I need a computer case and power supply

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mrunner4home

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i'm putting myself together my own computer. i've already found most of the parts but i have almost absolutely no idea what to get for the computer case and power supply.

- i think i want a case that comes with a power supply. as that'll be cheaper and i'm kinda poor xD

- i'm thinking around a 600 watt power supply will be good. (what the computer will be used for mostly is gaming, movies, and music)

- this is what i've got for parts, so help me find a chassis and power supply to go with (btw please don't tell me to get anything different than what i already have):


MOTHERBOARD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157176

HARD DRIVE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098&Tpk=N82E16822136098

PROCESSOR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103694

VIDEO CARD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150322


the chassis and power supply can be seperate if they need to be but try to look first for together
 
Solution
Well, this X3 is $11 cheaper and probably better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103724
If you buy the case and PSU separately, get the $25 case that flyinfinni linked, and a 380W Antec Earthwatts for another $45: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033 because the total will be $10 less than the $80 case+PSU.
For the video card, I really think the HD4670 is the least you'd want...BUT, you have another option which will cost less up front and may at least be "sufferable" for a while.
Instead of paying $125 ($60+$65) for the mobo you picked and the cheapest HD4670, spend $90 after $15 MIR for a GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard...
Many PSUs that come in a case are utter garbage. One notable exception is the Antec Earthwatts PSUs that sometimes come in Antec cases.
The video card you have chosen uses very little power. Unfortunately, you may also find it weak for gaming, the #1 purpose you list; so yes I will suggest you choose a better one if at all possible. A HD4670 for only $5 to $10 more will be a notable improvement: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048+106792627+1067944045&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&Subcategory=48&description=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=
I have had nothing but good results from any cheap Rosewill case I ever bought. They're only around $30. For the PSU, to have some assurance of quality, choose one with full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and 80+ certification. Just to keep it simple, if I were the one buying I would get a 380W Antec Earthwatts.
 

flyinfinni

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Do you have a price range you are looking for? I could suggest a ton of different combos of PSU and case, but give us a max price and we can start narrowing things down a bit more. Also- I think you can get a better GPU than that for not much more money (especially if you can wait on a MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=Property&N=2010380048&PropertyCodeValue=679%3A50263%2C679%3A46813%2C679%3A44045%2C679%3A47628%2C679%3A40677%2C679%3A53801%2C679%3A39752&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=False&CompareItemList=N82E16814130509%2CN82E16814127440%2CN82E16814125277%2CN82E16814162042%2CN82E16814150450%2CN82E16814127465%2CN82E16814500149%2CN82E16814127466
That is just a quick look through of cards that are better than the 9500GT and are near the same price, some After MIR, some without.
 

flyinfinni

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This case currently has free shipping with a promo code, and should work fine if you are looking for pretty cheap.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147074
I would not get a bundled PSU and case because the quality of the PSU is often very poor and can potentially cause problems.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371023
This PSU should do all you are looking for for a good price and is very good quality. Its also on a good deal with free shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016
This one is pretty good too, and is modular which can be nice as far as cable management and airflow go.
 
The cheap Rosewill case that flyinfinni linked is one of the ones I've bought and thought was decent.

Unfortunately, the 430W Antec Basiq is about the only Antec PSU I would not buy, as it is the only one I've seen not get good competent technical reviews. In contrast, the 500W Basiq was judged to be a solid entry-level PSU by hardwaresecrets.com.
 

flyinfinni

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Huh- I didn't know that about the PSU. I've never heard anything bad about the Antecs, and it was a good price. You learn something new everyday eh? I do know the OCZ one that I listed is solid- I have the 700W version and all 3 got solid reviews and mine has been solid.
Thanks for the correction!
 

mrunner4home

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sorry typo above. *video card, instead...


so i'm at roughly $290 now. so i'd like the case and power supply to be like around $110. ugh but then there's the ram too... well, more power supplies and cases please? (i'll think about that later)
 

flyinfinni

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Thats a nice video card, though you can probably get a similar one (see my link above) for about $20 less after mail in rebates. (The 1 gb of VRam won't make too much of a difference with a 4670- 512 should be enough.)
 
That tiered listing (actually from another source) used to be scripture around here, but has unfortunately become so dated as to be almost useless. Proximon is working on a new tiered listing based on +12V amperage output (I'll be updating my part this weekend!).
The simplest way I know to pick a PSU today is to look for full range active PFC (NO little voltage switch) and 80+ certification (the higher the level, the better). Antec, Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, and Enermax are among the better brands. I have to admit to being an Antec fanboy, but I believe that competent technical reviews (i.e. those with load testing, waveform analysis, and even dissection, such as those done at www.jonnyguru.com, www.hardwaresecrets.com, and www.hardocp.com) all support my beliefs in the quality of Antec PSUs (all but that 430W Basiq).
 
Yeah, the 4670 is better than the 9500GT, but uses a little more power. Anyway, for a good cheap case you can go with something like an Apevia X-Gear

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144042

And of course there are also the X-Dreamers. Just be aware when picking a different color as it's a different model number and may come with a different PSU. The one I linked to has 18A on the 12v rail which while rather sad, should be more than sufficient for your planned system. If you want a different color, be sure to review the PSU and make sure it has at least 18A on one rail, or 14A on two. Anything less will not do.

Of course, when you upgrade your system latter on you will have to replace the PSU. After all, better GPUs require more power than many of the PSUs in these budget cases can provide. With that in mind you may as well at least pick a good looking case you will be happy with ^_^
 
Well, this X3 is $11 cheaper and probably better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103724
If you buy the case and PSU separately, get the $25 case that flyinfinni linked, and a 380W Antec Earthwatts for another $45: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033 because the total will be $10 less than the $80 case+PSU.
For the video card, I really think the HD4670 is the least you'd want...BUT, you have another option which will cost less up front and may at least be "sufferable" for a while.
Instead of paying $125 ($60+$65) for the mobo you picked and the cheapest HD4670, spend $90 after $15 MIR for a GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128398
The HD3300 integrated graphics on that board is weaker even than the 9500GT you first listed, but A) it will play games on lower settings, and B) will allow you to gauge how powerful a GPU to add later when you can afford it. You do not mention the games you play or the resolution of your monitor, but I was getting 30+ FPS in most areas in Guild Wars at 1440x900 using my 790GX board. What is your resolution, and what games do you want to play?
 
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mrunner4home

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i like the power supply. if you're sure that'll go with my motherboard then i'm thinking i'll go with that. the only thing is i won't really be able to use that second video card. which i guess means i'll save $20 but now that i'm thinking more, i remember talking with my teacher earlier on today about how something needs 400w from the psu ... hm i'm gonna need to check the parts again
 

mrunner4home

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mrunner4home

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hm the motherboard you gave me looks pretty good. has everything i need and stuff, except- the built in graphics card. you said it was worse than even my first one. now i'm not sure.

you said that i can upgrade later on though, right? if yeah then i'm thinking maybe i'll go with this motherboard. if no... well?
 
1. The HD4670 is much better than the 9500GT. There are cheaper ones available though, like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102854
There's one even cheaper, but has DDR2 RAM and will be much slower.
2. PSU recommendations from video card vendors are always overstated, because they are trying to account for all the crappy, overrated PSUs out there. The charts at http://forums.atomicmpc.com.au/index.php?showtopic=264 give a much better picture of how much power is needed for a given GPU. A 380W Earthwatts has enough juice on its +12V rails for a HD4850; a HD4670 sips juice by comparison and doesn't even need a power connector.
 
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