Antec 900 cable management w/o drilling holes?

[caNNibaL]

In my antec 900 case it's the second revision. It has 2 pre-cut holes to the right of the motherboard. I can't cut anyholes in the case because my friend doesn't recommend it and I don't want to have to put together all parts of my pc. So I'm thinking Im going to put most of the cables through the first hole and the rest I need come back out through the second hole.

Has anyone done this? Pictures and or tutorials would be great!

 

[badge]

Long Antec 900 thread. First picture.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=126395

 

[huron]

I didn't have too many issues before (and I didn't have the new revision), but did drill holes in it for my own benefit.

I don't know why your friend doesn't want you to put holes in it, but it's not a big deal, as long as you steer clear of the standoff and structural areas.

 

[caNNibaL]

Yeah I know. I don't think I even have to tools to cut holes.

 

[aznguy0028]

i have done this. a month ago i decided to rewire my computer and i used those two holes to rewire my comp.

the pictures were on my external hardrive and i lost all the data on that so i can't post pics! i would have...but yea

but, things are definitely alot cleaner and the airflow is not blocked by all the wirings.

my comps not as clean as the link above, but its decent and manageable.

i'll find my camera later and post my pics of the final rewirings so you can see.

 

[caNNibaL]

i have done this. a month ago i decided to rewire my computer and i used those two holes to rewire my comp.

the pictures were on my external hardrive and i lost all the data on that so i can't post pics! i would have...but yea

but, things are definitely alot cleaner and the airflow is not blocked by all the wirings.

my comps not as clean as the link above, but its decent and manageable.

i'll find my camera later and post my pics of the final rewirings so you can see.

Oh that be real nice if you could. How long did it take you to do that? I'll give it a shot sometime this week. Or maybe tonight D:

 

[huron]

I put the holes in it with a hole saw (you can buy one for pretty cheap) and got some rubber grommets to cover the metal edges. Grand total for the projec - $5 and some time.

Here's my computer - I think there's one with the lights on and a few with it off.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29942155@N02/2801925254/

 

[Ryun]

I have the second revision of the case as well. I feel I've done an excellent job given that I haven't put any holes in the case (this is probably the 3rd time I've done the rewiring though). Here are some pictures:

Behind Motherboard Tray: http://x63.xanga.com/004f161464c35211091969/w164636468.jpg

Interior: http://xb0.xanga.com/4f5f1515d5735211091989/w164636485.jpg

With Side Panel: http://x22.xanga.com/0d083b0a43439211092000/w164636493.jpg

Hopefully these can give you some ideas.

 

[caNNibaL]

I have the second revision of the case as well. I feel I've done an excellent job given that I haven't put any holes in the case (this is probably the 3rd time I've done the rewiring though). Here are some pictures:

Behind Motherboard Tray: http://x63.xanga.com/004f161464c35211091969/w164636468.jpg

Interior: http://xb0.xanga.com/4f5f1515d5735211091989/w164636485.jpg

With Side Panel: http://x22.xanga.com/0d083b0a43439211092000/w164636493.jpg

Hopefully these can give you some ideas.

Oh wow that looks really good. I'm sure that's what mine will look like after I do that. Now for the pre-cut hole by the PSU should I only use that for the front audio,mic,usb,and firewire ports? and do I have to take out my psu to do this? and I'll need some more cable ties to hold the cables on the side like you did above the cages. (hopefully if antec supplied more cable ties that I have yet to see?)

Thanks so much I feel more confident to do so. If anyone else has pictures etc that be nice!

PS. Have you noticed lower temps at all? Or just a clean sexy look w/o cable clutter?

 

[Ryun]

Oh wow that looks really good. I'm sure that's what mine will look like after I do that. Now for the pre-cut hole by the PSU should I only use that for the front audio,mic,usb,and firewire ports? and do I have to take out my psu to do this? and I'll need some more cable ties to hold the cables on the side like you did above the cages. (hopefully if antec supplied more cable ties that I have yet to see?)

Thanks so much I feel more confident to do so. If anyone else has pictures etc that be nice!

PS. Have you noticed lower temps at all? Or just a clean sexy look w/o cable clutter?

Thanks.

