To compensate I have a 1200 Watt PS.

To determine what a good case is, you will have to determine what YOU want and how much are you willing to spend. For example, I want a case with intakes at the front, bottom, and side, and exhaust at top and back. This is more-or-less standard config now but you'll be surprised that some cases still have odd configurations. Next, how big fans do you want? 120-140mm seem to be the norm now, but do you want bigger? Do you want a bigger side fan? Or two smaller side fans? Also some people prefer the side fan to be exhaust too, but I prefer intake.

The inside config of most cases is PSU at bottom --- but does it have a mesh at the bottom of the case so you can have your PSU pull cool air from outside the case or will the PSU fan have to face up and pull air (may or may not be cool) from inside the case? --- then you have the hard drive bays on the bottom-front. Motherboard placement is at the upper-back, and optical drive bays on the upper-front. But still, you have numerous options here. Some cases allow for partial removal of the hard drive bays to make more space for a bigger GPU, or just for smoother airflow from one of the front fans. Some cases have the motherboard on the upper-back of the case, but with the I/O panel facing UPWARDS rather than rearwards. Some cases have the standard 7 bays for your "extra stuff" like GPU, extra USB panels, etc., some have 8 or even 10 to allow for those who dual-, tri-, or quad-GPU their systems.

Then there is the organization option inside the case... is is painted or unpainted? Might not seem like a lot and for practical purposes doesn't really matter, but painted cases seem to be easier to clean as the dust doesn't stick as well to a smooth painted surface than the unpainted metal surface. Again, I say "seem to be," I've not really conducted scientific experimentation Does it have cutouts for cable routing? Are the cutouts plain or do they have rubber grommets? Are the cutouts placed at reasonable locations or do they look big enough for the wires? For me, cable management is important to help improve airflow over essential PC components.

For the externals of the case, there are a few options as well. Some cases go overkill with the meshes, being about 90% mesh which I don't like since I don't know how the airflow is going inside the case. Others go overkill the other way, keeping the case enclosed with flat panels with minimal vents to reduce noise. I prefer a decent mesh layout... mesh grille at the front for intake, a small grille at the side and bottom again for intake, then at the back and top for exhaust. I want everything else to be flat panel, so I know I somehow control the airflow and pull the air through my components.

So again, you have to determine where you want to go with your PC, what your future upgrade options might be.

I know you said you were a new builder, and this might seem like a lot of info to take in, but relax and go slow and learn what you can. Informed buying decisions always turn out better than spur-of-the-moment, I-don't-know-why-I-bought-it purchases.

Oh, and search YouTube for unboxing and reviews of your potential case. Seeing a "video tour" of the case might help you make up your mind or dismiss an option. Here's a video unboxing of my Corsair Carbide 500R case:




Hope that helps!

Yes Ice this did help thanks very much. I found a some unboxing videos on youtube of that case and its pretty nice. All of you guys are great thanks for all the help. If you have any other pro tips for a new builder let me know

Once you decide on all your parts, post here for a final "checkup," some people may have some more suggestions.

And three things to remember once you start your assembly:
1. Always touch something metal to ground yourself before working. Or wear an anti-static arm/wrist band. And ground yourself every now and again.
2. Too much thermal paste isn't necessarily better. "Just right" is a small bead on the center, which will be spread through the action of tightening the CPU cooler.
3. Take your time, build things slow, check things before pushing in. Never rush a build; you usually end up breaking something. Take it slow, enjoy the process, learn from it. You'll be doing more soon

Good luck with your build and always remember the SimHQ community stands ready to argue over your picks and present you with both sides of the coin!

more importantly, burn in test everything.

and dont hit the pr0n sites until your virus scan suite is online and up to date.

What do I need to look for to get a good monitor?

Is this PSU compatible with my CPU?


CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116505

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341052

The PSU says it is compatible with the sandybridge products but I will be getting this ivy bridge so I'm not sure if this PSU will work.

If at all possible, go LOOK at it. I bought an Asus a couple of years ago based on liking other products and the specs were excellent. In person, the monitor just never could look right no matter how much adjusting was done. Not that you should avoid Asus, it could very well be that model alone.
Most people like to avoid LCD's with the glossy screen covers, but since getting our Sony tv, I knew the glare was worth it for me. I got an HP with that type of cover and have never been happier with any display. I love the automatic input switching since I often have my 360 hooked up as well as my pc. Only problem is that the stand is a fixed height, and it doesn't have the standard hardware to add an adjustable mount/stand that I like.
Still, best bet is to go look at monitors in a store and then shop for it online.

Sounds like you haven't caught that news item recently, so I fixed it for you. Pr0n sites are the least infected sites on the net.



There hasn't been a change in requirements between SB and IB, so you should be good with that OCZ PSU.

IB uses less power actually.