Need Help With CD/DVD Player / PSU / Case

[zmazza]

Hey guys. I've got a few questions for you.

I'm needing to purchase a new CD/DVD player/burner, PSU and case for one of my older computers. It worked great for what I used it for, and don't want to retire it just yet. I'm looking to purchase items that would work with a newer build as well for when I do decide to upgrade.

It's an old Pentium II 733MHZ, ASUS intel motherboard, GeForce 5700LE AGP video card, U.S. Robotics 56k modem, soundblaster sound card, and PC133 memory...

I play star wars galaxies, and that system runs like a charm. I use the 56k for the moment because they don't offer cable where I live and I haven't purchased a satelite yet...

So, back to the original question. It's got an older 350w antec psu that came with the case I bought 3-4 years ago. I figure it's time to upgrade and get a newer one.

As far as the case goes, I found the Xion Onyx Black Steel ATX Mid Tower case. It's got some huge fans and green LED's. It's 64.99 with 15 dollar rebate.

The power supply is a FSP group ATX350PA for 29.99. The CD burner that I found was a LITE-ON 52x CD Burner Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model LH-52RIP-187 for 17.99.

What do you guys think about those three? Again, looking to save as much money as I can, but I'd still like to get quality products. Looking to stay under 150 dollars after tax and shipping.

Thanks for the help!

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by zmazza So, back to the original question. It's got an older 350w antec psu that came with the case I bought 3-4 years ago. I figure it's time to upgrade and get a newer one. The power supply is a FSP group ATX350PA for 29.99.

Why replace the 350 watt Antec with a 350 watt FSP? If you're going to upgrade, get a PSU with more wattage. But unless the Antec is acting up I wouldn't replace it.

Originally Posted by zmazza The CD burner that I found was a LITE-ON 52x CD Burner Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model LH-52RIP-187 for 17.99.

That one is fine. But just so you know, if you upgrade this computer with a new motherboard it may or may not support IDE drives as everything is moving to SATA.

Originally Posted by zmazza What do you guys think about those three? Again, looking to save as much money as I can, but I'd still like to get quality products. Looking to stay under 150 dollars after tax and shipping.

If you really want to save money, don't upgrade anything that is still working fine. If you need a new CD burner then just get that. A case is a case is a case and if the Antec PSU is still working just leave it in there.

Save your money for that new high end gaming build you've been dreaming of.

Cricket

[zmazza]

Thanks for the tips. The antec is working great, I was just afraid that with it's age it might need replacing. I've heard some horror stories.

As far as the case goes.. my case that the antec psu came in has been in storage and is really beat up and falling apart. I figured I would get a cool looking case and that way I'd have it for when I upgraded.

The cd/dvd player.... In the past I evidently bought cheap cd players / burners, etc because they all went bad within a short period of time. So as of right now, I don't have one. Can't you buy IDE to SATA cables? Or convert one way to the other?

[doubledragon5]

Get a Lite-on for the cd/dvd burner their cheap as hell.. You can pick up another case without a psu and use the existing one, which is still good.. I have a 6yrl old dell and the psu runs like a charm.. Just because it is four yrs old doesn't mean you need to get rid of it.. One thing that you do to keep everything running cool and not hot is to clean the case on a regular basis...

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by zmazza Thanks for the tips. The antec is working great, I was just afraid that with it's age it might need replacing. I've heard some horror stories.

Good quality power supplies hold up well for a pretty decent amount of time...I had a 235 watt Sparkle Power running for almost 7 years before I retired the computer it was in. As far as I know it still works fine. And good quality power supplies usually have some sort of over-voltage protection to keep the computer parts safe. I wouldn't worry about your Antec.

Originally Posted by zmazza As far as the case goes.. my case that the antec psu came in has been in storage and is really beat up and falling apart. I figured I would get a cool looking case and that way I'd have it for when I upgraded.

Sounds like a good plan.

Originally Posted by zmazza The cd/dvd player.... In the past I evidently bought cheap cd players / burners, etc because they all went bad within a short period of time.

I've been using Lite-On CD and DVD burners since 2002 or 2003 and haven't had one die yet.

Originally Posted by zmazza Can't you buy IDE to SATA cables? Or convert one way to the other?

No, I don't believe there are conversion cables or adapters for that. You could use PCI adaptor cards but I'm not sure IDE optical drives work too good on those. To me, the optical burners are so cheap now that buying a new one doesn't hurt the pocket book like they used to (a friend of mine bought a 12X Plextor CD burner back in 2002 for $300...it died a few years later but the $30 Lite-On replacement is still working fine).

Cricket