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Vantec Rounded Cables

The Vantec Cables in their packaging. Floppy cable to the left, and IDE cable to the right
A few year�s back Rounded IDE cables were unheard of, and most people resorted to a DIY method by stripping the Cables wire-by-wire, and then covering it with some insulation tape. Not a pretty sight! Luckily this situation has changed, and rounded cables are now a common and affordable alternative.

The primary reason I wanted to get rounded cables was to reduce the clutter in my case, and let�s face it rounded cables look much better than the ribbon variety! After doing some �Window shopping� at various online stores I decided on the Vantec cables. They were more or less the same price as all the other rounded cables out there, with an added extra bonus (I�ll get to that later). I doubt there�s much difference in quality from different manufacturers.

The Vantec cables are available in different lengths (10�, 18�, 24� and 36�) and an assortment of colors (red, blue, black, yellow and transparent/clear�) to suit your tastes and needs. A silver or copper shielding ensures a fast and reliable data transfer rate.

Features

  • Supports Ultra ATA 66/100/133 Drives. Helps Overall Cooling Inside Of Your Case With Increased Air Flow.
  • Coated With Flexible Material For Better Wiring Protection.
  • Ideal For 1U Servers And Gaming/Overclocked Systems.

I opted for two 24� transparent IDE Cables with silver shielding and a 18� Floppy cable to finish off the �rounded cable look�.

The cables are well made, and seem to be very durable. The only comment I have is that the pull tabs (used to easily remove the IDE connectors and to prevent damaging the wires) seem a bit flimsy, but that could just be my imagination. Each pull tab is clearly labelled �System Board, Master and Slave� to indicate where the IDE connector should be placed, but you don�t really have to pay attention to that because the cable will work anyway you connect it.

Installation was very easy, and the hardest part was to remove my existing IDE cables. One of them seemed to be stuck and I had to struggle for a while to get it loose. All my devices worked first time after booting so luckily there weren�t any headaches there.

If, like me, you struggle when you need to remove IDE cables from drives, I would definitely recommend that you go the rounded cable route. The pull-tabs make it very easy to remove the IDE connectors and save you from quite a lot of frustration.

Now to the added bonus! The cables are UV Reactive (make sure you get the UV Reactive one�s) � which basically means you have �glow in the dark� cables. This would be the ideal solution for someone with a windowed case, combine that with a UV lamp and you will definitely have a crowd stopper.

Left: Before installation of the Rounded Cables. Right: After installation
Cable clutter is definitely decreased, as can be seen above, but you shouldn�t expect much of a drop in CPU temperatures due to increased airflow. I only noticed a small decrease of about 1�C in my full tower case. However, if you have a cramped case, you might see some better results.

PROS

  • Glows in the dark
  • Looks Great
  • Reduces Cable clutter
CONS
  • Very little improvement in temps
  • Long cables (36�) could cause problems
Verdict: 75%
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