Whilst arguably adding bulk to the cabling in your PC, sleeved cables and extensions are a very aesthetically pleasing addition to any PC build. Paired with a case window, sleeved cables accentuate the attention to detail in your custom built (SFF) PC. V-Amp Studio, a vendor active on our forum and Discord server, is creating custom PSU cables and extensions to order – and invited us to check out his wares.
Firstly, these cables were supplied to SFFn for review at no cost, with no request to return the cables after testing. However, at the time I received the cables, V-Amp Studio only shipped to USA based customers, we did pay for international shipping to New Zealand. (For those curious, this equated to around US$40). However, now, V-Amp Studio ships globally via the Etsy shipping platform.
With declaration of possible bias out of the way, let’s get into this.
When asked what products I’d like to have a look at, I decided on one set for each of V-Amp Studios’ product lines – the EXT and XT products. EXT is the denotation for cable extension kits, the XT being cable replacement sets. Whilst not overly clearly differentiated in name, it’s great to see a vendor covering both important aspects of cabling. Depending on how you want to customise your system, V-Amp likely has a product to suit you.
When it comes to compatibility, V-Amp Studios offers XT cable options for most power supplies, with a caveat. Unless they have a compatible model on hand, V-Amp will decline to supply a cable set. This is their way of ensuring that the cable set is 100% compatible before it is shipped. No relying on found-on-the-internet wiring diagrams, V-Amp will electrically test every set of cables before release to the customer.
Paracord? This super useful material has been a mainstay of sleeving for some time. Originally used in parachutes (hence the name), this nylon based rope usually has an outer sheath, with 1-11 internal strands. Removing the internal threads leaves a hollow tube, perfect to hide wires within. The texture tends towards being clothlike, versus the more plastic feeling purpose-made cable sleeving. The downside, is some forms of paracord can exhibit stray ‘hairs’ leading to a slightly fluffy look.
In the cable set I received, V-AMP Studios used 18AWG PVC coated wires, rated at 105c. This is on par with stock cables from most quality power supplies, so we don’t expect any issues around increased resistance, or temperature. The connectors are of high quality, and crimping is robust – tested with an entirely scientific “install it 5 times in a tight SFF configuration, putting tension on every pin by virtue of challenging cable routing” method. I’ve had a few aftermarket cable sets come unstuck with this method – usually folding the pin retention tabs back.
The Cables
The haul! As you can see, we received two sets – one extension kit, and one replacement cable set.
First up, the extension set, in the SFF Network colour palette. As is typical with custom extension sets, a curve is pre-formed into the cables by virtue of having half the wires in each cable be slightly shorter. The cables feel and look like fantastic quality units, aside from the cable combs.
The included cable combs are a bit rough in appearance and texture. I approached V-Amp regarding this;
In regards to the Cable combs, we already have our eyes on a sand blasting set up so we can semi automate the combs finishing process along with offering metal combs. For any customer who places an order before we are set up for the finishing processes of the cable combs we will be offering a Retro-Active Comb replacement if the customers desire a better finish for the combs with no need to return the current included combs. Right now the current combs are temporary place holders to at least keep the cables uniform when installed.
These “shrinkless” cables are a great aesthetic option for your build. Nice and clean!
A nice tight curve on the GPU power extension.
A lesser curve on the ATX extension.
Ignoring the smudge on my lens (sigh), this cable extension would add some excellent style to any SFF build.
The EPS 8 pin is a split unit of typical quality. This clips together snugly, aiding in installation.
On to the replacement cable set, custom wired for my Corsair SF series power supply. I went with a white/brass colour scheme, to go along with my white SAMA IM-01 chassis and choice of Noctua fans.
Alas, while the majority of the cables are fantastic, the necessary wire splits caused by Corsair’s pinout choice, leads to a knot in the first third of the cable. V-Amp has done a great job in minimising this as much as possible, however this is still a bit of a necessary eyesore.
The choice of black heatshrink in my colour configuration likely makes this situation markedly more visible than it would be with a darker schema. I asked V-Amp why they chose to go with black heatshrink;
On the heat shrink, yes we do plan on eventually doing colored heatshrink to match the sleeve color (as close as possible).
Current Reasoning for the heatshrink being black is also that we are looking for a vendor that offers adhesive lined heat shrink in different colors (surprisingly hard to find in bulk). The reason as to why you need adhesive lined heat shrink is because with Paracord, its a soft material that will be (on the split wires at least) under a lot of tension once you pull the sleeving taught, so you need some sort of adhesive to hold the paracord join together. I know other cable manufacturers make their own colored adhesive lined heat shrink in house and don’t sell it to anyone. I’ve seen some small businesses (like myself) that can’t afford the expensive colored adhesive lined heat shrink paint it. It is, first off, not ever going to be a “durable” paint job because the nature of needing to be semi flexible, and secondly it adds significant procurement time to isolate each wire just to paint the heatshrink.
Instead of adding in a “dummy” wire to fill in the NC (not connected) pin in the ATX specification, V-Amp chooses in this case to keep it vacant. This helps reduce cable bulk, and in most cases, is hidden from view when cables are routed.
Thanks Corsair!
In Use
First up – my existing cable set. As the stock cables are softer than the V-Amp cable set, they do lack in rigidity to aid in stylish cable routing.
First install, and I realise that I may have requested the ATX cable in too short a length. Tight!
Attempt two, much much better.
Conclusion
Ordering custom cables for the first time was a learning experience for me. In my constant search for smol, I miscalculated how long the cables needed to be within my system. Whilst the PCIe and EPS cables are about right, the ATX cable is a touch too short, meaning cable routing was a chore. This is entirely on me, and not at all V-Amp’s fault.
The heatshrink colour is an issue for me, but this is, again, a limitation of the Corsair wiring schema. I’ll likely come back through with white electrical tape and cover these.
Overall, barring the aforementioned cable comb and heatshrink issue, I think that these cables are a great option for your custom SFF build. Just keep in mind the limitations, and you’ll be on to a winner.
Check out V-Amp Studio’s Etsy store here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/VAmpCustoms
