Computer Case Wattage and Cooling

[spoliquin]

Hi.  I am building my first computer and I am trying to find out how much of a wattage I should have.  On the site I use to get all of my stuff (newegg.com) a bunch of the cases are 350watts.  Is this a good # for a demanding multimedia and fairly demanding gaming person?

Also one more question.  How many fans do I need for a 256 vid card, 3.2 HT processor, and 80GB harddrive?  What should the temperature be?

Thanks alot for your help.

[Mark H]

The size power supply depends on what you are putting in the system. Check out this thread where I give some guidelines.

As to fans, it again depends on your case and system. You want to equalize air movement coming in the front to that exiting the back. Generally two 80 mm fans in the front and two in the back is good. You could also use one 120 mm fan in the front and one 120 mm fan in the back with some cases, which would be quieter.

Mark H

[spoliquin]

Thanks so much- very helpful.  And should I get the fans with the case or get them seperately?

[Mark H]

I would get the case you want and then evaluate. If it already has fans, great. If not then buy them separately and install them yourself.

Antec makes some good cases and they also have good power supplies.

Whatever you do, buy a quality power supply. Some good manufacturers are Antec, Enermax, PC Power and Cooling (Expensive) although there are others. The Antec power supplies are at good price points and are of good quality.

[Chandler]

Check what wattage the PSU puts out on the +3.3V and 5V lines, it should be at least 180W if not higher.  Many cheap 500W PSUs offer the same combined 3.3+5V wattage as a more expensive 300W.

[Mark H]

Good add-on points Chandler.

[spoliquin]

Ok thanks so much.  I think I'm gonna go with something in the low 400 watts range.  Thanks again for all the help!  I'll tell you what I find.

[spoliquin]

Oh and one more thing-  I was talking with my friend and he said something about compadability with my case and mobo.  My mobo and case are both ATX form.  My question is- is all that matters is if it is ATX form or do I have to be more specific (i.e. ATX form  factor 12" by 10.45"....ect)?  Sorry- probably a little confusing.  Its hard to explain.

[Mark H]

ATX form is a standard, so if you get an ATX form case and an ATX form motherboard, they will go together well.

For a good Pentium motherboard, I recommend the Asus PC4800-E deluxe if you have the money. If not you can get the non deluxe version.

Let us know what you plan on getting when you get your list together and we will help you make sure everything is compatible.

[spoliquin]

Ok I will.  I'll be done in like 15 minutes.  Thanks for the advice about the mobo.  Thanks

[spoliquin]

Thanks soooo much for your help.  Here is the list:   http://www.geocities.com/spoliquin2009/index.htm

If you have any suggestions, that would be great.  Also if you could make sure everything is compatable, tell me if I'm missing anything, and make sure everything is good stuff (if at all possible, ofcourse).  Thanks again, this is such a huge help to me.  -Sam

[Mark H]

The list looks good overall. Some things to consider are as follows:

1. Change to a Western Digital hard drive with the 8 Meg cache. This will be a better performer than the one you selected and will be in the same price range for 80 GB.

2. I try to stay away from value RAM as it is lower quality stuff. Instead of value RAM, go with two sticks of Crucial RAM.

3. Consider adding a DVD ROM drive so that you have a second drive. This is handy when installing programs and can save the wear and tear on the DVD burner. The DVD ROM can be bought for around 30 dollars.

4. I didn't see speakers, a keyboard or a mouse in your list. Do you already have these items?

Mark H

[spoliquin]

Thanks alot for the tips- I didn't really understand what you meant by the Crucial RAM.  I searched for Crucial RAM and I found the brand name Crucial if thats what you meant.  I used the Crucial RAM instead of the other stuff.  Tell me if I have the RAM all wrong.  Also, I didn't get an extra drive because I already have one here I can use.  I added a keyboard/mouse and I already have speakers here so I'm all set.  One other question- will I need to buy wires to connect the drives, hd, ect to the mobo or do they come with the hardware?  Here is my new and improved list.  Thanks again so much.  

-Sam  

http://www.geocities.com/spoliquin2009/index.htm

[Igloo]

crucial ram is just a brand name ( see left bar) but its better than the value ram you had selected before.. as some people have had all sorts of funky errors with that....

and about the cabling... no... the Retail motherboard should come with them... if not pop to a local store and get some IDE cables for about ?10 for the lot!!

Igloo

[Chandler]

Try to get at least PC2700 RAM, or even PC3200.  When I last looked at Crucial there was strangely no price difference between PC2100 and PC2700.  If you do a search on Google you can probably find a "coupon code" to use with Crucial - it got me a 5% discount.

Yes, many retail motherboards come with 1 IDE cable and 1 floppy cable, but the OEM drives won't, which means you will need another IDE cable.

[spoliquin]

Ok thanks alot.  I looked online for some good coupon codes and I found nothing.  I got two times this to save me money:  Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-2700 - OEM

Is that good?  Thanks alot.  -Sam

[Chandler]

Try this one:
BBUSERGROUP

That gives a 5% discount for your first purchase.

[Mark H]

Ok thanks alot.  I looked online for some good coupon codes and I found nothing.  I got two times this to save me money:  Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-2700 - OEM

Is that good?  Thanks alot.  -Sam

Get PC3200 RAM, because that is the speed needed to work optimally with the processor you selected. PC2700 is too slow to allow the processor to run in sync with the RAM.

Everything else looks good. You will find that the Intel motherboard is easy to set up and very stable.

[spoliquin]

Ok thanks alot.  And thanks for the coupn code!!!!   -Sam

[Nestor]

It just gives you this warm feel-good feeling inside when you see that people are building computers themselves and having fun with it! :D