Basic Questions On Compatibility and PSU Choosing

[Simos]

I'm looking at building a new desktop tower and i've been wondering about some things:

1.How to tell if the motherboard is compatible with the case you are choosing

2.How to tell if a graphics card is compatible with a motherboard(and if the graphics card should be in any way compatible with the case too?)

3.How to choose the best PSU (watts) without giving away money for more than you need.

This is my first time building a PC so any help would be really useful and i'd really appreciate it.

 

[ACTechy]

1. Check the ATX form factor of your motherboard against the specs of the case. In general, all ATX form factors will fit in mid-tower cases and higher, and Micro ATX and Mini ITX cases will only fit those form factor motherboards. Here is the size breakdown: http://www.pcityourself.com/images/content/choosing/mobo_formfactors.jpg

2. Pretty much any modern graphics card (last several years) will be compatible with any modern motherboard. The newest standard PCI-E slot is 3.0, so that's a nice option to have on a motherboard. If you post some exact models you're looking at, can help there too. Yes, you want to make sure whatever case you get can fit the length of your graphics card (these dimensions are readily available in the components specs).

3. You can often base your PSU needs by the graphics card minimum power requirements (found on AMD/Nvidia website). Other than that if you're not sure you can use a PSU calculator (http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp) to get a rough idea of what you need. Most mid-range systems can get by with 450-650W or so (obviously, very dependent on the specs).

I use www.techbargains.com all the time to find the latest deals on components.

Good luck!

 

[Simos]

I have yet to build my PC but the components i am sure i'm using are the following :

1. Intel CPU Core i7-4771 (1150,3.5GHz/8Mb)

2. Corsair RAM DDR3 8GB (2x4)Kit 1600MHz XMS3

3. (VGA) Sapphire R9 270X 2GB GD5 BstOC

4. (SSD) Samsung 250Gb Sata III 840 EVO

5. (Motherboard) Gigabyte Z87-HD3 (1150/H87/DDR3)

As you can tell (and by my previous questions), I haven't decided what kind of case or PSU to buy. Do you think 650 Watts would be enough for the above? (specifically: Corsair VS Series 650W)
But as for the case i'm out of ideas,i don't even know where to start.

Thanks in advance

 

[ACTechy]

That sounds like a great setup. i7s are becoming more important in gaming than they were a year or two, so that's a good call, in my opinion. 650W will be plenty, and that's a good PSU.

Can definitely give you some case ideas, what's your price range? Also are you planning on overclocking?

 

[Simos]

What do you think of the graphics card and the SSD?

You think 650 watts will be plenty? So i shouldn't move on to 750, right?

My price range for a good case should be up to 90 euro. Also, i don't know what to look for in a case, i'm just looking if it's compatible with the components and if it has "many" built in fans, in order not to spend any money putting them myself.

The case i have narrowed it down to is this one :

Zalman z11 plus black

Please tell me if it's compatible with the other components i've showed you.

 

[ACTechy]

The graphics card and SSD are both excellent choices. Don't know much about that new R9 series, but from the sounds of it, it's a excellent card at a good price.

That Zalman case will definitely work for you. Do you have cases like the Crosair Carbide 200R or NZXT H230 available to you? In that price range, those are the cases I always recommend. Both include USB 3.0, which I don't think that Zalman case has, and both are high quality construction units.