More often than not computers get damaged because of dust build-up and poor thermal management.

A solution to those would be cable management. But cable management is not always applicable/easy for most cases out there and buying a good case would cost you a chunk of money, generally ranging from $80 - $300.

Here I introduce to you a step by step tutorial for those people out there who owns a bad/small case.

Read and see how to transform poor cable management to good enough cable management.

Step 1: What Is a Bad Case?

First things first. What is a bad case?

Technically a bad case is a one with poor cable management features and poor thermal management. Therefore leading to dust buildup and high temperatures.

As you can see in the image poor cable management would mean less than an inch of space between the rear cover and the motherboard mount. Also few or no cable manage holes/gromits in the case.

Step 2: You Will Need..

Cable management is not going to cost you a lot in fact you will only need the ff:

-Cutters
-Phillips head screwdriver
-Cable Ties

Optional:
-Long nose pliers (only used for tightening cable ties which would only depend on your strength)

Step 3: Opening Your Case and Removing All Plugged Connectors

Unplug your computer and make sure you ground yourself first before proceeding.

Open the left and right side panel of your case. If you have a fan installed on panel/s you might want to open it slowly to avoid stressing the wire attached.

Remove all plugged connectors from your power supply also your SATA connectors. To do this you apply enough pressure to pull it but not enough to break them. Generally for 4-pin/4+4-pin, 20-pin/20+4-pin and 6-pin/8-pin PCIE connectors (see images). You need to press the lock above the connector to remove them.

Step 4: Routing Your 24-pin/motherboard Cable

As you can see in the image find somewhere in the rear (right side) to route your cable 24-pin cable. In my case I was lucky enough to have enough clearance to route it in the rear my case. If you can't make it fit you can put in the hard drive cages in the bottom or in the 5.75 inch cages in the top.

Cable tie the cable and make sure to cut of the excess using cutters.

Step 5: Routing Your 6-pin/8-pin PCIE Cable

Same as the motherboard cable try to route it in the back. If it doesn't fit or in my case it was too short you can put it in your hard drive cages in the bottom or in the 5.75 inch cages in the top as well. As you can see I tucked mine near my optical drive and cable tied it for a secure fit.

Step 6: Routing Your Molex, Sata, Sata Power Cables and Other Cables

As you can see routing these cables require the same steps as the previous ones. The only difference is that you choose which wire from your power supply you would use. Generally it would be best to use the cable which all connectors would be used. A good example would be using the 3 SATA power + 1 molex cable to connect your hard drives and fans. Using less cables from your power supply would mean better air flow and less dust build-up in your case. Lastly don't forget to tuck away all the unused cables from your power supply.

Notes:
When connecting fans, it is better to daisy chain them (connecting the one to the other) rather than plugging them one by one to a molex connector. That way you would only need one molex connector for your fans and saving the rest for other peripherals.

Step 7: Some Tips and Other Info

Cable management mainly depends on your case and your creativity. Thus meaning this guide is not to be taken word by word as every case, pc configuration, and power supply differs. As long as cables are neatly tucked and there is good airflow in your case then you are doing fine.

Some Tips:
You can make use of molex to SATA power adaptor if you lack lack a SATA power connector or in my case I used it so that I could use my molex connector to power my hard drive and not used another cable from the power supply.

If your cable ties are too short you can connect one to another to extend them.

To hide unused cables like floppy cables you can twist it around itself so that it is neatly tucked in and does not prevent airflow.

Lastly if you don't understand something or you're having a hard time at following this guide you can always do your research there are lots of cable management guides out there each having their own ways to do it. And one more thing:

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." -Albert Einstein

Be creative. :3

Step 8: Credits

Made by BASICON group 2 S17.

Posted on instructables on 08/21/2011.

Credits to http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html for the power supply connectors images.