Cable Management and Fan Control in Corsair 680x Case

[lerodemmy]

This is my first build and I love this case, but I’m really struggling to work in it.  I know cable management isn’t really important in this case because the back is covered, but I want it to look nice anyway and not take the easy way out.

 

First of all, I can’t figure out where to route the CPU power cable to keep it hidden.  I took out the drive cages and tried to put it behind them, but they wouldn’t fit when I tried to put them back in.

 

I also can’t seem to find a really good place for the Commander Pro (CoPro) because it needs to have cables coming out of three sides, going in all different directions.  Every time I think I have a good idea for the CoPro.  I find that some part of it or some cable coming out of it is blocking something else.

 

Then there are the fans, which are a nightmare.  I have four QLs and four LLs.  Two of the LLs are part of the cooler, so they don’t need to go in the Commander Pro.  I think I can figure out how to neatly manage those.  The other six have me a bit perturbed, as one cable needs to go in the CoPro, while the other goes in the RGB Hub.

 

I think I read somewhere that you can’t have QL fans and LL fans in the same CoPro (or was it RGB Hub?) and still control their RPM and/or lighting.

 

I’m confused as to what exactly I need to do in order to control both the RPM and lighting of all fans.  FYI, I have the CoPro, two RGB Hubs, Lighting Node Core and Lighting Node Pro.  I also have four RGB strips I’d like to use, and I assume those will throw another wrinkle into this.

 

Any tips, photos or videos for any of these issues would be greatly appreciated.

[LaughingHyena]

44 minutes ago, lerodemmy said:

This is my first build and I love this case, but I’m really struggling to work in it.  I know cable management isn’t really important in this case because the back is covered, but I want it to look nice anyway and not take the easy way out.

 

First of all, I can’t figure out where to route the CPU power cable to keep it hidden.  I took out the drive cages and tried to put it behind them, but they wouldn’t fit when I tried to put them back in.

 

I also can’t seem to find a really good place for the Commander Pro (CoPro) because it needs to have cables coming out of three sides, going in all different directions.  Every time I think I have a good idea for the CoPro.  I find that some part of it or some cable coming out of it is blocking something else.

 

Then there are the fans, which are a nightmare.  I have four QLs and four LLs.  Two of the LLs are part of the cooler, so they don’t need to go in the Commander Pro.  I think I can figure out how to neatly manage those.  The other six have me a bit perturbed, as one cable needs to go in the CoPro, while the other goes in the RGB Hub.

 

I think I read somewhere that you can’t have QL fans and LL fans in the same CoPro (or was it RGB Hub?) and still control their RPM and/or lighting.

 

I’m confused as to what exactly I need to do in order to control both the RPM and lighting of all fans.  FYI, I have the CoPro, two RGB Hubs, Lighting Node Core and Lighting Node Pro.  I also have four RGB strips I’d like to use, and I assume those will throw another wrinkle into this.

 

Any tips, photos or videos for any of these issues would be greatly appreciated.

For my 680X, I have the Commander Pro mounted on top of my RGB hub that came with the case. I have the LLs that came with the case mounted in fan headers and the RGB hub controlled by the BIOs fan settings, and my extra fans plugged in to the CoPro, as they are all ML series.

[Jumballi]

The best way to figure out the best solution for your case is to follow this 2 step process
1. Build pc in there like normal
2. Remove components
3. Take apart the case as much as you can, from prerouted cables to the entire front panel itself.
4. Reinstall just the motherboard and every component that goes on the motherboard except the pcie(GPU) ones
5. Install fans
6. Individually route all cables to the motherboard
7. Install pcie cards
~~if you have a semi/modular power supply~~
8. Plug the power supply cables into the motherboard, add-ons, an peripherals
9. plug the power supply cables to the and install the power brick
~~if you have a non modular power supply~~
8. Install the power supply like normal
9. Cry for half an hour because all your beautiful routing was just ruined because the power cables are visible

This method takes 2-3 days to complete, but you will be the most intimate person with your system at that time.
Users who took this method experienced a cleaner system, better airflow, and nicer RGB setups. Common symptoms include but are not limited to; Being featured by nVidia on RTX rig spotlight, getting onto r/pcmasterrace, and having an overall dank system. If you feel that this is for you, contact your doctor right away!

