Advise needed!! Please help me figure out this mess...

[spikegifted]

For those who've been around this forum a while, you'd remember that I built my current main rig around the Tiger MP around 18 months ago. About 11 months ago, I did a like for like swap and replace my Tiger MP with a Tiger MPX. So basically my rig has hardly changed. It's fast enough for most of usage and even though I've Xeon rigs (which are faster) as part of my render farm, I'm still using this as my main rig.

If you've checked out the above link, you'd realized that I've a lot stuffed in the Chieftec Dragon full tower...

Click on pic for larger, more detailed, version.

I would be grateful if someone, anyone, who can give me some useful suggestions as to how to tidy up my rig.

Thanks in advance.

[Bindibadgi]

Its ya digidoc. Youve got to take it all out and start again, systematically. Try wiring all the digidoc wires together down the back to where they should go, and spirial wrap or do something to the PSU wires and wire them down in a logical fashion too. Unused floppy connectors can be backwrapped, so you double up to the molex.

I prefer to use normal flat IDE cables and round them myself cause they can bend easier and take awkward shapes. You might wanna cabletie them to something? Ah right.. they are SCSI.. uhh?! never rounded a flat SCSI before.

If you stuck the digidoc down lower youll have more cable length too.

Perhaps consider a bigger case? Loose the SCSI CD-rom if you dont need it?

[ChriX]

Stuff any wires you can into those bits of metal that go from front to back below the PSU, that helps a lot I find - used to do that with my chieftec...

[spikegifted]

Originally posted by ChriX
Stuff any wires you can into those bits of metal that go from front to back below the PSU, that helps a lot I find - used to do that with my chieftec...

I think I'm doing that already... Just that I haven't used any zip-ties or velcro strips to hold them together. All the wires from the PSU that are not used on the bottom part of the case are either stuffed between the PSU and the side of the case or hooked up to drives.

[spikegifted]

Originally posted by Bindibadgi
Its ya digidoc. Youve got to take it all out and start again, systematically. Try wiring all the digidoc wires together down the back to where they should go, and spirial wrap or do something to the PSU wires and wire them down in a logical fashion too. Unused floppy connectors can be backwrapped, so you double up to the molex.

I prefer to use normal flat IDE cables and round them myself cause they can bend easier and take awkward shapes. You might wanna cabletie them to something? Ah right.. they are SCSI.. uhh?! never rounded a flat SCSI before.

If you stuck the digidoc down lower youll have more cable length too.

Perhaps consider a bigger case? Loose the SCSI CD-rom if you dont need it?

The DigitDoc is certainly one thing that's giving me the most wire-count... I like the idea of stuffing them down the back side of the case. I'll look into that. Thanks. Placing it to a lower drive bay will give me more cable length... but what I'm going to do with the additional cables length? I'm already having a tough time winding them up the existing cables...

The PSU wires are fairly out-of-the-way already (minus actually rapping them together)...

All the cables in the case, with the exception of the horrible yellow SCSI 50pin, are all flat cables and not rounded. I find that they're easier to fold than rounded ones. Space is definitely a scace commodity here. In terms of another case, I've consider a YY-Cube before, but the arrangement of the case makes long cables a requirement and I don't want to blow additional money on high quality SCSI cables... (I've 3 quite expensive ones there already).) Another problem with a cube case is that I don't have the space to put it in my room.

I'll think about whether the CD-ROM can go or not... It reads a lot faster than the DVD-ROM and has a higher transfer rate.

[Bindibadgi]

Originally posted by spikegifted
but what I'm going to do with the additional cables length? I'm already having a tough time winding them up the existing cables...

Cause they look stretched across the place. With more slack you can thread them behind the mobo etc, and the slack you can roll up and cable tie into a ball.

Originally posted by spikegifted

The PSU wires are fairly out-of-the-way already (minus actually rapping them together)...

From that picture the psu cables are everywhere. No offence.

Originally posted by spikegifted

All the cables in the case, with the exception of the horrible yellow SCSI 50pin, are all flat cables and not rounded. I find that they're easier to fold than rounded ones. Space is definitely a scace commodity here. In terms of another case, I've consider a YY-Cube before, but the arrangement of the case makes long cables a requirement and I don't want to blow additional money on high quality SCSI cables... (I've 3 quite expensive ones there already).) Another problem with a cube case is that I don't have the space to put it in my room.

Dont get a cube if you have a lot of harddisks. The space between disks and cd drives is stupidly small and things get crampt VERY easily. Also with such a big mobo, the hole is over shot by the mobo so you wont get all ur cables thru.

With flat ones its easier to fold them, yes, but if you cut them in half or quarters between the wiring and layer that into a semi-rounded state they fold and dont take up that much room.

Originally posted by spikegifted

I'll think about whether the CD-ROM can go or not... It reads a lot faster than the DVD-ROM and has a higher transfer rate.

then leave it in.

[unrealrocks]

Whats said before - lots of PSU and DigiDoc cables ...

Cable ties, Cable ties and more Cable ties!

Tie the same type of cables together or if you change something then it can cause you to really mess things up!

Spiral wrap is good also, lets face it - theres alot of cables and they all gotta be there which means you gotta clump them together and hide any slack!

[Jonny M]

What monster coolers have you got on those MPs?

You could always try modding the PSU with 90 degree molexes.

[spikegifted]

Originally posted by Caged
What monster coolers have you got on those MPs?

You could always try modding the PSU with 90 degree molexes.

I'm using a pair of GlobalWin CAK4-88T All Copper SocketA Cooler with 80mm fan and 80mm-70mm fan-shurd (which comes with the heatsink). I've replaced the original fans (which have thermal control sensors) with a pair of slightly juicier fans. I've the rig under 100% utilization anyway.

90 degree Molexes... That's an interesting thoughts. However, I'm not sure how applicable they are for me since the drives are lined up fairly close together.

[rob3]

You could try some cable braiding? then if u cant hide them they will look kinda good!

[spikegifted]

Originally posted by rob3
You could try some cable braiding? then if u cant hide them they will look kinda good!

Hehe... That sounds a little too girlie for me... I think I like the idea of hiding them behind drives better.