"simple" case question

[loomis2]

I am on the brink of building a new computer, and it will be my first. I have all the components picked out except for the case, and I just now realize I have no idea about what makes a good case! I don't need anything fancy with lights and windows and water cooling or anything, just a case that can handle my system.

3500+
a8n-sli mb
1 gig of Crucial Ballistix
2 120 gig sata II hd's
1 or 2 6600gt's

Now here is how I am thinking. On newegg they have a Broadway case with a 500w power supply for under 50 bucks. That seems like what I would want, but the price seems a little low. That is where I need help. Using that case as a starting point, what do I need to consider about cases that I might not be considering, such as is there somethign wrong with the power supply that I would need somethign else, or are there too few fans or drive bays? I need some guidance. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted you to have an idea of where I'm coming from.

 

[columbiaflier]

I like how people plan to buy all of these high-quality and powerful parts, but when it comes to the power supply, they jump on some cheap case/psu combo deal to save money.

 

[loomis2]

See, that's what I'm getting at. For me, I look at that and think, "500 Watts, that's pretty good." So what could be wrong, and what do I need? Does the case stink too? I'm trying to learn about cases on the fly here. I certainly haven't bought one yet. But keep in mind, I don't plan on showing it off, I just want it to keep my system running well.

 

[PhoenixOrion]

case, power supply, and monitor are the items that can "generally" stay the same as other parts in the system go through different iteration of upgrades.

its up to personal preference.

for example with cases: some people may prefer lightweight aluminum so they can easily lug it around. others may want heavy steel or plastic combo for sound dampening.

with psu's: manufacturers are notorious in marketing high wattage (at ambient temperature and at certain time range in seconds). in real-world usage, that psu will be at a higher temp and need to be supplying at sustained amps.

 

[loomis2]

500 watts seemed like more than enough power, even if the manufacturer "fudged" a bit. Would you ever recommend buying a case with an included ps, or is it better to buy a case and then get a power supply to add to it. What is a good wattage to go with? 350 is too low, right?

 

[fireontheway]

3700-BQE

 

[KSpriggs61]

Case is all about your preference.

If you care about tooless installs, and sound dampening then your willing to spend more money for those features. If you just want a pretty flimsy P.O.S, you can find plenty of those too. All about your needs.

I use this: RAIDMAX Black 10-bay Case, Model "268WBP"

Nice fans, good steel construction, kind of pretty.

And i dropped a, MGE Vigor Series 400W Power Supply

All that for almost 60$ on newegg seems to work great for my system.

Just my 2 cents.
Kev

 

[TRUMPHENT]

Lian Li has spoile me rotten. I own a PC60USB. The first thing to demand in a case is a slide out mainboard tray. It should also have a quick disconnect for the enitre front panel.

I wish it used drive rails.

92 or 120mm front case fan option with filter.

 

[loomis2]

So now I am looking at a Codegen Silver ATX 6097, but it comes w/o a PSU. After reading an old anandtech article on PSU's (from 2003) it keeps saying how some PSU's are better for Intel and others better for AMD's. SO how can you tell? Mine will be an Athlon 3500+, hopefully running 2 6600gt's if I don't run out of money. What kind of power supply do I need? I never thought I'd get so caught up in somethign that before I thought was so cut-and-dry.

 

[Nessism]

Originally posted by: loomis2
So now I am looking at a Codegen Silver ATX 6097, but it comes w/o a PSU. After reading an old anandtech article on PSU's (from 2003) it keeps saying how some PSU's are better for Intel and others better for AMD's. SO how can you tell? Mine will be an Athlon 3500+, hopefully running 2 6600gt's if I don't run out of money. What kind of power supply do I need? I never thought I'd get so caught up in somethign that before I thought was so cut-and-dry.

I suggest looking for a power supply with about 22A or more on the 12V rail if you are going to run the components listed. I don't care about the manufactuers wattage rating so long as the PS has 24A.

For a case, if you can stand blue...Chieftec

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Nessism

Originally posted by: loomis2
So now I am looking at a Codegen Silver ATX 6097, but it comes w/o a PSU. After reading an old anandtech article on PSU's (from 2003) it keeps saying how some PSU's are better for Intel and others better for AMD's. SO how can you tell? Mine will be an Athlon 3500+, hopefully running 2 6600gt's if I don't run out of money. What kind of power supply do I need? I never thought I'd get so caught up in somethign that before I thought was so cut-and-dry.

I suggest looking for a power supply with about 22A or more on the 12V rail if you are going to run the components listed. I don't care about the manufactuers wattage rating so long as the PS has 24A.

For a case, if you can stand blue...Chieftec

Hmm...... 24 amps.... 288watts of 12v power. That makes absolutely no sense at all. Most high end systems can't break 250 watts total let alone the 12v rail by itself.

Quality is more important then quanity, any good 350+ watt psu with 18 amps is more then enough for the system you laid out.

 

[quizzelsnatch]

get the true430 by antec, that's a great psu.

 

[zakee00]

Originally posted by: quizzelsnatch
get the true430 by antec, that's a great psu.

 

[Amaroque]

Originally posted by: Operandi
Hmm...... 24 amps.... 288watts of 12v power. That makes absolutely no sense at all. Most high end systems can't break 250 watts total let alone the 12v rail by itself.

Quality is more important then quanity, any good 350+ watt psu with 18 amps is more then enough for the system you laid out.

