Old Cases, Do I NEED A New One?

[musak999]

I'm planning to build a computer very soon, probably sometime this week. Anyways, I was wondering if I could use one of three old computer cases that are sitting in my room to save some cash. To give an idea of how old they are, they are each running at 133/166/166 mhz. The two that are 15" tall, I can tell are POS. But the third, which was bought from a hospital computer sale, is 19" and looks quite decent. I can't figure what company it's from; the only clue is a logo on the front of a weird looking, handwritting, cyan coloured letter that resembles a T or J. Tsunami maybe? It has an extra blowhole in back, undernearth the powersupply, for another fan and 1 intake fan. It, though, does not have any 'cuts' along the sides.

Do I need a new case or will this do?
What should I look at to figure out if this case will be compatible with a modern computer?

Thanks.:beer:

 

[Woodie]

Check the PSU and the backplane:

If the power-switch has a heavy duty cord directly to the PSU, it's probably AT, and you'll need a new case/PSU.

If the back of the PC has a cutout (rectangular, ~2"x~4")where the keyboard,parallel ports, etc... can go, then you're probably OK.

If the back has a large circular hole (for the non-PS2 keyboard), then it won't work.

 

[screw3d]

If you are building a new system it's best off to get a new power supply. PSUs from the Pentium classic days are barely enough for you to power up today's new CPUs.

 

[Ness]

Nowadays you can get a decent case for 40 bucks easily, and oftentimes they include the PSU. Check local dealers and see if they have any for cheap. You'd be better off in the long run to just get a new case. Anything that is old enough to be called old is probabaly AT, and while you could do some work and make it fit an ATX board, it probably wouldn't be worth the time to save the money.

Older cases tend to be bulky, really heavy and have a lot of sharp edges.


Example of ATX backplane/IO Sheild (what you want.)

 

[HiTek21]

I'd buy a new Antec Case, it'll cost between $70 - $100 but you'll definatly be happy with it. They include a very good quality PSU and its a very high quality case. I'd reccomend a Case with a PSU of 350w or higher, most 300w psu's wont cut it these days.

 

[deerslayer]

Originally posted by: Woodie
Check the PSU and the backplane:

If the power-switch has a heavy duty cord directly to the PSU, it's probably AT, and you'll need a new case/PSU.

If the back of the PC has a cutout (rectangular, ~2"x~4")where the keyboard,parallel ports, etc... can go, then you're probably OK.

If the back has a large circular hole (for the non-PS2 keyboard), then it won't work.

Exactly. Chances are, they are probably AT cases. Cases aren't too expensive and you'll probably be happier with a new case anyways

If it is in fact an ATX case I would strongly suggest replacing the power supply.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Here's another vote for getting another case. I just picked up a nice, mid-tower case with a 400W PSU today at a local computer shop for $55

 

[KennyH]

My vote is to host up a couple of pictures of the cases so we can determine if any can be used.

 

[huesmann]

My guess is none of them can be used. If they're 133/166/166 MHz, they're plain Pentium CPUs (maybe AMD), and almost certainly obsolete AT form factor.

 

[RedWolf]

They could be ATX but if they are, they are probably proprietary. There's nothing wrong with an old case, but as most people have said, if it doesn't have the right backplane for connecting an atx motherboard, they won't work. My case (Fong Kai 603)is pretty old (celeron 300a era) but it works just fine. I have had to get a new PS, though, as the old one just wouldn't cut it. Actually, a lot of the new ps's are junk, too. They just don't have enough power on the 12v rail.

 

[Apotherix]

I'd get a new one, I'm happy with mine and it cost me $35 at newegg, and besides it bad.

 

[hagbard]

Who needs a case when you have nails and a wall?

 

[0roo0roo]

Older cases tend to be bulky, really heavy and have a lot of sharp edges.

oh the scars i bear....



can you afford a nice new case? spare 80-100 bux for a decent aluminum case that will last you for a few upgrades? i suggest antec/chieftec dragon cases. http://www.case-mod.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=43_81&products_id=165 heres a good one for just 77 bux, and it includes 400 watt psu. fan mounts 2 front 2 back, one on window. tooless case panel, drive rails, tooless fan mounts etc. plus its light and wont slice u up it also won't make u contort your hand trying to plug stuff in.


on the other hand, you don't "need" a new computer. you could run win98 on a p166 just fine

 

[musak999]

If the power-switch has a heavy duty cord directly to the PSU, it's probably AT, and you'll need a new case/PSU

Yes, it does have a heavy duty cord. But..okay, I'm not sure how to explain this. Coming from the PSU, it's a heavy duty cord, but about 2 inches from the POWER switch, the heavy duty cord stops and it splits into 5 smaller cords. They are green/blue/brown/white/black. The green cord seems to be used as a grounder while the other 4 connect to a black rectangular thing (about 3cm by 2cm) which is directly behind the power switch.

If the back of the PC has a cutout (rectangular, ~2"x~4")where the keyboard,parallel ports, etc... can go, then you're probably OK.

Yeah, it does have this cutout where the parallel ports and stuff can go.

If the back has a large circular hole (for the non-PS2 keyboard), then it won't work.

Yes, it does have this large circular hole but it is located within the cutout where the keyboard and parallel ports go, unlike one of my POS case which has a designated hole for the keyboard.

If you are building a new system it's best off to get a new power supply

I'm buying an Enermax 350W. I just want to know if I can keep the case, it looks nice.

My vote is to host up a couple of pictures of the cases so we can determine if any can be used.

I wish. I don't have a digital cam. If I cannot get my answer to my subject question from this post though, I guess I'll hassle my buddy to let me borrow his.

They could be ATX but if they are, they are probably proprietary. There's nothing wrong with an old case, but as most people have said, if it doesn't have the right backplane for connecting an atx motherboard, they won't work.

What does proprietary mean? If by backplane you mean the sheet of metal that you put your mobo on, how can I tell if it supports ATX? I'm looking at it and it has 23 different holes for screws which I'm guessing if for different sized mobos.

Another interesting thing, I took a look at the PSU and it was made in 1997!

Thank you.

:beer:

 

[Woodie]

Your PSU is definately AT. Your case sounds like it may be a combo case, meaning that it can accept AT or ATX-style motherboards.

Backplane is the back of the PC, where the cables plug in. This is where you'd see either individual knockouts for each port (Parallel, serial, Keyboard, etc..) or the common rectangle where the connectors are on the ATX motherboard.

The motherboard tray is the part where you mount the motherboard. It can have many mount points, depending on the case. There are several standard form factors: AT, Baby AT, ATX, micro-ATX, flex-ATX. Most boards have around 6 attachment points. Best way to figure it out is to take an ATX board, and put it in there. Line the board up w/ the PCI slots or connector panel, then mark where the screws need to mount. Hopefully, they line up w/ the holes in the motherboard tray. Then you can decide if you want to keep the case or not.

FWIW, I modded an AT case to fit my ATX PSU and mobo. Kind of a pain in the butt, but the case met my requirements and I wanted it that way. I have a ton of spare 6mm nylon standoffs now!

There are docs on the web which contain the physical specs for ATX motherboards, including the mounting locations and sizes of the boards. You could also check the spec sheet for the motherboard you're planning to put into the case.

edit: typos and clarity