FrostyTech.com Heatsink Reviews and Analysis
   
  

TOP 5 Heat Sinks     TOP 5 Low Profile Heat Sinks     TOP 5 Liquid Coolers    
 Heatsinks by Brand / Mfgr      Reviews + Articless     Advanced Search    

Computer Maintenance: Spiral Cable Wrap
Computer Maintenance: Spiral Cable Wrap
  0%   
Abstract: Believe it or not, even the least expensive white box relies on a few basic principles of internal case air-flow for cooling.

 Manufacturer  Category  Published  Author 
FrostyTech   Cases   Dec 09, 2002   Max Page  
Computer Maintenance: Spiral Cable Wrap
Full tower computers often become rats nests of wires as power cables stretch out to every imaginable peripheral. In most cases, this mess is hidden away from view and we don't give it much thought. However, if you are an overclocker or your system seems unstable, it could very well be that it's the internal case temperature which is holding you back. Believe it or not, even the least expensive white box relies on a few basic principles of internal case air-flow for cooling.

A while back we bought a hundred feet or so of 1/4" Nylon Spiral Cable Wrap from www.meci.com for somewhere in the neighborhood of $30USD. That roll is now significantly smaller as the spiral cable wrap has been put to good use. From our past experience setting up systems around the office we've used many different types of cases - from expensive to economical white boxes - but alway's try to keep a nice clear path for internal airflow.

Practically every case we've used has an intake of one form or another at the bottom front, and an exhaust at the rear via the power supply. Keeping power cables and IDE cables from blocking the air path between those two points is an important step to consider while installing a new system.

The easiest and least expensive way to do manage all those wires is with garbage bag ties, but if you want cable ties also work too. The problem with both of these types of cable management is that you have to cut, or unravel them if you want to make any changes. With garbage bag ties this isn't a big deal, but nylon cable ties on the other hand aren't reuseable.

Enter spiral cable wrap. This cable management wrap is essentially nylon tube with a spiral cut that makes it able to wrap around groups of wire up to about 3/4" thick. It is especially useful on those big groups of power cables if they aren't already bundled together by the manufacturer. It works well on groups of molex power cables too, but I don't think it is really worth using on just the four wires.

For an example of what all this looks like, we took a typical system and did a before and after comparison using the spiral cable wrap. There isn't much point in taking temperature measurements in this example given that they just don't translate - so just focus on the clutter. ;-)

This is an older P4 system, so there are three sets of power cables to the motherboard. The 300W Zalman power supply (which was modded in this article) doesn't have any cable wrapping on the ATX power cable so things easily get out of hand. With less than two feet of spiral cable wrap we are able to clean up the wires considerably, making it easier to get at the devices, keeping the wires from interfering with the CPU fan, and improving airflow a little to.

The proof is in the pudding as they say, and given the low cost of this material it really is an easy way to maintain the inside of your computer.


Facebook RSS Feed Twitter
Resources
° Got Feedback?
° Mk.II Test Platform
° Where To Buy?
° Manufacturer Index
° Industry Dir.
° Cooling Projects
Recently Tested

Scythe Mugen 5 Rev B SCMG-5100 Heatsink Review

Gelid Tranquillo 4 Air Cooled Heatsink Review

Coolermaster Ergostand III Laptop Cooling Stand Review

Noctua NH-D9DXi4-3U LGA2011 Xeon Server/Workstation Heatsink Review

Noctua NH-L9x65 Low Profile Heatsink Review

Scythe Fuma SCFM-1000 Heatsink
...More Articles >>


Websites you may also like:
PCSTATS


FrostyTech.com
Since June 1999


Find a Heatsink
Latest Heatsink Reviews
Top 5 Heatsinks Tested
Top 5 Low Profile Heatsinks
Top 5 Liquid Coolers
Heatsinks by Mfgr / Brand


Social Media
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest


FrostyTech.com Info
Feedback
Contact Us / Heatsink Submissions
Submit News
Privacy Policy
Suite 66

© Copyright 1999-2023 www.frostytech.com All Rights Reserved. Privacy policy and Terms of Use
Images © FrostyTech.com and may not be reproduced without express written permission. Current students and faculty of accredited Universities may use Frostytech images in research papers and thesis, provided each image is attributed.