Computer Case Shopping 101

Jbrown · Post by **Jbrown** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 8:45 am

OK evrybody Im shopping for me a new case, im on a pretty tight budget so yall tell me if this looks decent, if u can show me a better one go ahead, it dont really have to look very cool, but it has to look decent.
Its gonna be a gaming computer of course, so I need atleast a 400W PS right, if not tell me that also.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDe ... 008&depa=1

Thank you

Post by **BreakmanX** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 9:34 am

Cooling System: 1 x rear 80mm LED fan
Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX, ATX SIZE UP TO 10.5" x 12.5

The 400 W power supply should do ya, but make sure you check how much power you're cpu and heatsink/fan will consume. I've seen 400W not be enough for some beastly fans. Keep in mind that statistics show that the power supply goes out the most often, and is also the part that can damage the rest of the system. I know that from experience... so do a bit of research on the power supply in question.

If you get this one, I'd highly suggest getting at least one more fan. With just one intake fan will get some nasty heat pockets that are not friendly to your components. Having too many outakes will get you a sort of vaccum. Make sure you have equal intake fans and outakes. The more the better I always say, but keep in mind the noise. Or you could always go water cooling...

Also, make sure your motherboard will fit in there, as I believe this case might be designed for micro-ATX, although it does say it will accomodate ATX. Always better to be safe than sorry. Double-checking now will save time later.

Jbrown · Post by **Jbrown** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 10:00 am

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDe ... 017&depa=1

maybe this one, well BMX if u have time find one You would buy, say for 60$ or under.... or anyone else can help

this one has pretty good ratings......
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDe ... 001&depa=1

Jbrown · Post by **Jbrown** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 10:31 am

also like i said im on a budget, should i go with Intel or AMD CPU? AMD seems to be cheaper but will it run games better or as good as intel. and also what speed AMD should i get?

Post by **BreakmanX** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 1:51 pm

Really depends on preference, both Intel and AMD fans will give you different answers.

I'd say that since you're on a budget AMD would be the place to go. I have known AMD cpus to have some weird issues. I know both Richie's AMD rigs have had trouble with quicktime movies, and my AMD rig had troubles with sound.

But, yes, AMD will run the games just fine. I'd suggest picking up a few issues of Maximum PC. Building a PC is a very personal affair, and you have to pick the components that fit your uses and personality.

Realm · Post by **Realm** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 4:30 pm

AMD is a better value for someone on a budget (assuming we're talking about Athlon XP not 64)

Make sure your case has good air flow, if there's a lot of spaces for fans that's good. May be noisy but it'll keep your temps down, especially when playing games. Also, with good case cooling (case fans are about $8 ) you can put skip buying a $30 CPU cooler and just use the stock one. As for power units, I've said this before and I'll say it again: be wary. The basic number on a PSU (power supply unit) only tells you the max it can produce, and has nothing to do with the consistency of that power. A cheap PSU will be weak and erratic, which is bad for parts. I know nothing about Rosewill, so I'm really no help there. One option you have is to buy a case without a PSU, and then put in a good name-brand PSU like a Thermaltake, Antec, or Cooler Master. If you're not running the latest graphics cards and CPUs, 400W's should be perfectly adequate, so good choice there. Besides Newegg, Xoxide.com has some good cases as well, and a selection a little more narrowed towards people with our tastes. (no beige boxes) Take a look.

Post by **Richie** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 6:35 pm

I echo what Realm and BMX say about PSU's. If there's anything you don't want to save money on when building a computer, it's the PSU.

If it were me, I'd spend the extra dough and get a name brand one, like ThermalTake or Cooler Master, and go over the bare minimum for power usage: God knows what you might want to add in later. But I'm a hardware freak, and I've been known to go too far at times (folding my IDE cables origami-style).

Sadly, yes, I do have trouble with Quicktime media. And yes, it probably is my processor, since I've had problems with QT over several installs, on different OS's. Fortunatly, I almost never have to use it.

Jbrown · Post by **Jbrown** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 8:30 am

well i think i know what Im gonna do, im gonna get a Dell. I have friend that can but it through Dell for cost. Im gonna get a 3.2 P4 with HT 512 DDR RAM and a 128 Meg Vid card that uses PCI express. and a SATA hard drive. Also it comes with a 15 inch flat panel monitor. all for 650 dollars and tax.

Saying that, is a dell 15 inch analog flat panel monitor decent for gaming?

thanks all for help

Realm · Post by **Realm** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 8:45 am

Nice, wow. I'm jealous.

Moniters are just personal preference. Older flat panels weren't as good for gaming, but most of the new name-brand stuff seems pretty decent. And you can't beat the space you save and the portability.

jayt11 · Post by **jayt11** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:56 am

Oh man, it's Realm!!!!!!!!

Jbrown · Post by **Jbrown** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 12:34 pm

lol oh man its jayt

Post by **Richie** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:49 pm

Jbrown wrote:Saying that, is a dell 15 inch analog flat panel monitor decent for gaming?

Yeah, big screens are nice, but I've never wanted more than a 15". As long as the monitor is capable of higher resolutions, i.e. 1600 x 1200, then you're good to go.

Atticus · Post by **Atticus** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:56 pm

I thought you had a 17", Rich...

Post by **BreakmanX** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 12:52 am

Unless you're doing video editing. Then the bigger the better.

jayt11 · Post by **jayt11** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:45 am

Atticus wrote:I thought you had a 17", Rich...

if i had a million dollars for every time i heard THAT