[Jumballi]

Haha, had a bit of fun with my last paragraph there, but honestly this isn't too crazy to try to do. it certainly is a bit of an undertaking but is more or less just doing things very meticulously. and knowing which cable is what on your case can also bee a huge help in knowing what it has to offer.
When I first built my pc, I had some cable management, but even then there were some stuff that ran across the motherboard, now you won't see a single cable, but the hidden compartment looks like the closet you stuffed your toys in before family arrives in 20 minutes. Best part was when I found a spot I could cram all my fan cables into behind my water loop, would never have known unless I took apart the case to the point that I did.
 

As for fan compatibility, you should be find plugging in both to the same hub. rgb might appear a bit off sync but it's a loss you can take on your first build.

[lerodemmy]

4 hours ago, LaughingHyena said:

For my 680X, I have the Commander Pro mounted on top of my RGB hub that came with the case. I have the LLs that came with the case mounted in fan headers and the RGB hub controlled by the BIOs fan settings, and my extra fans plugged in to the CoPro, as they are all ML series.

Where did you route the CPU power cable?

[LaughingHyena]

2 minutes ago, lerodemmy said:

Where did you route the CPU power cable?

I tweezered it to the back plate in the right hand compartment, I couldn't really find a good place to hide it, so I did a judicious application of zip ties to keep everything clean and routed in the case, even though I am not able to see it.

[lerodemmy]

1 hour ago, LaughingHyena said:

I tweezered it to the back plate in the right hand compartment, I couldn't really find a good place to hide it, so I did a judicious application of zip ties to keep everything clean and routed in the case, even though I am not able to see it.

Would you mind posting some pics?  I don’t know what right hand compartment you’re talking about.  Also, a pic of your CoPro would be great.

 

I tried routing the CPU cable under the PSU and up the back right corner and it looks like it should work great, except I still can’t get the drive cage in.  There’s this bracket on the side of the cage that I think is used to lock it in place.  It doesn’t really need to be there because the cage can be screwed into place.  The bracket looks like it can just slide off the cage, but I can’t figure out how to remove it.  If I can remove it, I believe the cage can fit with the CPU cable behind it.

[LaughingHyena]

2 hours ago, lerodemmy said:

Would you mind posting some pics?  I don’t know what right hand compartment you’re talking about.  Also, a pic of your CoPro would be great.

 

I tried routing the CPU cable under the PSU and up the back right corner and it looks like it should work great, except I still can’t get the drive cage in.  There’s this bracket on the side of the cage that I think is used to lock it in place.  It doesn’t really need to be there because the cage can be screwed into place.  The bracket looks like it can just slide off the cage, but I can’t figure out how to remove it.  If I can remove it, I believe the cage can fit with the CPU cable behind it.

My cable management right now is pretty garbage, as I am upgrading my PSU but had to send the new one back for a replacement as it had some manufacturer defects, so i have my old PSU sitting on my desk with all my cables coming out the side, otherwise I would. 

[lerodemmy]

1 hour ago, LaughingHyena said:

My cable management right now is pretty garbage, as I am upgrading my PSU but had to send the new one back for a replacement as it had some manufacturer defects, so i have my old PSU sitting on my desk with all my cables coming out the side, otherwise I would. 

When you said you tweezered the CPU cable to the back plate, did you mean the back plate that holds the cooler pump on?

 

EDIT: I was able to route it at the top of the case.  Not perfect and certainly not as good as hiding behind it the drive cage, but at least it’s not hanging down or in the way.

 

I also managed to turn the fan cables from my cooler into one long, thick, black object.

[LaughingHyena]

14 hours ago, lerodemmy said:

When you said you tweezered the CPU cable to the back plate, did you mean the back plate that holds the cooler pump on?

 

EDIT: I was able to route it at the top of the case.  Not perfect and certainly not as good as hiding behind it the drive cage, but at least it’s not hanging down or in the way.

 

I also managed to turn the fan cables from my cooler into one long, thick, black object.

Yeah, the back plate that the mother board is mounted on, but on the side with the PSU. There is really no room to route cables behind the drive cages, unfortunately, so you need to get creative with the cable management.