Do I REALLY need a gaming case?

[xsistor]

Hi,

I've fixed all my other components for a gaming rig. Here's what i'm getting

3.0 GHz Core 2 Duo E8400 (in some time, plan to overclock to 3.6GHZ atleast)
Asus P5N-D SLI board
4GB Corsair DDR 2 800
640GB Hard Disk
GTX 275 graphics card
SUPER Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heat Pipe CPU Cooler
450w PSU


With all this I have the option of:
1) Antec 900 Gaming Case
OR...
2) Stylish Piano Black Fusion Case


If I skip the Antec 900 and go for the Piano Black Fusion, I save some money and so I could get:
1) 3.0 Ghz AMD Phenom II 940 BE
2) Asus M4N72-E SLI Mainboard
2) 700w supply

Otherwise, i'd go for hte Antec 900 but have to go for the Core 2 Duo E8400 and 450w PSU.

Either setup comes to around £730 all inclusive

So I'd like some advice on this: DO i REALLY need a gaming case? Would it be a bad idea to skip the Antec 900 and get the Fusion case despite the difference in cost? ... If i dont really need the Antec 900, i'd rather spend the extra £50 on other components.

thanks

 

[spanner_razor]

If you don't plan to overclock and the fusion case has enough room for everything then it's just an issue of whether you want a big case for the future and how it looks. I've got the Coolermaster elite 330 which is a good balance between a performance case (like the antec) and a more discreet case (like the fusion). The fusion may well be quieter too (depends if it's the antec one i'm thinking of).

 

[xsistor]

hi, thanks... i am planning on OC so I think i'll go with the antec 900 and E8400. also checked benchmarks and it seems for the games I play, E8400 actually does better than the 940... weirdly enough. so i guess its a done deal.

thanks for the input

 

[San Pedro]

The 450w PSU might be cutting it close for use with a GTX 275.

Maybe to save some cash you could look into the Antec 300. If you add one fan up front, you'll get good air flow, and I believe it's pretty cheap, at least State side.

 

[xsistor]

i am looking to buy on PCspecialist. their system configurator tells me that my whole spec will require at most 451w with a 20% allowance. They also say their PSUs, the rated power is not peak rating but rather continuous rating. So i talked to them and they said that the 450w supply should do fine for my config. You think it will still be a problem?

i'm not assembling this myself. Getting it all done from www.pcspecialist.co.uk ... they dont have a Antec 300 lsited unfortunately

 

[theAnimal]

I wouldn't buy a PSU without knowing the brand and model. Ask them for that or at least the total wattage available on the 12V rails (not just 12V1+12V2).

 

[tijmen007]

450 PSU for that rig ?! I bet it won't even startup with that... Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[mrcrybaby]

hey why not opt for the antec 300?? Pretty big and good airflow for 50 dineros

 

[xsistor]

they calculated my peak power requirement at 451w. and they say that their PSUs are all high quality and the rated power is the continuous power output and not the peak power output.... so they say it will be fine.... think its a bad idea? .. the next highest tehy got is 700w which is about £30 more.

 

[xsistor]

i'm buying everything off pcspecialist. Antec 900 is the cheapest gaming case they have..... anyway, as i'm hoping to overclock, i suppose its best i do get the antec 900

 

[theAnimal]

450 PSU for that rig ?! I bet it won't even startup with that... Correct me if I am wrong.

You're wrong.

 

[theAnimal]

they calculated my peak power requirement at 451w. and they say that their PSUs are all high quality and the rated power is the continuous power output and not the peak power output.... so they say it will be fine.... think its a bad idea? .. the next highest tehy got is 700w which is about £30 more.

You'll be lucky to use more than 300W with that system.

If they're unwilling to tell you what PSUs they use, I would take my business elsewhere.

 

[xsistor]

really? cool. well they say after adding 20% that it comes to 451.

So if i were to calculate it backward. x + 0.20x = 451
x = 451/1.2 = 375.... So according to them my system will take 375W

But they also stated that their PSUs have a continuous output of whatever rated power. while component manufacturers when stating power requirements overstate it because of some crappy PSUs that say they are 400w etc but only deliver that power as a peak output.

they said they cant say exactly what PSU because they use different types, but that they test them all.... the company seems to have all very good reviews and their prices are the best in the UK. thats why I wanted to buy off them. If I were to buy anywhere else i'd be paying something like £100-£150 extra ATLEAST... (this was their info on PSUs: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=pchelp#19)

I'll post a full list of components i am getting. Could you please tell me what you think about the power requirements? I'd really appreciate it. I'm a noob at this
I've slipped in the SoundBlaster Audigy SE here, and with that their calculated power requirement goes up to 460W (with onbard sound its 451w according to their calculations).....

Intel® Core™2 Duo E8400 (3.00GHz) 1333MHz FSB/6MB L2 Cache
Memory (RAM) 4GB CORSAIR XMS2 800MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x2GB)
Motherboard ASUS® P5N-D: DDR2, SATAII, 2 x PCI-e x16, 2 PCI, 2 x PCI-e x1
Operating System Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium 64 bit Edition + SP1, CD & Licence (£75)
USB Options 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS (4 REAR + 2 FRONT) AS STANDARD
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 640GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk NONE
RAID (HDD 1 & 2) NONE
1st CD/DVD Drive 22x DUAL LAYER LIGHTSCRIBE DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2nd CD/DVD Drive NONE
Graphics Card 896MB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX275 PCI EXPRESS
2nd Graphics Card NONE
3rd Graphics Card NONE
Sound Card Sound Blaster® Audigy™ SE
Modem NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND
Network Facilities ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Floppy Disk Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader NONE
Case ANTEC 900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Power Supply & Case Cooling 450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£24)
Processor Cooling SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£15)
Keyboard & Mouse Logitech® Internet Keyboard + Hotkeys (Black) (£7)

Warranty 1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1 Year Free Collect & Return: £5


TOTAL PRICE: £762 (including VAT)



thanks a lot!

 

[xsistor]

http://www.pcformat.co.uk/blog-entry/pc-specialist-vortex-i950-review-11-06-09
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/251746/pc-specialist-fusion-945-x2.html

here is one of their reviews...

They say that for stuff like PSU, they always get good ones that they internally test. but that they can't be sure exactly which brand they'll install for a given order.

 

[xsistor]

UPDATE: Hi. managed to get a reply from them. they say the PSUs they currently use are FSP PSUs.


sorry for double and triple posts. but it seems i can't edit any of my posts for some weird reason. says edit failed!

 

[theAnimal]

UPDATE: Hi. managed to get a reply from them. they say the PSUs they currently use are FSP PSUs.

Not high quality, more like mediocre to good. I wouldn't use a 450W one on a new build with a GTX275.

 

[xsistor]

hi. Guess i'll go for the 700W version then. thanks for all the help

 

[italiano4sure]

Dont skimp on the quality...

http://pcreviewer.org/antec-900-computer-case-10-off-for-8999/

There is a great sale on it.. the antec 900 is a very solid and reliable case.. Its cheap too..