Yeah some of the things I did require the removal of some items. For example, my 8 pin CPU cable looked awful, and obstructed airflow when I stretched it over the motherboard so I removed the wire mesh around it and threaded it underneath the motherboard. Though as I say this, you probably won't have to remove the PSU to get the front firewire and usb cables (the audio cable I unfortunately had to route in the middle of the case, it's the cable above my graphics card). As long as your PSU is far enough away from the motherboard tray, but its a tight squeeze and probably just better to move it out of the way.

Believe it or not I didn't really notice too much of a decrease in temperatures, in fact I didn't notice much with any of the fan configurations or speeds. This one had the best ambient temperature though. Since its still summer, and hot where I live, idle/load I usually get ambient around 30C/35C (I've got a 680i mobo, so I'd say that's great even in the summer considering that the chipset gets pretty hot). My processor -- E6600 -- temps usually idle/load around 40C/50C (although they used to be closer to ambient temp, I think it has something to do with the stock HSF not putting enough pressure on the CPU anymore or it could be the big fan on the top just pulling on the hot air from my graphics card onto the proc since they tend to stay about the same temp) and my 7600gt I never see get passed 50C.

But hey, your case looks alot better and you get a good feeling out of cleaning everything up and making it look professional. Just don't expect dramatic results, but I like to think that the airflow has a better distribution over all of my parts now instead of just the ones that have a temperature probe in them.

 

[caNNibaL]

Lol ok. thanks a lot =)

 

[maest]

Just picked up a 900 for my new build (2nd gen w/ two pre-drilled holes) and had a few questions about cable management and other chassis issues that I hoped could be answered.

The relevant components include (1) HDD, (1) DVD drive, and (1) video card for the time being. It is powered by a SeaSonic S12 SS-550HT (not modular unfortunately) and has a Asus PQ5 Pro mobo.

1) Why didn't Antec include a pre-cut hole next to the PSU? It's almost a waste to have the other two holes without one to first feed all the power cables through to the back. But that's more of a gripe than a true question so moving on.

2) Any recommendations of a HSF for this case with the above mobo and probably a Q9550?

3) Which of the 6 HDD bays should be first used from a cable management, sound/vibration, and heat standpoint?

4) I assume once the case is closed nobody messes with the fan speed switches so what speeds do you have each fan at? Is there a control panel that looks good with this case that allows control of the fan speeds and possibly displays temperatures?

5) ryun, I noticed you used the hole made by the PSU tab. What for and does it make the PSU harder to fit when it wedges the cables between the PSU and the case?

6) I definitely prefer not to have to make any cuts but do you think I should consider it?

7) What are the two holes with rubber gaskets on the back of the case for? I'm guessing water cooling tubes but I've never looked into water cooling so I don't know.

That's all I can think of atm ... just trying to plan ahead a little.

Thanks

 

[RyanS2000]

I got an antec 900 recently and over the past week I moved all of my components from my previous case to the 900. Before putting anything in, I did some cable management via some dremeling. I have the newer version with the 2 cut-outs to the right of the mobo but I did still dremel out 3 holes to make it cleaner looking; 1 nice sized hole for all power supply cables to go through; 1 hole for the 12v CPU 4-pin plug at the top; 1 hole for the audio connector and rear exhaust fan plug near the back panel. I was able to get everything needed through these holes. I will post pictures of everything tomorrow.

maest:
1. Hopefully they will eventually manufacture it for clean installs. If they don't cut holes for you they should maybe design it for people to easily punch out where they want holes. They did however take a step in the right direction with the 2 big holes towards the right of the mobo.

2. I use the sunbeam core contact freezer. With this case I got a 5-6C temp drop with all fans on low. I tried setting them to medium and it didnt improve any. I'm not even going to bother having a super noisy computer just to get 1-2C cooler so the high fan setting is out the question.

3. Heat naturally rises and cold drops so it is best to bring in cool air from a lower point. I use the 2 lower cages for my fans.

4. It depends on what your priority is. I personally want a quiet and cool PC but found raising the fans to medium didnt do much for me so I keep them on low. Tinker with them once you get it put together and see what is tolerable as far as sound goes. It is obviously better to have it at the highest tolerable setting to keep the temps low.

