Case and Cooling questions!

[imported_DarkMatter]

Hi guys and gals,

I'm planning on upgrading my old PC here in a few days and I've got a few questions that have got me worried.

My current case is an Enermax case with a 320w power supply in it. It has 4 fans (not sure the size). Two in the back and two in front.

What I'm planning on upgrading to is:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+
MSI K8N-Neo Platinum
1gb Corsair RAM
eVGA GeForce 6800GT 256MB

I'm wondering if my current case is going to be ok for that? Is four fans enough to keep a system with those components cool, or do I need to get a new case with something like 6 fans (two front, two back, side and top)?

My second quest is whether or not a 320w power supply is going to cut it anymore. If not, how many watts would you recommend I upgrade based on the compoenents I am planning on getting?

Hopefully I have made myself clear and provided you all with enough information to help me out. I look forward to hearing from you.

-DarkMatter

 

[jonesthewine]

Enermax makes lots of cases...which one do you have? Four fans is plenty if there is good flow through the case.

320 W is not going to cut it unless it is a very high quality PSU..you'll wan tto upgrade most likely. Look for an Emermax PSU with dual 12V rails, 400W or higher. Better safe than sorry

 

[imported_DarkMatter]

Originally posted by: jonesthewine
Enermax makes lots of cases...which one do you have? Four fans is plenty if there is good flow through the case.

320 W is not going to cut it unless it is a very high quality PSU..you'll wan tto upgrade most likely. Look for an Emermax PSU with dual 12V rails, 400W or higher. Better safe than sorry

Thanks for your quick reply.

I looked on NewEgg to see if I could find the case that I have, but they don't have it. I also check on the the EnerMax website but they didn't show it there either. It's a beige full tower case, with the hinged door on the upper half that opens up to reveal the 4x 5 1/4" bays, 2x 3 1/2" bays and the power/reset buttons. Not really sure how else I can describe it. Two fans in the back blowing out, and I've got two in the front (bottom) that pull area in I believe.

A new power supply was something that I was expecting I would have to get. I don't really want to spend ALOT on a PS as I'm already over my budget. I don't know how to see if a PS has dual 12V rails when shopping on NewEgg, in fact, I don't even know what dual 12V rails is or what it's for!

That being said, I was looking at this power supply on NewEgg. What do you think?

Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420w Power Supply

-DarkMatter

 

[imported_DarkMatter]

So what about that Thermaltake Silent PurePower 420w PS I have linked up above? Is that a decent power supply. I know it's not very expensive so I don't know what the quality is like. Would that be sufficient to power an A64 3200+, MSI K8N Neo Platinum and a GeForce 6800GT?

 

[prometheusxls]

The PSU looks good. Ok efficincy and amps on the 12v. Has sata connectors.

 

[TwoBills]

I'd stick w/the 320w psu that you already have. Just check the specs on the side of the psu case. Can't see that you're really powering that much.