Cable Management - Does it impact cooling performance? At all?...
0 up · 0 down · 0 ratings
Channels and socials
Yes, good cable management does looks awesome. But does it actually increase the efficiency of your CPU or GPU cooler? Apacer giveaway link: linustechtips.com Intel link: linustechtips.com Pricing & discussion: linustechtips.com Support us: linustechtips.com Join our community forum: bit.ly twitter.com @LinusTech Intro Screen Music Credit: Title: Laszlo - Supernova Video Link: youtube.com iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com Artist Link: soundcloud.com Outro Screen Music Credit: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High youtube.com Sound effects provided by freesfx.co.uk
The video sets out to test whether cable management has a measurable impact on cooling performance in a mid tower PC. The host describes the typical case layout options and explains that modern cases often provide ample space behind the motherboard to route cables, suggesting that in many builds cable management may not be a critical factor for thermals. The first phase establishes a clean, decent cable arrangement as a baseline, with a standard air cooling setup including a Hyper 212 Evo and multiple case fans. Temperatures are recorded while running FurMark on the GPU and a CPU stability test to create a consistent thermal load, and initial results show the CPU around 50 C and the GPU around 82 C, implying minimal impact from a tidy cabling arrangement. The presenter then decides to push the envelope by adding more and larger cables in front of airflow paths to see if a messier setup degrades cooling, while continuing to monitor temperatures for a controlled comparison.
Topics · computer hardware · cooling · thermal testing · pc cases and builds
Questions answered
- What was the baseline cooling condition with clean cable management?
- The baseline tested with a relatively clean cable layout showed the CPU around 50 C and the GPU around 82 C under load.
- How did adding more cables affect temperatures?
- Even after adding more and larger cables, the temperatures remained largely unchanged or showed only minor fluctuations, indicating limited impact on cooling for a mid tower build.
- What is the takeaway for typical PC builders?
- For most mid tower systems with adequate airflow, cable management is unlikely to significantly affect thermals, though it should still be kept reasonable for aesthetics and maintenance.