5. I fit my USB and firewire cables through the hole by the psu. It was a tight squeeze so I took some of the black outside shielding off of the cables to give it a bit more room. Be careful not to cut into any of the actual wires.

6. I wanted to have almost no cables showing so I decided to cut. It was the first time I've ever used a dremel and it came out very nicely. It is 100% worth the 25-30 mins I spent cutting. I will have pics tomorrow.

7. As you guessed, water cooling.

If you need any help, feel free to ask any questions.

Good luck

 

[maest]

Thanks for the reply.

To clarify #3, I meant to ask which slot should the HDD be placed? There's two lower cages each with (3) slots. Is it typical to place the HDD at the very bottom? That location would lack a pre-made hole nearby. Is the middle slot of a cage better than a top or bottom one? If I put it in the upper cage would be closer to the existing hole but it may be too close the the video card.

Sounds like I need to decide if I want to makes some cuts. Probably won't buy a dremel but buying a couple of hole saw bits for my drill of various sizes I would consider.

 

[RyanS2000]

I personally used the top 2 slots of the lower cage for my HDD's. I use 2 HDD's and only had 2 6" sata cables available so that restricted where I could go. If I had longer cables I would have probably done the bottom 2 slots of the lowest cage. I also thought about maybe putting one in the lowest slot of the upper cage and one in the highest slot of the bottom cage. That way it would not restrict airflow as much for either cage fan.

 

[mark_k]

This is a Noobie quesiton.

Do you mount the HD and CD ROM first before you install the mother board in oder to rout the cable out behind the mother board?

What's the oder that I shuld install my components?

 

[RyanS2000]

What cable are you referring to?

I assume you are talking about the SATA\IDE cable for each drive. If you are running wires under the mobo then you will need to have the cables laid down first obviously. As far as installing the actual device (HDD or CDROM) you can do it after since they slide through the front.

 

[mark_k]

I meant out thru the side of the case

 

[freakz28]

hey guys heres my case please let me know what you think....

http://fwt.txdnl.com/6-10/f/r/freakz28/pics/IMG_0296.JPG

stock no drill holes..

as you can see in the lower left hand corner i managed to snake a few extra unneeded cables thru the little hole in the left hand corner.

 

[pete_46]

blablablablab

 

[RyanS2000]

Here's some pics of my setup:

Drilling my first hole for all power supply cables:

All holes cut, interior shot:

All holes cut, rear shot. All fan cables, switch cables, and usb\firewire\audio are ran into back of case. I had to cut off and resolder the top 200mm fan power connector to get it into the back.

I had to extend my switch wires so they could come up through my power supply cable cut hole and reach the switch headers.

Motherboard and PSU in place:

Completed:
I ran a fan header through the power-supply support bracket hole only to find out my cpu cooler is too big and will not allow a fan to fit on the door mount so that is coming out. It is hanging out of the water-cooling hole in the back for now.

Front shot, with fan filters installed:

 

[jerseygamer]

In my antec 900 case it's the second revision. It has 2 pre-cut holes to the right of the motherboard. I can't cut anyholes in the case because my friend doesn't recommend it and I don't want to have to put together all parts of my pc. So I'm thinking Im going to put most of the cables through the first hole and the rest I need come back out through the second hole.

Has anyone done this? Pictures and or tutorials would be great!

Just use the stock harnest and the space inside the side cover beside the drive bays. The only extra tool you need is a whire sock. Once you have your wiring run through the harnest pull the harnest away from the case. Slowly cut the zip ties as you slide the sock on and bingo! No super crappy choping up your new case.

 

[maest]

Here's my shot at 900 cable management without hole cuts. The non-modular Seasonic PSU sure has a lot of cables. Wish that secondary mobo power cable was long enough to route around instead of go over the top (or wish that I thought ahead and tried to route it under the mobo)

 

[freakz28]

Here's my shot at 900 cable management without hole cuts. The non-modular Seasonic PSU sure has a lot of cables. Wish that secondary mobo power cable was long enough to route around instead of go over the top (or wish that I thought ahead and tried to route it under the mobo)

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/5135/p1010390cb1.jpg

nice job


heres my newest not quite happy yet but much better then before