I've got 3 new systems that I'm looking to build and would like anyone's opinion or experience on the matter. One of the most important things to consider is the power needs of the setups and if the stock PSU will work in each of the different builds. Thank you in advance for your time and nergy.
i3-2125 Build (Mom's PC)
No major gaming, just web surfing, Office applications, scrap booking, video out to the TV (HDMI) and Facebook.
APEX MI-008 Black Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 250W Power Supply
Model #:MI-008
Item #:N82E16811154091
Foxconn H67S LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Model #:H67S
Item #:N82E16813186211
Intel Core i3-2125 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I32125
Model #:BX80623I32125
Item #:N82E16819115093
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBPK
Model #:F3-10600CL9D-4GBPK
Item #:N82E16820231179
XIGMATEK 3.5" Internal 75 in 1 Card Reader 75 in 1 USB 2.0 Card Reader
Model #:75 in 1 Card Reader
Item #:N82E16820815001
SAMSUNG 8X Slim Internal DVD Burner, OEM Package Without Software Black SATA Model SN-208BB - OEM
Model #:SN-208BB
Item #:N82E16827151242
StarTech SLSATAADAP Female Slimline SATA to SATA Adapter with Power
Model #:SLSATAADAP
Item #:N82E16812200470
BYTECC Bracket-535 5.25" Metal Tray for 2.5", 3.5" HDD/Slim DVD
Model #:Bracket-535
Item #:N82E16817994088
KINGWIN CF-012LB 120mm Case Fan
Model #:CF-012LB
Item #:N82E16835124023
SAMSUNG Spinpoint MP4 HM320HJ 320GB 7200 RPM 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:HM320HJ
Item #:N82E16822152235
Tech SLSATAADAP Female Slimline SATA to SATA Adapter with Power
Model #:SLSATAADAP
Item #:N82E16812200470
i3-2120T Build (Son's Build)
Moterate gaming (but nothing too elaborate), web surfing and Office applications.
APEX MI-008 Black Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 250W Power Supply
Model #:MI-008
Item #:N82E16811154091
Foxconn H67S LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Model #:H67S
Item #:N82E16813186211
Intel Core i3-2120T Sandy Bridge 2.6GHz LGA 1155 35W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120T
Model #:BX80623I32120T
Item #:N82E16819115094
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBPK
Model #:F3-10600CL9D-4GBPK
Item #:N82E16820231179
KINGWIN CF-012LB 120mm Case Fan
Model #:CF-012LB
Item #:N82E16835124023
SAMSUNG Spinpoint MP4 HM320HJ 320GB 7200 RPM 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:HM320HJ
Item #:N82E16822152235
APEVIA 4 Pin PSU to PCI-E Power Supply Converter cable Model CVT46
Model #:CVT46
Item #:N82E16812201004
EVGA GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
Model #:512-P3-N973-TR
Item#:N82E16814130435
i5-2400S Build (Dad's Build)
Light to moderate gaming, Photoshop, video editing, desktop publishing, mild CAD, and virtual machines.
APEX MI-008 Black Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 250W Power Supply
Model #:MI-008
Item #:N82E16811154091
APEVIA 4 Pin PSU to PCI-E Power Supply Converter cable Model CVT46
Model #:CVT46
Item #:N82E16812201004
ASRock H67M-ITX LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Model #:H67M-ITX
Item #:N82E16813157238
SPARKLE SXS4501024D5SNS GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Model #:SXS4501024D5SNS
Item #:N82E16814187131
Intel Core i5-2400S Sandy Bridge 2.5GHz (3.3GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 65W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 ...
Model #:BX80623I52400S
Item #:N82E16819115075
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBPK
Model #:F3-10600CL9D-4GBPK
Item #:N82E16820231179
KINGWIN CF-012LB 120mm Case Fan
Model #:CF-012LB
Item #:N82E16835124023
SAMSUNG Spinpoint MP4 HM320HJ 320GB 7200 RPM 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:HM320HJ
Item #:N82E16822152235
Now is the time for anyone's "2 cents" to be deposited and appreciated. I know that's rare these days. Thanks!
PMPN10
Your 2 Cents for My 3 builds
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
Re: Your 2 Cents for My 3 builds
Have you looked at the power draw of the Son and Dad builds?
Those graphic cards "might" become to much for that 250W power supply.
TDP on both cards is similar @ 105~Watt.
I took a closer look at that power supply and it's rating is 65% efficiency @ 100% load.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817154024
http://www.apextechusa.com/products.asp?pID=42
I'd look out for user reviews on builds similar to what you are thinking and get a feel if it goes smoothly.
Or better yet if someone on here has experience with similar stuff and is willing to lend a word.
So if the PSU is good enough and the cooling is adequate, I'd say it's pretty nice and compact builds you got planed.
Those graphic cards "might" become to much for that 250W power supply.
TDP on both cards is similar @ 105~Watt.
I took a closer look at that power supply and it's rating is 65% efficiency @ 100% load.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817154024
http://www.apextechusa.com/products.asp?pID=42
I'd look out for user reviews on builds similar to what you are thinking and get a feel if it goes smoothly.
Or better yet if someone on here has experience with similar stuff and is willing to lend a word.
So if the PSU is good enough and the cooling is adequate, I'd say it's pretty nice and compact builds you got planed.
Re: Your 2 Cents for My 3 builds
It would be much easier to get an overview of the selected parts if you removed the model numbers and the item numbers. 
Re: Your 2 Cents for My 3 builds
The Mom PC is overkill (too much RAM, too much CPU). Requirements are most likely quite low compared to the others.
I'm not knownledgable about graphic cards but be careful not to get overkill graphics for the other builds.
The T dual-cores aren't all that great.
Most peope enjoy having SSDs. A small SSD isn't much more expensive than a hard drive and you don't need more than a small one for many applications. The Mom PC should run fine with one the smallest SSDs and no spinning drive. For the other builds, it might be more cost-effective to use two drives depending on the detailed requirements.
I'm not knownledgable about graphic cards but be careful not to get overkill graphics for the other builds.
The T dual-cores aren't all that great.
Most peope enjoy having SSDs. A small SSD isn't much more expensive than a hard drive and you don't need more than a small one for many applications. The Mom PC should run fine with one the smallest SSDs and no spinning drive. For the other builds, it might be more cost-effective to use two drives depending on the detailed requirements.
Re: Your 2 Cents for My 3 builds
I`m not a big fan of the Apex case and the bundled power supply. I would prefer something like the Lian Li pc q7 or q9 for the mom build and the pc q11 or q8 for the rest. The q7, q8 and q11 can take a normal atx psu while the q9 comes with a fanless 150 watt psu (which I trust more than the one that comes with the Apex).
I know that would inflate the cost but the power supply is the single component you should never cut corners on as it can damage the rest of your system if something goes wrong.
You could mitigate the increase in cost by replacing the i3 with pentiums. I don`t think the dual core i3s are such good value. At least where I live, they are priced too close to the cheapest quad core i5. The dual core pentiums should be cheaper and still fast enough for your needs (and they`re quite efficient too).
I know that would inflate the cost but the power supply is the single component you should never cut corners on as it can damage the rest of your system if something goes wrong.
You could mitigate the increase in cost by replacing the i3 with pentiums. I don`t think the dual core i3s are such good value. At least where I live, they are priced too close to the cheapest quad core i5. The dual core pentiums should be cheaper and still fast enough for your needs (and they`re quite efficient too).