Power supply & Case

[Owltoid]

1.) Is there a normal looking case that doesn't look like it belongs in a 12 year old's dream room?

2.) How much power do I need? (i7, 12 gb RAM, GTX 260 video card, 64 gb SSD, second hard drive, liquid cooling)

3.) Do I buy cases mostly based on the power needs? Or does the motherboard also strongly influence the decision?

[Sajuuk]

1.) I like Lian Li (I got an Armorsuit PC-60 - it looks snazzy) Lian Li cases can be pricey.
Here's a plain looking case from Lian Li. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112099

2.) For a power supply I would look towards future upgrades. If it has a 24 pin or 20+4 pin motherboard power cable and a 4 (or 8) pin CPU power cable you'll be fine there. I would look at the voltage in the 12V rails to see what you can do.
Bottom line: Get a quality power supply, don't just choose the cheapest one. The one I chose was 850W, should be able to do dual 260 SLI, but I don't think I'll ever get that far.

3.) From what I hear, look towards aesthetics, airflow, and make sure it can take your motherboard form factor (ATX, mini-ATX, etc) You can also look toward upgradability (Number of hard drive slots, whether you want to do dual or tri-sli, etc.)

If anyone wishes to correct my statements, please feel free.

[pinotnoir]

I have the coolermaster HAF case. It's really nice. It's the nicest build I have done because it has a lot of room behind the motherboard for wires. The case has great air flow too. Power supply get a good brand 750-1000w. Thermaltake, Corsair, OCZ, or Silverstone to name a few. Make sure to get one thats modular. You dont want an ass load of cables to deal with when you only need a few plugs. Make sure you know the motherboard and video card will fit in the case. My board and card wouldnt fit in my old thermaltake armor jr. E-ATX cases have lots of room.

[TheStig]

1.) Is there a normal looking case that doesn't look like it belongs in a 12 year old's dream room?

2.) How much power do I need? (i7, 12 gb RAM, GTX 260 video card, 64 gb SSD, second hard drive, liquid cooling)

3.) Do I buy cases mostly based on the power needs? Or does the motherboard also strongly influence the decision?For a full ATX case, I would go with a Antec 1200.I have one and I just broke the fan leds so they dont bother me when I sleep.
for a mid ATX, I'm not really sure shop around.
I would aim for 700-800 watts. The case is mostly based on the user preference, I was looking for a low-key, good air flow cases and I picked the 1200.

[-silencer-]

1) Full case that doesn't look like it's a kiddie transformer.. Antec P182:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129025&Tpk=antec%20p182
I've owned this case for 2 years, and it's fantastic.. and quiet.

2) People always seem to grossly over estimate power requirements. A quad core and GTX 260 uses just under 300w at the wall in full load. 500w+ is plenty of extra buffer.. you don't need a 700-1000w power supply.
Here's a reference with a more power-hungry CPU.. the i7 965:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3501&p=9
Your system would be FINE on either a Corsair 520w or Corsair 620w (both modular power supplies made by SeaSonic - one of the best PSU makers). I've run a Q6600, 8GB of memory, 8800GTX & 9600GT, 2x Raptors, 2x 7200rpm, SSD, 3x optical drives.. with the CPU, ram, and videocard overclocked. The Corsair 620w has been more than enough for 2+ years. All this talk of 700+w minimum is for multiple GPUs or.. power supplies that aren't made by quality manufacturers. The Corsair 620w is perfect.. and the 520w will be enough. Water cooling doesn't use a lot of power.. most pumps are at most 20w.

3) Buy a case based on build quality, cooling, quietness, and looks. The P182 is one of the best for that combination.

[alcattle]

1. All of the cases mentioned are nice. I have a Li Lein 80B and a Antec 900. Big and roomy.

2. Seasonic and PP&c are top rate PSUs. Anything around 600W will run your system, until you get multi GPU like the X2s or GT295 series

3. I would not buy a combined Case/PSU deal. If you fine a combo with the parts mentioned, you would be ok. Most of the PSU in a deal are POS.

[Freddie]

People always seem to grossly over estimate power requirements. A quad core and GTX 260 uses just under 300w at the wall in full load. 500w+ is plenty of extra buffer.. you don't need a 700-1000w power supply.
Here's a reference with a more power-hungry CPU.. the i7 965:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3501&p=9
Your system would be FINE on either a Corsair 520w or Corsair 620w (both modular power supplies made by SeaSonic - one of the best PSU makers). I've run a Q6600, 8GB of memory, 8800GTX & 9600GT, 2x Raptors, 2x 7200rpm, SSD, 3x optical drives.. with the CPU, ram, and videocard overclocked. The Corsair 620w has been more than enough for 2+ years. All this talk of 700+w minimum is for multiple GPUs or.. power supplies that aren't made by quality manufacturers. The Corsair 620w is perfect.. and the 520w will be enough. Water cooling doesn't use a lot of power.. most pumps are at most 20w.
I agree completely. I buy 550 watt Seasonics for PCs with a single GPU and even that is overkill. The AnandTech article is very good. Here's a similar test in Tom's but more recent and with more video cards:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-radeon-power,2122-6.html

[Bovidae]

If I had to do it again, I wouldn't buy expensive cases ever again.

But expensive high quality parts. The cast itself is just a box. If it holds the parts, mission accomplished.If I ever had to do it again, I'd reuse my same old case and stick new parts into it.

BTW, I use a Coolermaster Cosmos 1000 I picked up after Christmas '07 for $99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119138
It is the best case ever.