In this post, we’re going to take a look at 27 different examples of good-to-high-end cable management. So, if you’re looking for some inspiration for wiring your upcoming build, these examples should get you going in the right direction.
If there is any aspect of building a new PC setup that most often gets overlooked, it’s cable management. If you don’t know what cable management is (in reference to building a PC or battlestation), it can be summed up as the act of routing the cables in your computer or behind your desk in such a way to where they look clean and organized and to where they aren’t obstructing the air flow in your computer’s case.
Now, I’m not a cable nazi by any means. I do think that, for the most part, a moderate effort to keep the cables away from your motherboard and case fans is, in most cases, a good enough effort as long as your main goal is to build a PC that will allow you to play your favorite games.
However, I do really appreciate flawless cable management. There are not a whole lot of things in life that I find more appealing than a clean-looking computer with excellent cabling.
And, if you want more than just a gaming PC—if you want something that is really attractive and impressive—then you need to make sure your cabling is on point.
In order to help you get an idea of what good cable management looks like and to inspire your new upcoming build, I’ve collected a few examples of some really good cabling.
Also Read: 14 Reasons Why You Should Build A PC
I’ve pulled these examples from users across the web (mainly from Reddit) and have linked back to their original posts. If you think you have a great example of cable management, you can email it to me at bhale@techguided.com and I will consider adding it to this post.
There’s not over-the-top liquid cooling in this build. There’s not an overload of RGB lights. There’s no crazy color schemes that makes it stand out. It’s just a nice-looking white and black build with solid cable management. The custom cables do give it a nice touch, though…
Also Read: Liquid Cooling vs. Air Cooling: Which Style CPU Cooler is Best?
If your cable management is good, an extreme custom liquid cooling setup can take attention away from your cables altogether. If your cable management is bad, no matter how cool your liquid cooling loop looks, your system won’t look great. The cabling in this build is done well and that allows the liquid cooling setup to take center stage.
Here’s an extreme closeup of some nice custom braided cables. If you have the extra money to spend on custom cables, they will help your build (and cable management) stand out.
I’m more of a stuff-all-excess-cables-behind-the-motherboard-tray kind of guy. It’s the same strategy as throwing all your dirty laundry underneath your bed so that your room looks clean. It works to an extent. But, if you want legit cable management, then you tend to the unseen areas in your build like Reddit user u/tcollier91 did in this setup.
Somehow this genius figured out a way to make his piping look like part of his cable setup and his cable setup to look like his piping. Cable management like this only comes around once in a millennium… eat your heart out boys and girls.
Often times, we congratulate system builders on their cable management when, in reality, all they have done is hidden their cable mess behind their desk. However, there are a few among us who take cable management a bit more serious. To those select few… we salute you, oh manager of cables in the unseen realm of “behind-the-desk.”
There’s good cable management and then there’s next-level cable management. It’s not that this builder pulled any kind of magic tricks on their cabling, but rather that they matched their cables to their fans and power supply that takes this build to a whole new level.
I didn’t realize how much I liked a green, black, white, and gray color scheme until I saw this dandy…
Keeping your cables well-organized behind your motherboard is akin to clean cabling behind your desk. It’s a next-level effort only carried out by the purest of cable managers.
There’s nothing spectacular here. Just some good ole fashioned cable management. It gets the job done.
When you have a nice looking build as is and your cabling skills make it look even better, you’ve accomplished something few ever will.
If you have a big case and you don’t do a great job on your cables, it’s not the end of the world. However, if you’re building a small form-factor gaming PC and you don’t put emphasis on good cable management, you’re going to get yourself into a bind. This, though, is a good example of cable management in a mini-ITX case.
Also Read: Three Powerful Mini-ITX Gaming PC Builds
This is a good example of cable management, for sure, however, it also shows how much a good case can make making your cable look nice that much easier. The red shroud that goes over the power supply and extends along the side of the case’s side panel makes it really easy to hide all of the cables from the power supply.
Another instance where the cables actually enhance the visual appeal of an already nice-looking build, rather than detract from it.
Did I catch you sleeping?! This, clearly, is not a good example of clean cable management. However, this is what the majority of people’s builds look like. And, for those people who are more concerned with gaming performance, it’s probably not going to be a big deal. You just won’t be able to open it up and WOW anyone.
This build is a good example of how you can blend your cables into your build so they almost aren’t seen at all. Of course, the picture is taken in the dark, but the black cables and black case make the lights and white highlights really stand out.
I like this as an example of having almost no cables showing. Makes the build look really clean. The PSU shroud also gives it a sleeker feel.
This isn’t the first example of cable sleeves in this post, but I figured I’d post a closeup of some good sleeving. Really, cable management is all about efficiently directing your cables so as to keep them as clean-looking and as out-of-the-way as possible. However, sleeving allows you to add an element of style to your cables.
This custom modded build is obviously much more than just good cable management. This is God Mode level modding. However, you can’t go God Mode on a custom setup unless you’re cable management is also God Mode level. The cabling here is just one incredible part among many inside this ridiculous setup.
This is another example of solid cabling skills. Obviously, it’s not color coordinated and it doesn’t have a bunch of fancy sleeving, but this is what ‘standard’ good cable management looks like. Nice, clean, and efficient.
Another example of how a power supply shroud can hide a huge bulk of messy cables and create a nice, clean look. Using a PSU shroud may not qualify as ‘good’ cable routing per se (afterall, there could be a mess under there!), but it does help hide your cables and make your system look better.
Just because you don’t have a super-high-end system doesn’t mean you should forego doing cable management. This is an example of a budget gaming PC build that has very good cable management. There’s obviously nothing fancy here… no sleeves, no sleek color scheme, no PSU shroud, etc. It’s just good cabling in an affordable system.
Not a completed project, but this is a good example of items you can use to improve upon your cabling behind and under your desk. Using a cable tray and mounting your power strips underneath your desk can help you hide the rat’s nest of cables that so often ruin the overall look of battlestations and gaming setups.
A nice clean red and black themed build with some solid cabling going on.
I love the black and blue color scheme here. It’s well thought out. And, with good cable management, this build has a really sleek feel to it.
Another example of superb behind-motherboard cable management. You really have to be dedicated to the cause to use this much precision with the cables behind your motherboard. Ultimately, this is just another example of next-level cabling skills.
A PSU shroud, sleeved cabling, liquid-cooling, black and white color scheme… This is a great example of how good cabling skills, paired with a nice color scheme, and the clean look of a closed-loop CPU cooler can really make a build look sharp.
Aside from how incredible this build is, one thing it does well is utilizing cable combs. Essentially, cable combs are a great tool to organize a group of cables so that you can condense them and make them look much cleaner and more organized. Since wiring a 4-way GPU configuration can be somewhat messy and difficult to get in place, these custom cable combs make the job much easier and give it a sleeker look.
How Good is Your Cable Management?
Again, these are examples of some of the best cable management out there. If you are simply looking to build a computer that will allow you to play your games on the highest settings and you don’t care what the inside of your PC looks like, you don’t necessarily have to take your cabling to the extreme some of these setups have.
However, you should put some effort into your cabling so as to ensure that your case maintains good airflow.
And, if you are looking to put together a really nice-looking setup, hopefully these examples have given you some ideas.
