Cheap Upgrade

[nylax4]

Cheap Upgrade [Going Slim case]

Right now I have a:
CPU: Athlon XP 3200+
Generic case
Samsung 250GB Hard drive
512MB of generic RAM
NEC dvd burner
generic mobo
onboard video and sound

I want to upgrade ^this^ and put it into a MicroATX slimcase

CPU : [keep] AMD Athlon XP 3200+

Case: APEX DM-317-A Black/Silver Steel MicroATX Slim Case Computer Case ATX12V Flex 275W Power Supply

Mobo: ASRock K7VM3 Socket A (Socket 462) VIA KM266Pro Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Video card: SAPPHIRE 100945L-BK Radeon 7000 64MB DDR PCI Video Card
(HUGE DEAL BECAUSE MY NEW HDTV HAS HDMI BUT DOESN'T HAVE VGA AND THIS VIDEO CARD HAS DVI SO IM GETTING A DVI-HDMI ADAPTER)

RAM: pqi POWER Series 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 333 (PC 2700) System Memory

Hard Drive: [keep] 250GB Samsung 7200rpm hard drive

DVD burner: [keep] nec dvd burner


Some other questions:
1. Should I get a new power supply and take the one out of the new case?
2. How would I be able to completely wipe out my current hard drive, I have Windows XP boot disc.
3. Would I need any fans to cool this down?
4. Would I need anything else besides the new stuff I want like any paste or fans or anything?

Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[nylax4]

Would it be easy to transfer all the original stuff from an atx full tower to a microatx slim case?

 

[Trotter]

Why go with a PCI card when your motherboard has an AGP slot?

1. Probably a good idea.

2. Boot from your Windows CD, and format the drive.

3. It comes with a fan, but Doesn't have a place for any others.

4. You'll need thermal paste to reseat the HS/F.

5. Unless your HS/F is too tall (or graphics card), you ought to have no problems transferring everything over.

 

[nylax4]

Why go with a PCI card when your motherboard has an AGP slot?

1. Probably a good idea.

2. Boot from your Windows CD, and format the drive.

3. It comes with a fan, but Doesn't have a place for any others.

4. You'll need thermal paste to reseat the HS/F.

5. Unless your HS/F is too tall (or graphics card), you ought to have no problems transferring everything over.

I don't even need AGP because all I need is DVI so I can DVI-HDMI connect it to my TV, I won't be gaming at all. All I'll be doing is watching movies, browsing the internet, going on AIM, and the occasional Photoshop 7.0

Is the standard fan good enough?

What thermal paste do you recommend?

As you can see I'm on a very small budget.

 

[Trotter]

Is the standard fan good enough?

Ought to be. Socket A chips weren't all that hot, heat-wise.

What thermal paste do you recommend?

Artic Silver 5 is the best.