Agreed. Don't buy a generic PSU. Buy a name brand PSU, you won't regret it.

Originally posted by: quizzelsnatch
get the true430 by antec, that's a great psu.

That's a good strong (inexpensive) PSU. I have three True430's in various systems.

There is a couple active PSU threads in general hardware. I would recommend reading them.

 

[Architect]

Agreed. Don't buy a generic PSU. Buy a name brand PSU, you won't regret it.

I would have to agree on that. Buying generics PSU can result in dramatic measures. As you obviously know, generic PSUs are cheap , and this is in most cases, are because they have a defieciency in technology, one to name is Inbuilt Power Surge Protect. If there was a storm and your PSU didn't have the technology to automatically shutdown, you would most likely loose all your hardware due to short curcuit.

On the otherhand, if you had a branded, well paid PSU of good quality and a extremely large amount of Power Saftey Technology (PST), than you shouldn't worry at all about Short Curcuits or Power Surges.

 

[Nessism]

Originally posted by: Operandi

Originally posted by: Nessism

Originally posted by: loomis2
So now I am looking at a Codegen Silver ATX 6097, but it comes w/o a PSU. After reading an old anandtech article on PSU's (from 2003) it keeps saying how some PSU's are better for Intel and others better for AMD's. SO how can you tell? Mine will be an Athlon 3500+, hopefully running 2 6600gt's if I don't run out of money. What kind of power supply do I need? I never thought I'd get so caught up in somethign that before I thought was so cut-and-dry.

I suggest looking for a power supply with about 22A or more on the 12V rail if you are going to run the components listed. I don't care about the manufactuers wattage rating so long as the PS has 24A.

For a case, if you can stand blue...Chieftec

Hmm...... 24 amps.... 288watts of 12v power. That makes absolutely no sense at all. Most high end systems can't break 250 watts total let alone the 12v rail by itself.

Quality is more important then quanity, any good 350+ watt psu with 18 amps is more then enough for the system you laid out.

Honestly, I'm not one of the power supply chicken littles who cry the sky is falling every time someone suggests less than 500watts of power. That said, over at the MSI technical support forum the moderator there won't even answer your A64 question unless you have a power supply with at least 24A on the 12V line.

I can accept that 18A is good enough for the most part but considering the OP is building a SLI rig, I bumped the recommendation a little.

At any rate, I agree that quality is the most important thing.

Ed

 

[loomis2]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I really appreciate it. BTW, I checked out that Chieftek link and it does look pretty good, and cheaper than I wuld have thought. Also, on that same page was a link to this PS: Premium / 600-Watt / ATX / Dual 80mm LED Fans / Black / Power Supply. Anyone have any opinions on that? 70 bucks for 600 watts is the best I have seen, and the rails all look to be pretty high. I haven't heard of Premium mentioned here before.

 

[Solutions]

I recommend the 650W Enermax PSU (forget the model # but it comes in blue...costs about $150). Comes with 2 PCI-Ex plugs for both of your SLI cards. Basically have the same setup you are talking about but using 6800Us and 10k sata1 drives. I havent had any problems with reboots, etc due to low voltage/amps. I am also overclocking and running a large liquid cooling pump.

::edit:: PSU model is EG651P-VE

 

[loomis2]

Wow. I don't NEED pci-e plugs, right? There are converter plugs or somethign I believe. $150 puts it out of my price range unfortunately. And I doubt I'll be overclocking. Stock fans and cooling is all I'll start with. Maybe in a few years I'll think about ungrading in that area.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: loomis2
Thanks for all the input everyone. I really appreciate it. BTW, I checked out that Chieftek link and it does look pretty good, and cheaper than I wuld have thought. Also, on that same page was a link to this PS: Premium / 600-Watt / ATX / Dual 80mm LED Fans / Black / Power Supply. Anyone have any opinions on that? 70 bucks for 600 watts is the best I have seen, and the rails all look to be pretty high. I haven't heard of Premium mentioned here before.

Your not going to find a good 600 watt PSU for $70, it's not physically possible. Start looking at good brands Seasonic, Forton, Antec, ect. You don't need 600 watts either, 350 is plenty.

 

[Amaroque]

Originally posted by: Operandi
Your not going to find a good 600 watt PSU for $70, it's not physically possible. Start looking at good brands Seasonic, Forton, Antec, ect. You don't need 600 watts either, 350 is plenty.

Exactly.

A good 350 watt PSU will outperform a generic 600 watt, under any circumstance.

 

[hondAS2ooo170]

Originally posted by: loomis2
I am on the brink of building a new computer, and it will be my first. I have all the components picked out except for the case, and I just now realize I have no idea about what makes a good case! I don't need anything fancy with lights and windows and water cooling or anything, just a case that can handle my system.

3500+
a8n-sli mb
1 gig of Crucial Ballistix
2 120 gig sata II hd's
1 or 2 6600gt's

Now here is how I am thinking. On newegg they have a Broadway case with a 500w power supply for under 50 bucks. That seems like what I would want, but the price seems a little low. That is where I need help. Using that case as a starting point, what do I need to consider about cases that I might not be considering, such as is there somethign wrong with the power supply that I would need somethign else, or are there too few fans or drive bays? I need some guidance. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted you to have an idea of where I'm coming from.

if u get 2 6600gt thats kinda stupid