Modular vs fixed cables?

[digitaldave]

OK, probably opening a can of worms up here, but here goes...

I will be replacing my PSU soon, and I've been looking at the Corsair HX modular range, and the Antec True Power New. I currently have an Antec 300 case, which, although I think it's a pretty good case for the money, it doesn't really have any cable management - as a result, I have all the spare cables from my current PSU shoved into the empty space between the side panel and the hard drive mounts. IT's not pretty, but it does get the cables largely out of the way. So I was thinking of getting a modular PSU so that I can put on only the cables I need (or with the Antec, have minimal extras to hide). However, I've also been looking at new cases, as there's a few nice ones available now or just around the corner, so it occurred to me that I could get a non-modular PSU for less than a roughly equivalent modular version, get a new case with good cable management, and be able to do a good job with hiding the excess cables and routing the necessary ones.

So, any thoughts on modular vs non-modular?

Thanks,

Dave.

 

[Obsidian86]

modular is the future,if you have tried it a non modular psu compared to a modular, it just feels ancient

 

[joxang]

Don't even bother with non-modular. Even in a case with no cable management, modular means you can get much better airflow.

 

[Hornet]

There really isn't any advantage for a non-modular (well, none that I can think off)
So its always best to invest in a modular PSU

I've been using modular PSU for years now, with some hardwares that have heavy power usage. No any damage on the modular PCIE cables or anything, if you're worried about that.

 

[Zero82z]

There's an added cost involved with modular PSUs, but I personally think it's worth it, especially in smaller cases. A lot of newer cases these days, even ones with good cable management, don't have a lot of space to hide unused cables.

 

[larrymoencurly]

Don't buy a modular PSU unless it's from PC Power & Cooling.

And how do you prevent unneeded modular cables from getting lost, except by leaving them plugged in?

 

[Zero82z]

Don't buy a modular PSU unless it's from PC Power & Cooling.

And how do you prevent unneeded modular cables from getting lost, except by leaving them plugged in?

Keep them in a box somewhere.

 

[Serpico]

Modular allows for much tidier builds, IMHO it is the only way to go. Only use the cables you need, you can store the rest.

 

[austonia]

i always want to get a modular PSU up until the point where i start shopping for one, then it's hard to justify the +50% markup for something i deal with so infrequently.

next time, surely... next time

 

[WiLLiSTER]

If the case you get in the future has a decent amount of space, the airflow thing with a nonmodular is a nonissue. Like my LL PC-A04, I've got my spare cables tucked away in the back, bottom corner next to the psu where it doesn't have any effect on anything. Some cases though don't provide such a luxury and you'll have a birds nest choking up air flow in a certain area or creating unwanted turbulence in which case a modular would be great. I love modular power supplies for the sole reason of only having to have the cables I need hooked up, but more often than not, I just save the money and spend the extra time tucking the cables out of the way.

 

[austonia]

I love modular power supplies for the sole reason of only having to have the cables I need hooked up, but more often than not, I just save the money and spend the extra time tucking the cables out of the way.

yep. bundle wild cables together with zip ties and tuck them away in open drive bays. spend that extra $50 on a better GPU.

[forever frugal]

 

[theseeker]

Don't buy a modular PSU unless it's from PC Power & Cooling.

PCP&S is somewhat outdated

And how do you prevent unneeded modular cables from getting lost, except by leaving them plugged in?

Keep them in a box somewhere.

The leftover box, we all have one

Modular allows for much tidier builds, IMHO it is the only way to go. Only use the cables you need, you can store the rest.

Spot on!

yep. bundle wild cables together with zip ties and tuck them away in open drive bays. spend that extra $50 on a better GPU.

[forever frugal]

They really don't cost that much more and who wants to buy zip ties?

Modular is the only way to go. It gives you a great of flexibility and you may want to sleeve at some point.

 

[nalc]

It depends on the PSU and what you're going to run.

I have a modular in my gaming rig. It has hardwired EPS 8-pin / P4 4-pin combo plug, ATX 24-pin for my mobo, two hardwired 6-pin PCIe cables for my GPU, and a second hardwired EPS 8-pin that is tucked away (no damn idea why they included two, only a handful of mobos require two). I can add up to three molex chains, three SATA chains, and two additional PCIe 6-pin cables. It makes my cable management nice because I am powering everything from one molex chain and can leave the rest out.

I have a non-modular in my HTPC. It has EPS 8-pin / P4 4-pin combo, ATX 24-pin, a single hardwired PCIe cable that has two 6-pin connectors on the end, two triple-molex chains, and two triple-SATA chains. It would be utterly pointless for me to get a modular one, because I'm using all of the cables. I have six SATA devices using both of the SATA chains, fans using one molex chains, and the mobo using the other molex chain. The only wire I'm not using is the PCIe cable, and it's not very big. I could have spent extra for a modular, but it wouldn't matter because I would need to use all of the modular cables.

The thing that really bugs me about modular PSUs is that they aren't flexible. Many of them include hardwired cables that are not needed. Both modular PSUs I've owned, XFX and OCZ, have had two auxiliary motherboard power cables, despite the fact that very few mobos require two cables. So even with a 'modular' PSU, I still have to tuck a wire behind the drive cage. And, generally, the modular cables are all the same. They're all ~18" SATA chains with three SATA connectors about 4" apart, or ~18" molex chains with three molex connectors about 4" apart. I want different lengths and different numbers of connectors and different connector spacing.

For instance, I'd love it if my HTPC/fileserver PSU had a right-angle SATA cable. Something thicker than normal, with like four right-angle SATA connectors spaced an inch apart, for hooking up several hard drives in a rack. Or if I had a long single-molex connector, to hook up to the pesky mobo molex connector by the PCIe slots, or to an isolated fan controller. or a SATA and molex combination cable, something where you could connect a fan controller and SATA drives with the same wire. Or if there were modular EPS 8-pin and P4 4-pin cables, so you could have an ~8" one for cases with top-mounted PSUs and a ~24" one for cases with bottom-mounted PSUs, rather than a ~12-18" cable that's too long for top-mounted PSUs and too short for bottom-mounted PSUs.

 

[larrymoencurly]

And how do you prevent unneeded modular cables from getting lost, except by leaving them plugged in?

Keep them in a box somewhere.

Where'd the box go?

Modular PSUs are to computers as glued-on rearview mirrors are to cars -- they create problems that didn't exist before their invention, yet they don't bring real improvements.

 

[larrymoencurly]

Modular is the only way to go. It gives you a great of flexibility and you may want to sleeve at some point.

Cable sleeves are the dickies of PCs.