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Rounded cables... are they really worth it?

I have one rounded cable and one normal cable, and i really like having the rounded cable, helps out the airflow and ease of use quite a bit. Of course you can always round them yourself pretty easily, there is a couple guides on that subject out there.
 
Round your own cables! its fun and cheap ... all you need is a razorblade and a roll of electrical tape! Sometimes having round cables takes up more room then ribbons, for example.. I kept my floppy a ribbon and folded it up in a neat little square and tucked it away, A round one would have been in the way, now I dont even see the ribbon at all. I think for 90% of applications out there rounded is the way to go! have fun and do them yourself!
 
I did the razor blade and electrical tape method on all my ribbon cables. I went through the insulation in a couple spots, so I just wrapped that strand in electrical tape to keep that line from shorting out. I did 5 wires per strand, and they turned out well.

I tuck as many wires as I can behind the drive cage, so things are pretty clean. On the other computers I've built, I just stuck the ribbon cables behind the drive cage so it stays out of the way. Simpler for me, especially when they don't care about having rounded cables tucked away. :D
 
One word: No.

Exception: If you kill yourself trying to plug in a nightlight, you probably won't be able to fold ribbons out of the way properly. Then get roundeds.
 
I prefer the SATA cables over all, much nicer to use and really helps the airflow.
 
puck said:
I prefer the SATA cables over all, much nicer to use and really helps the airflow.
Click to expand...
Except the connector on the HD seems very flimsy.
 
Millow said:
as the title says, are rounded cables really worth it?
Click to expand...


I think the rounded cables are really just a vanity item. I think all that about air flow was just taken from marketing crap. I have them and the only thing I see them for is looking better then the regular IDE cables.
 
I think they are worth it both for performance and for looks, but also because you can buy shielded ones to prevent EM interference.
 
Ribbon cables can seriously block airflow if they aren't tucked away. Imo it's easier to get good airflow with rounded cables than to tuck away ribbon cables.
 
It depends on your motherboard, casing, and how much you need to connect. I used normal flat cables before, it was horrible, The ackward casing, IDE slots, directly in front one of the HD slot. So much twist and turns. To top it off, I could not hide the cables, rounded are so much better. That goes for the PSU wires. Bought some coolermaster cables, and a Tt butterfly, problem solved, I still haven't used the SATA hd yet.
Rounded is really more flexible than normal flat cables.
 
ribbon cables kick ass, there is no reason not to get them unless your frugal, u can pick up a nice lot on ebay for pretty cheap. it makes your case look better, it helps airflow especially if u have fans in the front, and is super crispy. read my post everyone is to verbose. YAY vocabulary!
 
redhate said:
I think the rounded cables are really just a vanity item. I think all that about air flow was just taken from marketing crap. I have them and the only thing I see them for is looking better then the regular IDE cables.
Click to expand...

well, in my case, if i had a regular cable it'd be blocking half of my 120mm fan, so that why I got rounded and went around the fan... But I'm sure there's applications where it wouldn't matter.
 
round cables are worth it just in the fact that they dont impeed airflow like ribbon cables.

As far as makeing round ones out of ribbons.. I dont think its worth the time/effort to do it when you can just drop a couple bucks and get a pair. Besides, what looks better... duct-tape/electrical tape and ribbons and makeing your own, or some sleeved/heatshrinked ones?
 
GSRwBOOST said:
round cables are worth it just in the fact that they dont impeed airflow like ribbon cables.

As far as makeing round ones out of ribbons.. I dont think its worth the time/effort to do it when you can just drop a couple bucks and get a pair. Besides, what looks better... duct-tape/electrical tape and ribbons and makeing your own, or some sleeved/heatshrinked ones?
Click to expand...

It takes me 5 minutes to completely seperate and wrap a ribbon cable. Rounded cables around here cost ~$15CDN, not a couple of bucks. 5 minutes!!! It would take longer to drive to a computer store to pick some up!! Where's your "time/effort" now?! You ever made some? :p

Screw looks. I have a black case with a window, and I hide my cables. Sure, a cable that looks like it came from the circus would look alright, but it is still in the way if you don't tuck it.
 
well, i've read some tutorials on making your own rounded cables and it seems incredibly easy. i'll tell you how i've done when i'm finished.
 
redhate said:
I think the rounded cables are really just a vanity item. I think all that about air flow was just taken from marketing crap. I have them and the only thing I see them for is looking better then the regular IDE cables.
Click to expand...

Marketing crap? People were doing it for years with razor blades and elex tape before anyone even thought of making a buck off them!

It's all about the airflow... ok, ok, and the pimp-factor.

-Jess
 
I rounded my cables in all my boxes, who cares what it looks like, unless you are building a show rig or want to impress the ubergeeks at lan partys. I would rather save my money for memory or a new hsf combo, then buy some neon glowstick roundcables. :D
 
well, i rounded all my cables, but messed up my motherboard's floppy drive controller in the process. my dad went apeshit, but it doesn't bother me too much seeing as i never use the floppy anyways.
 
How did you mess it up? If the insulation came off a little bit from a strand, wrap that strand in electrical tape. I went through a couple times, and fixed it like this. No problems or anything in almost a year.
 
