Building a computer for the first time - questions about case and power supply
 

OK, so I'm building my first computer by ordering parts off of Newegg. I'm pretty confident that everything that I will order will be compatible with each other - except for the case/motherboard and case/power supply.

Looking at the motherboard that I want, one can clearly see the six jacks of the integrated sound system, the USB ports next to the ethernet port, etc.

Now then, taking a look at a random computer case, one can see that the motherboard above would not fit into the case because of incompatibility with the rear I/O panel. (Click the fourth image from the right in the row at the top.)

EVERY case I've looked at on Newegg is like this.

Both the motherboard and the cases I've seen are of the ATX form factor, so what's the deal?

(I guess the rear I/O panel could just be punched out with a hammer or something in theory, but I'd rather not do that to my new case...)

As far as the power supply goes, I've found a few with fans in the very top. Such as this one.

But, I've seen no cases that have a place in the top for these types of power supplies. Power supplies typically go in the top at the back, after all. (I've seen cases with fans at that point on top, but one wouldn't want two fans on top of each other.) And having a fan in the top of a power supply would be useless if it was to go directly underneath the case.

Honestly, I want to get that power supply, but I can't figure out the deal with the fan on it as I've seen no cases that look compatible with it. Could somebody enlighten me?

Thanks an advance for any help and/or advice anybody can give me!

Motherboards typically come with their own I/O panel so in the event that the one included with the case doesn't fit, you can just punch it out and swap them.

No clue about the power supply, sorry.

Those fans are supposed to point down, broseph.

Also what Saka said: Motherboards come with their own I/O panels. The ones on the case pop out and then you just shove the new one in.

Oh, and when you buy a computer case try your damndest to get one with folded edges. Unfolded edges are SHARP, and cuts on the fingertips are rather painful. :(

I got this case over a year ago and it has a bottom-mounted power supply. Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases I like it a lot since there's a huge fan up on top that runs ultra-quiet and keeps the case really cool.

Thanks for the replies! I appreciate it!

Holy shit, you guys are right!

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/9...anelrq2.th.jpg

Why I didn't see it before, I don't know, but I'm a freaking idiot. :(

Now then, about the power supply...

Yeah, I suppose that would work. I guess it doesn't matter which way it is put in. Although, I've never installed a power supply before. So I guess power supplies can be put in right-side-up or upside-down?

About this case... It's actually closer to what I'm looking for than what my current case is. (I don't need any external 3.5" drive bays.) So I'll replace mine with this one. Thanks for pointing it out, RacinReaver! (I don't know if it has folded edges or not, but the edges don't look too sharp... >_> )

So I guess that means the power supply fan is no longer an issue. However, this case brings in another noob question. How do the fans get hooked up to the power supply? Via the motherboard?

Also, I've seen 12V rails as part of the power supply specs and mentioned when reading about power supplies. What are they exactly?

From what I understand about power supplies, they have SATA or IDE power cables that gets hooked up the correct type of drive, a power cable for the motherboard, and cables for cards in the expansion slot if they need it. I also understand that a person needs to exceed the power their computer uses with the power supply rating. Even though this is a bit out of date, I've used it to figure out how big of a power supply I'll need.

As I said, the only things I don't know about are the 12V rails and how the case will get hooked up to the motherboard.

One more question: Radeon or GeForce for a video card? I've heard it's one of those 6-of-one, half-a-dozen-of-the-other kinds of things, like Intel and AMD processors, but I'd be interested in hearing some opinions.

I don't plan on playing any games with it (but I'd like it to be capable of playing games at high-resolution, high-framerate if I chose to), but I do plan on playing high-definition, 60fps video.

While I'm at it, I might as well post the links to the parts I plan to build my computer from. I'd be interested in opinions!

Case, as you already know.

Power supply.

Processor.

Motherboard.

Master drive.

Slave drive - for capturing raw, uncompressed video - same as master drive. (I plan on getting a video capturing device after I get this computer put together and running)

Slave drive - data storage.

Optical disc drive.

RAM.

Video card.

Operating System.

Keyboard.

Mouse.

I know the keyboard and mouse are cheap, but I don't want anything fancy. And I've actually been impressed with Rosewill mice.

Everything is compatible with each other to the best of my knowledge. If you see anything wrong with this setup, have something you want to point out, or just have an opinion, please let me know! I would really appreciate it! Thanks a lot!

I wouldn't recommend buying that exact case. I paid around $70 for that case over a year ago since I got it with a rebate and when it was on sale. Just look around for similar cases and they usually mention if they have bottom mounted power supply spots. I just like it a lot since I tend to use my computer as a footrest, and this way it's bottom-heavy, so there's less worry of it tipping over. Also, having the front USB/firewire/headphone plugs be at the top of the case angled upwards is brilliant.

But, yeah, shop around a bit for a better price on a case similar to that one.

For cases, I personally recommend the Raidmax Smilodon series. They range from 70-120 bucks, so they're a bit pricey, but I've worked with them twice so far and they have been a complete DREAM. Edges are folded (god I'm way too focused on that), four optical drive bays, 4 fans pre-installed and space for a fifth, and most importantly: both sides open like a door. That makes installing the motherboard incredibly easy, since you don't have to get your fingers in cramped spaced as much. Just keep in mind that to mount the hard drive you have to get rails from a tool kit under the box the drives are mounted into.

Oh, and one last thing: When you DO install the motherboard, make sure you do it right. Your mileage may vary from case to case, but most come with a few mounting screws already installed. Just take them out and put them back in to align them with the holes in your motherboard, and make sure you use washers too.