Construction 102: Case Preparation and Power Supply Prep [Archive]

BitBender

05-25-2002, 10:30 PM

One of the easiest ways to make sure you have easy access, is to remove the case sides before any work is done. This also allows you the greatest amount of lighting inside the case as you move about it building your PC. On the back of most ATX type cases, there will be two to three hex head screws securing each side panel of the case. Remove these, and the panel can then be removed by sliding it backward and away from the case. Once the case panels have been removed, store them away from the work area, as they will not be needed until later.<img src="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/howto/mobmounts.gif" align="right">The next thing to do is to remove the motherboard mounting studs that may be pre-inserted into the motherboard plate. You will be refitting these later in the procedure, based upon your particular motherboards needs. Save these studs aside in a cup, or part container for the use in the "Motherboard Mounting" section of this guide.It is is important to note that leaving excess posts in may introduce a short in your motherboard, and render it inoperative, and may cause permanent damage to some components. Once the mainboard is placed over the studs, it is very difficult to see if you have one 'extra'. While you are taking the studs out, take a moment to observe the metal clips that standoff the Mouse, keyboard, parallel, and serial ports. Make sure none of them point out straight, as they might contact a conductive part of the motherboard and cause a short.The final part in this segment deals with Power Supply Placement. If you are using the standard power supply that came with your case, please proceed to the <a href="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?&threadid=44115">next</a> link in this series. The remainder of this segment will cover the replacement of the standard 300 watt PSU with an Enermax 465 (431 watt) power supply.  Replacing the Stock PSU<img src="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/howto/psuinst1.gif" align="left">From the photo at left, you can see that we have taken the sides off this Antec SX-1030 case, and removed the stock 300 watt PSU. To remove the stock PSU, you loosen the four hex head screws that hold the PSU to the case. Be sure to steady the PSU as you remove the screws, as it will shift was the screws are loosened.The reason that the decision was made to replace the standard 300 watt PSU provided by Antec was the fact that the power needs of this machine could exeed it's capability when all devices planned were in use. This "build" features;<ul><li/>Two ATA HDD's<li/>CD-RW/DVD-R devices<li/>ATI Radeon 32M Video<li/>AMD 1.4 CPU<li/> 512M of DDR PC2100 memory<li/>Two 120mm fans<li/>Three Case Circulation Fans</ul> It is always better to have more power than less, and the Enermax 465 delivers a nice power budget, and provides an additional fan for air circulation. <img src="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/howto/psurear.gif" align="left">Unpackage the New PSU, and be sure to read thru the guide provided to uncover any differences in it's installation that you need to be aware of. Set the PSU on the back of the case, to line it up by vsual inspections as shown. As can be seen in the photo, the mount points for the PSU are clearly marked, and the unit will only fit in the case one way. Verify that the same mount points on the case are in the save spot on the PSU, if it were mounted in the case. From this example, it is clear that they would. The next step is to mount the PSU into the case, and align the screw holes on the case, with the screw holes on the PSU unit. Once you have them aligned, place a hex head screw into each hole, and secure it 50%. Once you have all four screws in, finnish tightening them all up. Be sure to get good and tight, but do not overtighten so much that you strip the screw heads.The completed installation of the PSU should look as pictured in the photo below;<img src="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/howto/psumntd.gif" align="right'> 

Previous Article Links <li/><a href="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?threadid=44105">Should I build, or should I buy?</a><li/><a href="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?threadid=44106">Setting an Inventory and Ordering it All</a><li/><a href="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?threadid=44107">Setting up the Work Area</a><li/><a href="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?threadid=44108">Having the right tools for the job</a><li/><a href="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?threadid=44109">Forming an "Order of Battle"</a><li/><a href="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?threadid=44113"> Arranging your parts, and getting started!</a> </ul>Next Article Link <ul><li/><a href="http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?&threadid=44115">Main Board Preparation</a></ul>