Need help choosing Case and PSU

[imported_charger10s]

I am in the process of planning my first build and I could use some help. I am not a gamer, but I will be using my PC primarily video editing and encoding. I do not need lots of serious mod components (water cooled, neon fans, etc) nor do I plan to overclock in the immediate future.
I could find lots of info on CPUs, motherboards, video cards, etc that has helped me make my choices there.

However, there are so many types of cases, from super cheap to super expensive, I'm not sure where to start. I don't need any of the serious extras (neon lights, acrylic cases, windows, etc.), but I don't want a generic whitebox either.

As far as the PSU, how much power is really needed? Are the PSUs that come with cases often junk? Should I try to purchase these components separately?

Here is a summary of my future build so far:
- AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Winchester Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BIBOX - Retail ~ $190
- MSI K8N NEO2 PLATINUM Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce3 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail ~ $128
- ATI ALL-IN-WONDER 9600 100-714116 ALL-IN-WONDER Radeon 9600 128MB DDR AGP 4X/8X Video Card - Retail ~ $137
- CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail ~ $80
- NEC 3520A DVD Burner ~ <$50
- Case ????
- PSU ????

Thanks for your help!

 

[globalcitizen]

Go for the Antec Sonata or the SLK series. For your usage, anything above 350W would be overkill.

 

[qbackin]

Right here😀
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=45&threadid=1611383

 

[imported_charger10s]

Is it better to buy the PSU separately, or are the units that come with the cases usually ok?

Also, why are some cases (that have windows and crazy colors, etc) so cheap? Is it the material used? Is there something to avoid in these cases? At this point I can not figure out why there is such a big diffirence in prices.

 

[biostud]

Originally posted by: charger10s
Is it better to buy the PSU separately, or are the units that come with the cases usually ok?

Also, why are some cases (that have windows and crazy colors, etc) so cheap? Is it the material used? Is there something to avoid in these cases? At this point I can not figure out why there is such a big diffirence in prices.

Depends on the brand.

Personally I'm a fan of Seasonic, since they make stable, quiet and efficient PSU's.

A Seasonic S-12 430W would be an excellent choice. Seasonic are the only one that have +80% efficiency on their PSU's (400W (not in retail), 430W, 500W and 600W)

 

[Furl]

go for the lian-li pc65b case its really sweet...