newbie newbie! need some help

[panzhuli]

hey all. i've never built a system before and i want to build a system for checking web development projects as well as gaming. perhaps some graphix work as well, but unlikely dv. i have VERY limited space and budget... here's what im thinking:

CHAINTECH "7NIF2" nForce2 IGP Motherboard for AMD Socket A
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache
Kingston ValueRAM 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-3200 (x2)
Western Digital Special Edition 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive
SuperFlower mATX cases (101 i think is the model)
and some cd drive

suggestions? i want a very small footprint, but with some power.

here are my main concerns:

1. power supply. the case comes with a 230Watt power supply - do i actually need more? i'm not a superstar that is going to be doing clocking or whatever it is called. i will just run the computer.

2. cooling. how many fans should i get? three are supported... and do i need to worry about compatibility with a chipset? or is a fan a fan?

3. dvd or not dvd. i already have a dvd burner (on a mac), so i will not need to write to dvds with the pc, although does anyone think that software will be c oming out in the next 2 years only on dvd?

thanks

 

[o1die]

I would go with an enlight case with 300 watt power supply ($39.95 plus shipping at newegg.com), if you have the space. A micro-atx case with puny power supply limits your choice of motherboards, and may not handle some graphics cards, which use some juice. You may change your mind and decide to add a graphics card later. I would also spend a few dollars more for an abit nf7-m. Abit has better customer support than chaintech, and direct rma service if your vender won't handle a warranty claim. I handle alot of mobos, and any brand can go belly up. I have an older enlight desktop case that's built like a tank and sits flat sitting in my closet. They still make the 7200 if you don't mind the extra heat inside. It's about $55, and you can put any monitor on top. It has a heavy duty brace inside for support.