deteriorate more quickly than usual in this environment. Plus, when one gives way, it can go flying and foul a case fan or, worse, the CPU-cooler fan. Some types of tape also lose their adhesion in heat and leave sticky residue when removed.

2-The front-panel audio jacks on your case require special attention.

The single cable for your case's front-panel audio jacks (usually headphone, microphone, and line) can be one of the trickier cables to deal with. In most cases, the cable has a rectangular 10-pin connector (with one pin missing for keying) that complies with one of two front-panel-audio standards: HD Audio or AC '97. (We've also seen cases that provide dongles for both standards on the cable.) The case manual or printing on the connector itself should tell you which type you have.

3-Don't leave unattached Molex power connectors unattended.

The unused Molex connectors that extend from your PC's power supply carry current whether they're attached to a device or not. Leaving stray connectors hanging around is generally safe, but there's a remote chance the metal contacts inside the plastic connector could come in contact with some projecting metal in your case, with nasty results.

4-Decipher the quirks of front-panel USB and FireWire ports.

Some PC cases provide the cables for their front-panel USB or FireWire ports as a bouquet of separate connectors, each wire fitting onto one pin of a USB or FireWire header on the motherboard. Other cases terminate these cables in a solid 10-pin block (which supports two ports); others end in a one-piece, five-pin connector that carries the signal for one port.