fans? fans? fans? fans!? fans!!!

[mech_man_skiflyswim]

OK so I'm building a new computar... the cpu I ordered (p 4 2.4ghz) comes with a fan so thats all good but here comes my barrage of questions:
What power supply do I need and should get?
How many fans does the power supply need, do I need more?
Does the case need it's own fan?
Can I use an Atx power supply?
What case should I get?
How do I know if the case will fit the motherboard?
What if the case has more USB holes then the motherboard and they are front mounted?
How much power do I need?

Thanks guys for helping, I really need it bad, hear are my build stats. If you need more, just ask I' only going to include the motherboard and the cpu.

Motherboard
Detailed Specifications
Connectors: Floppy - 34 pin Header, Keyboard - 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2), Mouse - 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2), Parallel - 25 pin D-shell (IEEE 1284A), Serial - 9 pin D-shell (EIA 574/232), USB - Universal Serial Bus 2.0
Controller Type: Ultra DMA 100, Ultra DMA 33, Ultra DMA 66
Processor Socket: Intel® Socket 478
System Board Style: ATX
Video Bus: AGP 4X
Bus Speed: 533 MHz
Max System Memory: 2 GB
Memory Technology: DDR-SDRAM (DDRRAM)
Number of AGP Slots: 1
Number of PCI Slots: 5
Maximum Number of Processors: 1
Processor Class: Intel Pentium 4
Dimensions
Height: 12 in
Width: 8.5 in

CPU
Detailed Specifications
Included Devices: Cooling Fan, Heat Sink
L1 Cache Size: 8 kB
L2 Cache Size: 512 kB
Processor Instruction Set: Intel® NetBurst™ microarchitecture, Intel® Streaming SIMD Extensions
Processor Socket: Intel® Socket 478
Bus Speed: 533 MHz
Processor Class: Intel Pentium 4
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz

[mattg2k4]

Power supply: I'd recomend a 350 watt or higher Antec or Enermax power supply. Also I'd recomend it have two fans. And yes, get an ATX supply.

The case should usually have at least one more fan in the rear, but it isn't absolutely necesary. I'd get it though. It will just make your computer run cooler.

As for choosing a case, the sky's the limit. It's mostly personal opinion. Aluminum cases are nice and light, removable motherboard trays and drive cages are nice features. Some cases come with power supplies, though often they are lower quality. Go to newegg.com and browse the case section. I bought my case at a computer fair, where I could see a wide selection of cases in person.

The motherboard will fit in the case if it's an ATX. The ATX form factor defines how things fit together, more or less. So all ATX cases have the same screw holes in the same spots, and the motherboards do to. You *might* have to check if the case is big enough, if you're buying an enourmous board or have a tiny case, but I've never heard of it being an issue. The ports on the back are sometimes in nonstandard configurations, but in that case the motherboard manufacturer should provide you with a cover to replace yours with on the back that fits the motherboard. And I rarely see any non-ATX cases except for rackmounts, and you won't mistake one of those for the case you want

For front mounted USB ports, the motherboard will have headers that standard plugs will plug into. Some cases come with these plugs mounted on the front of the case, often the motherboard manufacturer will provide a dongle to hook them up in a free card bay.

I think that answers all of your questions, ask more if you need to.

Edit: Woohoo! I'm a 10 bit member

[mech_man_skiflyswim]

Thanks, that really helped, so case fan, two power supply fans and a cpu fan? And how big should the case fans be?

[glc]

Depends on the case - different cases have cutouts for different size fans.

If you get a case like an Enlight 7250, it comes with a perfectly adequate 300 watt power supply with one fan, and the case has a preinstalled 80mm fan in the front. This is all you will ever need with a Pentium 4 but if you want more noise, it has a cutout for another 80mm fan in the back. This case also comes with 2 front USB ports with leads to attach them to a motherboard header.

[Cricket]

Originally posted by mech_man_skiflyswim What power supply do I need and should get?

Always pick out a good quality name brand ATX power supply, not a generic unit. Antec, Enermax, Enlight, Heroichi, AOpen, NSpire, Sparkle Power, Fortron Source, PC Power & Cooling, Hi-Power and PowerMan are all good brands to choose from.

Originally posted by mech_man_skiflyswim How many fans does the power supply need, do I need more?

The power supply comes with the fan or fans built it. No need to worry about installing any.

Originally posted by mech_man_skiflyswim Does the case need it's own fan?

Yes, at least 1...preferrably set up as an exhaust fan on the back of the case.

Originally posted by mech_man_skiflyswim Can I use an Atx power supply?

You have to use a P4 ready ATX ready power supply, you have no choice. Almost all power supplies are P4 ready now.

Originally posted by mech_man_skiflyswim What case should I get?

Get a mid-tower that appeals to you and has the right amount of 5.25" drive bays you need. Most cases come with the power supply already so make sure the power supply is a good one.

Originally posted by mech_man_skiflyswim How do I know if the case will fit the motherboard?

An ATX motherboard will fit in a ATX case. Almost all standard cases follow the ATX standard now.

Originally posted by mech_man_skiflyswim What if the case has more USB holes then the motherboard and they are front mounted?

The motherboard is usually supplied with the correct I/O plate for the back of the computer. The old one snaps out and the new one snaps in. The USB ports on the front of the case will connect to USB headers somewhere on the motherboard. Read the motherboard manual to find the location.

Originally posted by mech_man_skiflyswim How much power do I need?

A good quality 300 watt power supply is usually more than enough for a home system. If you want to get one with more power, that's fine...but don't go overboard (like getting a 500 watt PSU), you won't get any benefit using such a powerful PSU as the system will only use what it needs. Get a 350 watt power supply if you aren't comfortable with a 300 watt.

Cricket