Noob questions....PSUs

[dersteinmeister]

When choosing a case, is it best to have the PSU mounted at the top? If so, which case could you guys recommend? In most of the advertisements, it’s not obvious where the PSU is located. I’d prefer a full tower case with PSU of at least 700 Watts, budget up to $200 for a good quality case.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The PSU's that come bundled with cases are crap 95% of the time. The best option would be to buy a case without a PSU and add a quality PSU. Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, & OCZ all make quality PSU's. A combo like this would be far better than any bundled combo:

Antec Three Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 $69.95

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX TX 750W Power Supply Retail ***Free Shipping***
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007112&prodlist=celebros $112.90 -$20.00 MIR

 

[megamanx00]

Wouldn't we all. Anyway if you want a 700W PSU then you should get the case and the PSU separately. Some cases have the PSU at the bottom in an effort to improve airflow. Anyway for a power supply I think you should go with this Corsair for 129.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Leaving you with only $70 for the case. Luckily you can get an Antec 300 for just that price with free shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

If you didn't want to go that close to your budget then you may want to look at something from cooler master or thermaltake, or something like a Raidmax Tornado or Scorpio, just don't go with a cheaper power supply to get a better case.

 

[megamanx00]

Ack short stuff beat me too it 😀.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

buy.com has an even better deal on the 750TX:

http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-tx-750w-atx-12v-power-supply-corsair-tx-cmpsu-750tx-atx12v/q/loc/101/206178325.html

$103.74 with free shipping and $20 MIR = $83.74 shipped!

You absolutely can't beat that deal!

Edit - you could even get an Antec 900 to go with it for $100 shipped from buy.com.

http://www.buy.com/prod/antec-nine-hundred-steel-atx-mid-tower-computer-case-900-antec-nine/q/loc/101/202997579.html

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I think having the PSU on the bottom of the case is better since it allows the big exhaust fan at the top where the heat normally tends to build up. The Antec 900 offers amazing air flow.

 

[dersteinmeister]

Thanks everybody. Actually, I meant $200 for the case itself. Here's what I was looking at for a case:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1389579&CatId=1510

And the PSU:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2700093&sku=ULT40064

The idea was to splurge on a nice case and PSU that would be upgradeable for a while. The above combination should be able to take on about anything I could stuff into it, and with all that volume I could stuff in a lot.....

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I wouldn't trust that Ultra X3 PSU. You could get something like the Antec 1200, but I would still go with the Corsair 750TX over that Ultra X3.

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043 $174.99

The Corsair 1000HX is awesome, but also costs $280. I would stick with names like Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, etc... You certainly don't want a no-name PSU blowing up your new rig!

 

[croc]

I wouldn't trust that Ultra X3 PSU. You could get something like the Antec 1200, but I would still go with the Corsair 750TX over that Ultra X3.

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043 $174.99

The Corsair 1000HX is awesome, but also costs $280. I would stick with names like Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, etc... You certainly don't want a no-name PSU blowing up your new rig!

jonnyguru.com seems to disagree...

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=41

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I stand corrected. I don't have a problem admitting that.

As far as cases go, they're certainly a matter of personal taste. I would check out the Antec 1200 linked above though.

 

[SiliconX]

I have the Antec 1200 case. Moved up to it from the 900 because I couldn't fit all my gear in with a fan setup I wanted. It's pretty overkill unless you're running an overlocked beast with dual videocards and a bunch of hard drives. And it's hernia-inducingly heavy.

But it's a very nice case.