Actually I've got some front intake fans on my machine that get blocked with ribbon cables. So theres a slight airflow bennifit when I use the round cables. Plus I prefer the look and the cleanliness of the rounded cables.

But SATA is really the way to go.
 
SATA cables rule. So thin. I'm hoping my next box will be all SATA so I can avoid using IDE as much as possible. The only beef I have is the connectors seem a little fragile.
 
ImaFoolRu12 sayz:

Rounded cables are good if you're like me and you're too lazy to do a proper routing job on the ribbon cables. If you fold those up and route them right then they're a lot better.


And I keep hearing about people taking about flimsy SATA connections, I haven't had any problems though, they snug in real nice.
 
Rounded cables are for those people that don't have the skills to fold ribbon cables.

I like the look of a well folded ribbon cable much more than rounded cables, but there are times when it would be nice to have a nice rounded cable. But...ribbon cables come with motherboards and parts, so I just keep them as they are.
 
Rounded cables suck IMO, if you are willing to spend $15 or so on a set of round cables, you should spend 15 minutes making them look good... but 15 minutes with flat cables will look a LOT better than it will with round ones - especially if you are willing to cut holes in the motherboard tray, you can just run them right back and be done with them
case2.jpg

case4.JPG
 
Those are some hella long cables you got there. I'm pretty damn sure none of mine would reach all the way around the motherboard tray and back through.

Also, having 4 HD's at the very bottom of your case doesn't make for an easy situation to hide cables :rolleyes: And that stupid agp molex connector doesn't help much either.
 
ehZn said:
Those are some hella long cables you got there. I'm pretty damn sure none of mine would reach all the way around the motherboard tray and back through.

Also, having 4 HD's at the very bottom of your case doesn't make for an easy situation to hide cables :rolleyes: And that stupid agp molex connector doesn't help much either.
Click to expand...

Hard drives at the bottom is actually easier to wire if you are willing to cut holes in the motherboard tray - just run them straight over instead of up the back like I had to do

AGP molex connector can be wired through the mounting hole right next to the AGP slot, behind the motherboard, and up to the power supply
 
Is there a hole in the mobo big enough to fit a molex through? I don't remember seeing one.

Also I use rounded cables which are shorter than normal and definitely would not wrap around the mobo anywhere. And since I just got done taking the whole thing apart and cutting some fan holes and putting it back together, I'm not too anxious to do it again just to move some wires.

120mm side intake blowhole trumps any more wire hiding I could do :D
 
you don't stick the actual molex through, you cut the wires and run the bare wires through from the front to back so the acutal plug is connected to the video card and the wires are running back through the mounting hole next to the AGP slot, then solder them back together behind the motherboard
 
Grizzy said:
you don't stick the actual molex through, you cut the wires and run the bare wires through from the front to back so the acutal plug is connected to the video card and the wires are running back through the mounting hole next to the AGP slot, then solder them back together behind the motherboard
Click to expand...

Now that's [H]ard :cool:

One problem with all this cabling is that if you want to upgrade it means redoing everything, but hey, it's all fun. Crank some music and spend some quality time with that special computer of yours.
 
Deadlierchair said:
Now that's [H]ard :cool:

One problem with all this cabling is that if you want to upgrade it means redoing everything, but hey, it's all fun. Crank some music and spend some quality time with that special computer of yours.
Click to expand...

Yea, I had to take my stuff apart a few times, and it was a royal pain in the ass... but it was worth it for the final look i got from it :D I am happy with the way it turned out
 
Grizzy said:
you don't stick the actual molex through, you cut the wires and run the bare wires through from the front to back so the acutal plug is connected to the video card and the wires are running back through the mounting hole next to the AGP slot, then solder them back together behind the motherboard
Click to expand...


Did you know you can usually remove the metal contacts from the plastic molex body? This way you can remove them, slip the wires through small holes, and just pop them back into place without having to do any soldering.
 
I have them and would recomend them. My case is very clean with 2 round cables and 2 Sata cables.

And you can get them for very cheap. I got mine from SVC.com. Floppy round cable for $1.25 and 1 double ide for my 2 cdroms for $2.00. Cant beat those prices.
 
zer0signal667 said:
Did you know you can usually remove the metal contacts from the plastic molex body? This way you can remove them, slip the wires through small holes, and just pop them back into place without having to do any soldering.
Click to expand...

that is pretty easy on a regular molex, but if it is a 9700 and uses the floppy connector, that makes it harder. and really, who doesn't want an excuse to play with a soldering iron?
:D

i have rounded cables (got 3 or 4 at compgeeks for about $2 each or something cheap like that a while ago) but i use ribbon cables. they work, and airflow isn't really a concern for me cause i don't have a sidepanel for my case (there is a really really big hole in the middle of it) i do some cable hiding, but nothing radical. no one really sees my computer except me, and i don't really care what it looks like (this case anyway, i'm planning to get a new one even though this is a lian li... but it is too small) so looks don't matter either.
 
As long as we're talking rounded IDE cables, has anyone seen them made with twisted pairs? I've been casually looking for them for my next system, I keep hearing rumors, but no one can ever tell me where they saw them, any ideas?
 
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