Ever since I started 3D printing, I've saved quite a lot of money by printing daily objects and accessories to be used around the house. In fact, it has also helped me upcycle broken stuff like door stoppers, utensil handles, shelves, etc. Essentially, my 3D printer has paid for itself in the few months that I've had it by printing useful items for my home office, car, and kitchen. Apart from saving me money, 3D printing has also become a fun hobby that lets me experiment with various types of prints. I recently printed a bunch of laptop accessories that I carry with me all the time in my backpack. That's when it struck me that if I could print accessories for my laptop, I could also print custom parts for my PC.

While I don't use my PC much, I recently decided to upgrade some aspects of it, like the cooling, cable management, and storage. Owing to this, I started looking for components that I could print to assist me with these upgrades. Thankfully, I found a few models online that were going to be beneficial to me. While I was at it, I discovered a whole new world of functional 3D prints that one can use as parts inside a PC. Here's how I 3D printed custom parts for my PC cabinet, and why it's a great way to save money.

Better cable management, finally

Print combs and zip ties

One of the most cumbersome tasks — if you ask any PC builder — is making sure the cables look neat and clean inside the case. I was struggling with this, too, especially since I didn't have the proper accessories to keep all the different types of cables together. Thankfully, I found cable combs of different sizes that I could 3D-print for my setup. Depending on the cables, you can pick between 8-pin, 12-pin, 16-pin, and 24-pin configurations.

For those unaware, a cable comb keeps all the stray cables together. You can then use a zip tie to fasten them to any surface. Speaking of zip ties, you can also 3D-print zip ties of various sizes that you can use inside your PC case.

Add clearance to your fans

Or even a mesh

I got a new set of fans for better airflow, but I realized that I needed some extra clearance for a dust filter that was interfering with the blades. Generally, it's difficult to find parts like these — especially when you need them in a hurry. Thanks to the magic of 3D printing, though, I was able to print a 120mm fan spacer in under 10 minutes. It fits perfectly with my fan and got rid of the interference completely.

Apart from a spacer, you could also print meshes, dust filters, fan blades to replace broken parts, or even adapters that let you fit a smaller fan in a larger space. If you have RGB fans, there are stencils that you can print to add various design elements that give your PC a cool look.

Adapt existing storage drives

From 2.5 inches to 3.5 inches in no time

One of the most common issues that people have when expanding the storage on their PC is adapting existing storage drives to the required socket. I had a 2.5-inch HDD lying around at home that wouldn't fit into a 3.5-inch slot. Instead of getting a new drive or purchasing an adapter for a few bucks, I just had to print an adapter at home. It fits like a glove and works just as expected. There are several variations of the design, along with other similar accessories, too.

Once you print an adapter like this, you can fasten your drive using screws and then mount it inside your PC. The best part is that you can even print some sizes of screws if you don't have them at home. This is exactly what I love about 3D printing. If you don't have certain parts to hold something in place, you can print those additional parts as well.

Why buy when you can print?

Apart from the fact that you don't have to visit a store and buy small items like the ones mentioned above, a big advantage of 3D printing is the fact that you can customize accessories based on your requirements. For instance, if you see a zip tie for your cables, but it's too big for your cabinet, you can shrink it down to the size you want. Similarly, you can print meshes for your GPU fans based on how big they are. Find a design you like and scale it up or down in the slicer. Once you start printing your own components, there's no going back!