Case choice

[Mulch]

(1)I'm ready to buy a new case but I see that they come as 230W, 250W, 300W, etc. Which one should I get?

My new system will have:

Tekram P6Pro-A+ mainboard
Pentium III 500+
128MB RAM

(2)Does the brand of the case really matter?
How many name-brands are out there as far as cases are concerned?

[Ed_S]

Can't really reccomend a brand, but in regards to the PS, or the type of case, that's easy.
bigger is better
Higher PS capacity will not do any harm. You might need the extra one day! And a bigger case not only gives greater expansion options, but also better working room and increased airflow.

[Wiz]

Get a nice Enlight case, mmmmm.... Enlight....

[sparki]

hey wiz got any links to enlight

[Mulch]

Yea, I've seen the Enlight cases. They cost a bit more, but they seem to be more sturdy and well organized than the rest.

Another thing:

Is the placement of holes on the motherboard tray "standard" - ie, are all ATX motherboards made to fit them?

[RobRich]

For the most part, yes. Most also have i/o plates to change out for different motherboard formats. I can't really recommend a case brand, since I commonly use whatever looks nice and is on sale. I can tell you about power supplies, though. These are my recommended wattage amounts:

-socket7: 230-250watt
-slot1: 250-300watt
-athlon: 300-400watt

The reason I say 400 with an Athlon is that they seem to draw a large amount of power. Then add a few case fans, a large video card, several drives, and other devices, the system can really start to draw some serious wattage.

[Stan]

Hi

I love my Chenbro cases, I have a full tower and a midi tower from the Blando series...

http://www.chenbro.com.tw/atx.htm

I agree with Ed_S: bigger is better !

Stan

[Chef Mark]

Just built a system for my daughter and used an Enlight case - installation was painless, literally! not one scrape or cut. Fit and finish was very good.

Will use their cases again for my next one.

Chef

[Wiz]

http://www.enlightcorp.com/main_frame.html

These are the best cases to get, and they arent too bad on the wallet, $70 for a very nice 7230 type...

[alpha]

What I think:
Socket 7: 190-230watt
Slot1: 200-300watt
Slot A: 250-500watt

Get a full tower. You'll be glad later on.

[psyklone]

i'm surprised nobody mentioned this yet, but before you invest in a case take a good look at the inside because if you're like me you're going to spend a lot of time in there. beware of sharp edges! i swear, in looking back at the first few cases i bought i'd estimate that by spending a few extra bucks on a decent case with nice rounded edges on the insides i probably would have saved myself a couple of pints of blood. *L*

good luck!

[Serge]

Have good experience with AOpen HX-08 (http://www.aopen.com.tw/products/housing/hx08.htm).

[alpha]

I cut my self a few times on generic AT cases. Also, my 80mm sunon got it's greasy little blades on to my PC speaker cable http://www.sysopt.com/forum/redface.gif