1st time cable management & newfound problems

[Giganthrax]

Hello everyone.

 

(I didn't know where else to put this, so I apologize if General Discussion isn't the right place)

 

After months of watching Linus and other tech channels, my perspective on how a proud member of the glorious pc master race should maintain his/hers beloved workstation/gaming rig has changed drastically. My PC has gone from being a function-only box on my table, to getting regular dust cleanings, RBG lights (of course!), constant small upgrades, and a bunch of other forms of tinkering. Cable management was the natural next step, and I had no intention of letting a Cooler Master Elite 430 Black midtower with zero cable management support stop me. You can see my efforts in the adjacent pictures, and I sure hope you'll be able to tell which one is BEFORE and which is AFTER because this took me 3 frickin hours.

 

(and yes, I've ordered another RGB fan, and I'm considering painting those cheap ssd/laptop hd brackets black to better fit the rest of the case)

 

Anyway, during this arduous yet supremely rewarding experience, I encountered a few issues, which is why I'm making this thread. 

 

SCREW STUCK ON MOTHERBOARD - while trying to unscrew the mobo so I could slip one of the cables through the hole in the back (for those few extra sexiness points), I discovered two of the mobo screws were stuck. They were just turning in their slots, but they wouldn't come out. I tried holding the stands in the back with pliers, but the screws still wouldn't come out. I intend to replace the mobo this year (and reuse the current one in a different configuration), so this is a serious issue. What do?

 

CABLES SQUISHED IN THE BACK - this case doesn't really have much space in the back, so the PSU cables in the back are a bit squished by the back cover. Is this a problem I should be concerned about? Can the back cover actually damage the cables?

 

NOT FOR SALE ONLY FOR TESTING - this is printed on my power supply, which is a BLACK PEARL 700W that I can't find on google but that has a little Cooler Master sticker on it. What the hell is this thing? Is this a stolen PSU? A buddy of mine assembled this computer for me about 5 years ago, but I have no idea where he could've gotten his hands on some kinda weird test model PSU. 

[aezakmi]

Screw: use a smaller screwdriver and push down while trying to remove it, hold the standoff with pliers just like you did before

Cables: not a problem, just try to keep the sata connectors near the drive bays as those can be easily damaged

PSU: if it works don't mess with it

 

nice LEDs

[Giganthrax]

On 6/15/2018 at 5:30 AM, aezakmi said:

nice LEDs

Thanks for the answers. The LEDs are cheap chinese ones I got from Ebay for like 4$ (they connect via molex) and the fan was likewise a cheap aliexpress option for like 6$.