Power supply and case help

[agent]

Hi. I'm having problems with my power supply. I'm deciding between a few models and while I'm at it deciding if I should upgrade my case too. My current case and PSU is here:

Antec SLK1650B

I'm deciding between the following PSUs:

Antec NeoHE 500W - $90 shipped
FSP AX 450 450W - $70 shipped
Hiper Type-R 480W - $70 shipped

I'm considering the following case:

Antec P180 Black

I don't overclock so I don't think I need the new case, and I like the small form factor of my current Antec case, but since it's on sale I wanted to check that I'm not missing out on anything I'll regret later. I have the following components that are more than adequate for my current needs.

2 WD SATA hard drives
1 WD IDE hard drive
1 DVD RW drive
1 DVD Rom drive
1 Abit NF7-S V2 mobo
1 AMD Athlon XP 2400+
1 Asus A9550GE
3 Crucial 256MB DDR266

Thanks!

 

[agent]

Thanks mpilchfamily. You have really made this learning process quite painless. Your guides and lists were invaluable!

 

[agent]

Hi. I just received my new PSU an FSP AX450-PN. I hooked it up and I get an error on my -5V. It's reading 3.55V, way way above the alarm threshold. Is this normal? Is the PSU faulty or is it possible that it's incompatible with my mobo? I have an Abit NF7-S v2 mobo. Thanks.

 

[agent]

Disable that alarm it's not a valid alarm. Older systems use to need the -5V rail but it was very few that needed it. It's not an important rail and 99% of all PSUs now don't even have it. So disable that in your biuos and don't worry about it. Besides the negative voltages never read right anyway.

Whew! I was hoping you would say that! Thanks. Also, is it just me or is my computer actually running faster with the new PSU?? Probably just psychological.

It arrived just in time though. My old PSU was starting to cause video problems and articles were beginning to appear on the screen.