Question to computer/hardware geeks

[karohemd]

The fan of the PSU in my PC is now finally on its last legs. Previously I had to hand start it and it was a bit noisy but now it's just rattling slowly at times and not doing its job anymore.

1) If I simply buy a new PSU, what do I have to know about my computer so I get the right one?
Everything else is working fine.

2) Having looked at prices for cases/motherboards, I could spend a bit more, get a new case and a new motherboard. Can I just plug in my existing hard and CD drives and cards or will I have to reinstall Windows etc? The system (W98 SE) is stable enough, a bit faster would be nice, though.

3) Expanding with option 1), what can I do to my PC to make it faster apart from adding RAM? It's currently a PIII 450 on a motherboard that was new at the time, what sort of processor will it take? I have to dig out the specs but maybe someone can give me a rough idea.

Update: Thanks for all your comments.
I think I'll just replace the PSU for now as the comp is fine for what I need it for and I still have my laptop, anyway. I'll have a proper system upgrade when I have a long, free weekend in a couple of months or so. :o)

Comments

[duncanneko.livejournal.com]

I just noticed you mentioned two HDs too - reinstalling should be pretty close to trivial if you can just dump everything important to drive #2 and reformat drive #1 for a clean reinstall (incidentally, holler if you want Win2k instead of 98)

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tips, I'll keep them in mind when I actually get round to it.