hi, i'm about to fire my dear old dell dimension 2400 into the bin. but now i have a problem, my first build project, i get all the hardware i wanna use listed, software, everything, but what case do i get? i'm goin for an asus a8n-sli deluxe mobo, athlon64 4000+ etc etc, so what do i look for re psu, and general compatibility? on a bit of a budget, so no £100 ($180) cases for me, but i do want cool 'n quiet. Any suggestions much appreciated.......

First things first: Welcome to PR. Pull up a comfy chair (Oh, NO! Not the COMFY CHAIR!!! ) and stay a while.

As for your PSU, given the mobo, I'd have to say get one that is at least SLI-capable, if not outright SLI-certified.

For a case, it all depends on the aesthetic you prefer. I know Lian Li cases are a weakness of mine personally (I own THREE different ones), I like their design lines and production quality, and you should be able to get a nice PC60 (<---just an example) for just under that 100 quid limit.

Antec has some nice cases that come with some nice PSU's. Look at their selection, you should be able to find one with a 450W PSU.

Please note that you will need some more fans for better air intake and airflow altogether. Buy some Panaflo fans and secure them in the case(zip tie, tape, etc.)

I think it depends on your preference to style.. For an example.. If you like plain, simple, sleek style the Lian-Li is made just for you. If you are Into the hole typical or what i like to call fin based cases then I would suggest any raidmax cases..If you are into the whole premoded cases then i would suggest nzxt cases. If your not sure what you want then i would suggest looking at a huge variety of cases and choosing your favorites...
RaidMax Cases
Lian-Li Cases
Nzxt Cases
Variety of Cases

If you look at all those links im sure you will find a case you will enjoy.

k, thanks guys, i like the lian li style, some real nice quiet cases. so you reckon i'll need at least 450W PSU? if i take a liking to a case with a lesser psu, i can just ditch it and fit a more suitable one right?

Welcome to PR, chimonthx!

If you're digging the Lian Li cases, but don't want to spend the buck, how about checking into getting you a Lian Li clone? Skyhawk makes a very attractive case, modelled after the PC-60. According to research, the difference is a little more than one millimeter; the Skyhawk is slightly smaller in width than the Lian Li, I believe.

If you're shipping to the US, you can get one of these cases for around $50 shipped. High-quality aluminum, slide-out motherboard tray, the whole sack of marbles.
Skyhawk MSR-4610 - http://www.dealsonic.com/skmssialatxm.html


As for your question about the power supplies, yes you're going to need at least a 450-watter for those components to really crank out the way they should. If you do find a case with a smaller power supply (usually the power supplies sold with cases are pretty crappy), yes you can switch it out with something. However, if you chose to run one for even a period of time that's not at least 450, you will notice your computer not working as well as it should. High-end internals require high-end power.

Cheers!

Welcome to PimpRig, chimonthx it is going to be a great one my buddy ,Thrasher2 should be around soon to give you his welcome greetings and his good list of link to look at.

Welcome to the family. Enjoy your stay here. Trasher will be along shortly. In the meantime browse the gallery. Post some pics of your rig, give us some specs. Tell us what kind of games your are into. If you have Battlefield 2. Join our server that we have up and running.

As far as a good PSU. I suggest this: Antec True Power 430W Its clean, true power that wont upset.

Here's a link to the slizone page that has all the certified parts to build a sli system and yes they do include power supplies.
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizon..._powersupplies

Before making your psu purchase it would be wise to estimate what your power needs require.
Here's an extreme power supply calculator......Just input your data into the calculator and it will recommend what's your power needs. http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp

It's always wise to go with a higher wattage than it estimates. First off it will give the psu some breathing room and run more efficently. Plus it adds room if you want to go sli or add other devices. You certainly dont want one that's riding on the edge putting out almost the max it can handle. This will cause the psu to overheat and cause a lot of errors, crashing, etc.

Just make sure the psu you buy has the 24 pin power connector and the duel 12v rails for your pci-e video cards. This way you wont have to buy any additional adapters for the power or pci-e connectors.

I also have the asus a8n sli and a amd 4000+
Im powering up this badddd system with a enermax EG701AX noisetaker 600W. Excellent power supply if i do say so myself.

As long as you select a psu that's on the slizone page quality certainly wont be an issue.

FYI: There is a problem with the asus A8N SLI chipset fan. This little s*cker packs a whopping 8000 rpm's so your definately going to hear it running. From what i read these fans are prematurely failing.

To remedy this problem i installed a passive heatsink. Just so you know it just barely fits in between the pci-e cards and it works great! Here's a link......
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118214

SO MOD ON!!!!!!!

I forgot to ask where's the pimprig's BF2 server? I wanna check it out!!!!!

aren't u boys just th best, and so helpful!

rockin male, you do rock, i heard th chipset fan on that mobo caused a stink, th only fault apparently (so far...) so th heatsink boyo, it displaces enough heat to kep her cool? any probs removing th fan? what about it's power supply?

i so cant wait to build my baby, keep 'er lit!

ps just about to order the hdd, prob goin with a SATA ncq (Maxtor diamondmax or th like) interface, what u think ?

Quote: Originally Posted by chimonthx aren't u boys just th best, and so helpful! rockin male, you do rock, i heard th chipset fan on that mobo caused a stink, th only fault apparently (so far...) so th heatsink boyo, it displaces enough heat to kep her cool? any probs removing th fan? what about it's power supply? i so cant wait to build my baby, keep 'er lit! ps just about to order the hdd, prob goin with a SATA ncq (Maxtor diamondmax or th like) interface, what u think ?

As for swapping out the chipset it wasnt exactly easy. One of the hold down pins on the fan are right up next to some capacitors. So getting that one pin out was a sob. I ended up pushing the pin down and cutting off the lips so i wouldnt damage any of the capacitors. Otherwise than that installation was pretty easy with the execption of the tiny screws and nuts and trying to line it up. You'll know what i mean if you decide to do it.

I did this back in May and my rig has been rock solid. No problems whatsoever!

So your looking for hard drive.
May i recommend going with WD raptor drive. It's a 10,000 rpm server drive. It definately out preforms a 7200 drive and comes with a 5yr warranty. Seeing is believing have a friend that has one and i'll tell you it loads BF2 faster than mine. It's definately on my wish list. So until then im stuck with my seagate ide 160gb.
It's on the pricey side with smaller storage, but this thing rocks! It would also be good as a secondary storage to put all your games on it to load faster!!!!!
If you can fit this into your budget. I dont think you'll be disappointed.

Definately go Serial ATA!!!!!

I hope this helps.......Thanks for the compliment! It's much appreciated

Edit
Im adding this picture to show you what i mean......

TC
rockin'male