Socket A in an IN-WIN A500?

[ehanson]

Hello,

I am pondering upgrading my PII400 to something with a little more muscle in it. I am looking at an Athlon T-Bird with a Socket A motherboard. I currently have an In-Win A500 with I think a 235W PS. I know I need a new PS (prob 300 right?), but I don't want to go for another case (high shipping) if I don't have too. I plan to just upgrade the PS if I can. So, will a socket A motherboard, Athlon with a decent HSF (recommendations?) fit in this motherboard? I am only asking because I remember a previous upgrade I did using a Slotket and the Slotket extending too high hitting the PS.

ADDENDUM - I plan on an ASUS A7V133, EPOX 8KTA3, or an ABIT K7TA.
--
ehanson

 

[Crashedout]

I had an epox 8kta3 in an inwin a500 for a day. It was tight but fit. You will want a new PS, I recomend the antec 300W, its cheap and recomended. I had a chrome orb on the cpu and was able to maintain 7x133 with no problems. I moved the unit into a full tower soon after so I have no idea how good of a long term solution the a500 is. The negative was the jumper for 100/133 on the Epox was difficult to reach in the A500. Good luck.

If you want a case go to a computer show, you can get decent cases there and save on shipping.

 

[mechBgon]

AMD recommends using a case with an auxiliary cooling fan on the rear panel. You could get an Alpha PEP66, which has the fan on the side and should fit alongside the A500's power supply. PEP66 This heatsink is one of the finest, but it doesn't fit all Socket A motherboards. Asus A7V reportedly works fine with it. But when you consider the price of the heatsink and shipping, that could go a long way toward an AMD-approved case with an 80mm fan on the rear panel in addition to the power supply fan.

If it were me, I'd get one from Russ: Enlight 7237 with 330W Enermax "whisper" power supply and a Sunon 80mm fan. You could then save a bit of money and get a FOP32 from him at the same time, saving quite a bit compared to the PEP66 with separate shipping. You can also find this stuff at other places but Russ has great service and doesn't overdo it on the shipping.

Anyway, you will certainly notice the boost in power from a P2 400 to a Tbird Any chance you'll be joining the Team AnandTech distributed-computing effort?

 

[clumsum]

Do yourself a big favor and go for a new case w/ps .............. !
You can probably find the Inwin S-500 at www.pricewatch.com/ w/a 300W ps for not very much more than buying just the ps for an up-grade ................ ? (sometimes w/free shipping)

The A-500 is a stout case and WAS an excellent design (for it's time) however, the ps will be blocking your mb access every time you pull the side panel and even if you remove the ps the supports are still in your way ....... !
Your hsf choice will always be dictated by ps clearance and cooling will always be less than desired .................. go for the S-500 or another "Athlon" approved design, the choice isn't easy, as there are so many good ones available.

The Enlight 7237 mentioned above is another excellent value choice ..............
Just my .02 worth ..........

trying that link again
www.pricewatch.com