"Cable Porn": The Mastery and Visual Pleasure of Cable Management

"Cable Porn": The Mastery and Visual Pleasure of Organizing Cables

From single PC builds to server rooms, a look at the art of cable management.

Lisandro Pardo June 6, 2019

Organizing cables can take a few minutes or demand days. Computer cases offer an ever-growing number of resources to simplify that task, while maintenance crews struggle in server rooms and other facilities to avoid being buried under a mountain of copper and fiber. Imposing order on cables from the start is always advantageous, and that brings us to the concept of "Cable Porn", with wiring so clean and symmetrical that we can't stop looking at it…

Last week I had the chance to replace the hardware in my computer, and that sparked a new battle with the power supply cables. The industry has responded by offering modular designs (crucial in ultra-compact systems) and more room to route cables in cases, but that only covers a single PC.

Cable organization inside a server room is simply on another level, and the images you'll see below prove it. One interesting detail is that there are strategic differences. For example, some swear by plastic zip ties for more permanent installations, while others only accept velcro as a solution. Do you do this kind of work in real life? We'd love to see it!