Heh... well, for the most part, cases are cases. It's mostly down to a matter of style and function versus what you want and need. I do recommend a case with enough room to house everything nicely because it's good for air flow and makes installation easier. Beyond that it's really a matter of personal preference, style choice, and whether you need things like front-mounted ports, eSATA connectors, etc.
Do you have any recommodations for anything under 80 dollars? As much as i would love a cool looking case.....I dont need one
Have you searched Newegg? I'm partial to this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119215
Coolermaster RC-690 Thermaltake V3 Black Lian Li Lancool Coolermaster Elite 310 Antec Illusion Three Hundred Black Steel All $60 and under, all pretty cool looking, all good names in cases. EDIT: Yeah, the Coolermaster RC-692 is a nice one, too.
Holy crap dude, resize that pic. You're liable to get an infraction. (Seriously.) EDIT: n/m, I see you're on it.
650-700W I'd say is minimum these days. Go with a good name brand; Antec, Coolermaster, Thermaltake, Corsair or OCZ would be my picks. The PSU is something you don't want to cheap out on, trust me. Cheap ones can burn out sooner, and a cheap PSU can spike power across the board, taking other components with it as they die and can't maintain clean voltage. I'd go with this Coolermaster or this Antec as the most cost-effective.
Assembling your PC Guide Okay, so, because I'm a visual sort of dude, here's a link to a pretty good video tutorial on assembling a PC from individual parts: Assembling a PC Video Tutorial I'd like to post some notes here: - There are numerous additional related videos in the sidebar. Watch a few of them so you get a good well-rounded understanding of different systems. Mostly it's all the same but it's good to see it for yourself. - The linked video doesn't appear to cover the motherboard risers. These are usually brass screws (non-conductive) that accept their own screws to keep the motherboard off the metal of the case and prevent it from shorting out. However, cases have more holes than you'll need, so first line up the motherboard in the case so the rear ports line up with the access panel area and match up the screw holes in the board to the holes in the case where you'll need to screw in the risers. - The linked video covers the use of thermal paste. If you're buying all new components you really don't need to use this stuff as the heat sink/fan for the CPU will come with a thermal pad already applied, you just need to mount the HSF and you're good. If you're buying used and mounting a used HSF then yes, definitely use some; you may have to buy it separately. If the used HSF already has residue from a previous application, scrape or wipe it off completely. When applying, make sure there are no air bubbles in the application; trapped air can create pockets that will cause the CPU to superheat the air in it and burn itself out. (This is why you need to thoroughly clean off used heat sinks too.) - It probably doesn't need mentioning, but just in case: You don't need to use mounting screws (other than for the motherboard) if you bought a case with a toolless design; in those cases components just snap in or are held by some other means. That should probably cover it.
They may, depending on the power supply, but it doesn't really matter. They're all keyed and have a particular number of pins, so basically you plug in whatever fits into whatever receptacle will take it.
Thanks for that video Mindfield! That was really helpful and has me convinced that even I can do it! Found all the components and just need to figure out if the super fan I found will fit in the case! Then of course finding the money to pay for it all >.> <.<
You're welcome. One think to pay atttention to when it comes to big and/or funky heatsinks/fans: Even if it fits in the case, check to make sure that it won't have problems mounting on the motherboard. This includes: - Being blocked by capacitors too close to the CPU mount. (Some AMD boards with enhanced voltage protection have more capacitors around the mount which can prevent oversized heat sinks from being mounted. - Blocking RAM slots. Some oversized HSFs may overhang and block RAM slots. If you're planning on maxing out your RAM, it's a good idea to check this first. - Designed for Intel or AMD boards. They're not interchangeable. When mounted, be sure no cords dangle or buckle into the fan blades, too.
Maybe ill look into a smaller fan as it would be my first time building a computer, and since I don't really plan on overclocking I probably don't need a hard x core fan.
Yeah, if you don't plan on overclocking you really don't need anything special. The stock HSF should do just fine.
THANKS!!! you have been a huge help!!!! I have pretty much all the parts chosen out as well as the monitor, keyboard etc...its will be a bit before i have thr money..im getting close though..ive been saving up for a computer for months. But when i do build it..ill post it here on TA..and mention you
Just looked into all the components, I have enough for everything...except a mouse, pad, speakers and a keyboard But the specs im looking at are (if interested): Sapphire 5770 ATI Radeon HD graphics Run of the mill Dvd burner for discs 1TB 3.5" Western Digital Caviar Green Hard Drive Cooler Master CPU Fan Asus motherboard with supports the AM3 I need for my CPU, and its ATX design AMD Phenom II 2.8 Ghz, six core processor Corsair DDR3 memory, 6GB ram OCZ Stealthxstream 700 watt power source Linksys 802.11 wireless N card and a Cooler Master tower I was looking at the 3.2 Ghz 6 core, but that 100 bucks will be the difference between an operating system or not
Not a bad rig. That video card won't do much for gaming or OpenGL applications, but as long as that's not a big concern, the rest of it's quality stuff that'll do you well.
