Upgrade PS or get new case?

[tluxon]

A computer I'm upgrading has an inexpensive Enlight case with a 250w power supply, so I've got to at least upgrade the PS. It's a mid-tower case, but I have no idea if it would accommodate a newer PS, as it's not as deep and wide as my own Antec Sonata case. Should I look for a new ATX case with a decent PS or just put a new PS in the Enlight case?

I figure a newer case would be better for airflow and front USB ports at the very least.

The PC is going to be running a P4 3.0c 800fsb Northwood on an Abit IS7-E motherboard. I'll use its onboard audio for now since we're starting out with those little Dell speakers that attach to the bottom of their LCD monitors, but I may put the SB Live! to use if/when we upgrade to a powered 2.1 or more setup. At first only one hard drive will be put in but I'd anticipate up to 3 HDs in the future. It'll also have at least a DVD-ROM and DVD-RW drive, a Radeon 9800Pro and a wireless NIC. How many watts do I need to power that configuration?

I love the Antec Sonata (380W of quality power) I have for my computer, so I'm quite an Antec fan and I'm wondering if I should just get another one or if the new 450W Sonata II <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155</A> would be better? The other two I'm thinking of are the 400W Antec Solution SLK3800B <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129163" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129163</A> (says it's a rackmount case (?)) - and the 400W Antec Performance TX640B <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129157" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129157</A>. Any preferences among these cases? Anything I should be looking out for?

Thanks!

 

[Rugger]

Among those three I would go for the Sonata II. What I'd do is put the new rig in the Sonata and Place your rig in the SF201T with the Enermax EG565P that I linked in the other thread. After s/h it is only $35 more

*Steam rising*
|<font color=red>(\__/)</font color=red>|
|<font color=red>(='.'=)</font color=red>|
|<font color=red>(")_(")</font color=red>|
~~~~~
BUNNY STEW FOR DINNER!!

 

[tluxon]

"<i>Among those three I would go for the Sonata II. What I'd do is put the new rig in the Sonata and Place your rig in the SF201T with the Enermax EG565P that I linked in the other thread. After s/h it is only $35 more.</i>"

I think I must've gotten to the wrong place, because when I clicked on your links I got to the following:

1) FSP Group (Fortron Source) ATX400-PA ATX12V 400W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, CSA, TUV, NEMKO, CB & FCC - OEM
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104952" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104952</A>

2) FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN ATX12V 450W Power Supply 115/230 V NEMKO, TUV, CSA, IEC, UL, CE - Retail
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104954" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104954</A>

Are you talking about the Directron SF201T case described at <A HREF="http://www.directron.com/201tblue.html" target="_new">http://www.directron.com/201tblue.html</A>? I haven't seen it before - what can you tell me about it? Also, I thought the Enermax EG565P was about $90. Where can I get them both for $135?

Thanks!

 

[Rugger]

Thought I linked them before, but it must have been another thread. <A HREF="http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=270402" target="_new">Enermax 535W Whisper II model EG565P</A> and the <A HREF="http://www.directron.com/201tblue.html" target="_new">Super-Flower SF-201T</A>. The EG565P is $88.49 shipped and the SF201T is 82.99 shipped. Total $171.48 and the total for the Sonata II is $118.98 shipped. My math was off - $52.50 is the price difference. :redface:

*Steam rising*
|<font color=red>(\__/)</font color=red>|
|<font color=red>(='.'=)</font color=red>|
|<font color=red>(")_(")</font color=red>|
~~~~~
BUNNY STEW FOR DINNER!!

 

[tluxon]

Thanks for the clarification.

I'm inclined to go for the 450W Antec Sonata II (<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155</A>), but if I don't really need the full 450W I would also like to consider a couple of their 400W cases. What do you think?

 

[tluxon]

I just read that the tolerances of the TruePower PS in the Sonata are tighter than the tolerances of the SmartPower PS in the Sonata II. So what would I be better off with - a 380W TruePower or the 450W SmartPower?

I'm leaning toward the TruePower, which I believe will still give me more than I need.

 

[Rugger]

Anec Truepower are definitely better than the Smartpower. If you could find a Sonata on the cheap, that would be a good way to go. <A HREF="http://www.compuplus.com/insidepage.php3?id=463&refer=pricewatch.com" target="_new">Comuplus</A> has one for $99.95 shipped.

*Steam rising*
|<font color=red>(\__/)</font color=red>|
|<font color=red>(='.'=)</font color=red>|
|<font color=red>(")_(")</font color=red>|
~~~~~
BUNNY STEW FOR DINNER!!