Econobox Case

I'm building a new computer for a family member and have a budget of <$400. The family member only uses his computer for email, Microsoft Office, and some light photo editing. I have most of the build down fine, but I am unsure what to do for the case. I feel a case/power combo would be ideal for staying within the budget, but I have heard poor things about the quality of the PSUs in these combos. The case has to be micro-ATX to fit on the end-user's desk. The mobo I have picked out has integrated Radeon 4200 graphics, so a dedicated card isn't really needed for his purposes.

If you can suggest a brand or a specific model, I will love you forever. This computer needs to last 4+ years without replacing anything!

I haven't really been following the case/PSU industry lately, but 4+ years is a bit to ask. Especially on such a low budget: How much exactly where you planning on spending on the case? You can get a 50$ case/PSU combo, but unless you're really lucky I highly doubt it'll last more then 6 months. For a case, while I won't go out and say that a cheap one will work well, you can kind of skimp on it, especially on a low-budget build, because it probably won't need all of the cooling and such that a high-end build would. Powersupply, though, I think I'd skimp on a processor before I skimped on a PSU. Seriously, if one of these things goes bad, it can blow things that shouldn't be blown.

I understand the hassle of a budget, but I really can't make any recommendations to you without knowing the budget set aside for this part of the build.

It would also be nice to know the end user's tastes a bit, or are you just going for a plain box?

Oh, and if you could tell us the general wattage of the computer's needs, that'd help a lot too.

Here is the tentative build I have so far:

Athlon II X2 240 - $60
Gigabyte AM3 DDR3 with Radeon 4200 - $90
GSkill 2x2GB DDR3 1600 - $95
WD Blue 320GB 7200 - $50
Samsung Optical - $30

RAM is more expensive than when I build my computer a month ago, and this GSkill was actually the cheapest good DDR3 I could find. The mobo is also a little on the pricy side from when I built, but I couldn't find anything comparable except for an ASUS for $5 less. I am used to Gigabyte, so it's worth the $5 lost.

The total above is $325, and about half of the items add shipping. After looking around some more, I did find some case/PSU combos that had consistently high (overall 5 eggs with 100+ votes) ratings, would these be alright to consider?

cases tend to last a long time, even cheap ones. i can assure you that none of them will break in 6 months, unless your parents use it to play soccer or something. i'd say those cases should be fine.

^he wasn't referring to the case itself, but rather the cheap psu that comes bundled with it. to op: as long as you don't plan to add a video card, i think you should be okay. to my knowledge, the psus you find in these cases are of similar quality to the low-end pre-built machines you find from gateway, hp, etc.

If the PSU does fail on me, are they easy to replace with a standard stand-alone PSU? I have access to a machine shop and tools as need be =)

Thank you all for the replies!

so you have about $75 to spend on a case and psu then?

I just bought this case for a client's build and am pleased with it's quality etc.... It's actually listed as a Mid Tower, but it's smaller than some Mini ATX towers. $35 with free shipping is about as good as you will get too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811233061

This Thermaltake PSU is the best priced "entry level" power supply imo - plenty of power for a basic system and room for upgrades, just don't expect it to power gaming video cards. At $32 after rebate (free shipping too) it's the best deal unless you want to buy an inferior brand - which you should never do with a PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153023

I would agree with Elder's suggestions, thermaltake has a pretty good rep. If I remember correctly, even their bundles are pretty well made.

But yea, the 6 month comment wasn't about the case. Cases generally last until they rust over or someone decides to spill something sticky on em

Just as a general reference: Most PSU's are quite easy to replace. The ones that aren't are usually prebuilts, and shouldn't be messed with anyways. It's usually just 4 screws in the back, and pulling all the wires out. If you can build a computer, you can replace a PSU in < 30 minutes, most of that would probably be finding a Phillips head.

On Newegg: If more then 60% of the votes are 5 and more then 80% of the votes are 4 and 5, then it's generally considered a great item. If it's more of an even spread, it's bit more of a risk. I personally don't buy anything that has a total review of < 4, and am a bit iffy about 4s too. It's worked well so far.

Also: Wow, DDR3 is that cheap now? Back when I built my PC it was still like 200$ for a stick of the low-end stuff. Gotta love technology.

even generic brand PSUs will last years, as long as they are not put under a lot of stress. a modern system without a dedicated graphics card will rarely ever draw more than 100W, so for a computer like the one being described, practically any PSU will work, and will continue to work for years assuming it is not defective.