In order to make your case circulate air properly, you must remove obstructions from the flow of air. With systems that use bulky IDE cables and power cables, it is essential to make the cables so they do not interfere with the airflow.
There are two steps to maximizing your airflow around cables:
1. Minimize cable profile
2. Tie cables out of the way
To minimize the cable’s profile, especially on IDE cables, fold the cable so that it is not taking up as much space, and make it so that its area is as small as possible. IDE cables are made to be flexible, so do not worry about breaking them in the process.
I usually use plastic zip ties to pull the cables out of the way, tying them to the case and out of the way. This provides a secure solution, and it also makes your work look much neater.
For excess power cables, it is a good idea to store them in spare 5.25” bays and not leave them laying around the motherboard.
Managing your cables not only improves your airflow, but helps you overall system cooling by several degrees.
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