First Gaming PC Build

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mjoubert15

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Oct 6, 2017
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Hi guys,

I have started working this year and am busy saving up to build my first gaming pc. I need some help on which components would be best value for money, and where to find the best deals in SA.

I am looking at a mid-range pc build, really don't need everything in 4k but would at least like to play games at high graphic quality for some years to come. Also don't want to spend too much if it is not necessary.

Another thing I am wondering about is whether to build the pc myself, or rather let someone like Evetech build the pc for me? Don't have the most technical knowledge and do not want to risk damaging anything by building it myself.

Thanks a lot!
 
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Ancalagon

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OP please can you give us some basic information.

We need stuff like:
What is your budget?
What will the PC be used for?
Do you need a keyboard, mouse and monitor?
Do you need a windows license?
Do you have any brand preference (Intel, AMD, Nvidia, Asus, Gigabyte etc)?

As for whether you should have someone build it for you - yeah, I would have RebelTech build it for you. I built my own PC and in the process damaged one of the pins of the motherboard front panel USB connector. Now, I have built a lot of PCs over the year and admittedly only damaged two components while building them, but still, it can be frustrating. It is only R300 to have Rebeltech build it for you.
 
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mjoubert15

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Oct 6, 2017
Messages
69
Ancalagon said:
OP please can you give us some basic information.

We need stuff like:
What is your budget?
What will the PC be used for?
Do you need a keyboard, mouse and monitor?
Do you need a windows license?
Do you have any brand preference (Intel, AMD, Nvidia, Asus, Gigabyte etc)?

As for whether you should have someone build it for you - yeah, I would have RebelTech build it for you. I built my own PC and in the process damaged one of the pins of the motherboard front panel USB connector. Now, I have built a lot of PCs over the year and admittedly only damaged two components while building them, but still, it can be frustrating. It is only R300 to have Rebeltech build it for you.
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Okay so some more information:

-I am looking at about R15 000, but this is flexible.

-The PC will mainly be used for gaming, not much else. I mostly prefer games like Battlefield, Overwatch and The Witcher 3, so I am not really a hardcore gamer spending too much time per day gaming, let's say 2 hours per day.

-I currently have a gaming laptop which is on its way out, so I have a decent Corsair mouse but will need both a keyboard as well as a monitor. I will also need a new windows license (I presume).

-As I have no real experience with this, I have absolutely no brand preferences. Just looking for parts that will at least last for a few years into the future.

Just another question, if you want RebelTech to build your PC for, do you have to buy all components from them? Or can you shop around for components at different places (where you find them cheapest) and then take the components to RebelTech for assembly?
 
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Ancalagon

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mjoubert15 said:
Just another question, if you want RebelTech to build your PC for, do you have to buy all components from them? Or can you shop around for components at different places (where you find them cheapest) and then take the components to RebelTech for assembly?
Click to expand...

I don't actually know to be honest. You could ask them and see what they say. They might say no because they aren't really a PC repair shop, they are an online PC hardware shop that happens to offer assembly.

The two shops I would recommend are Wootware and RebelTech. So, I'd contact them and ask them to recommend a build. Provide them with the information you have provided me.

I'll also start looking, but you face a choice. You can either buy the new Intel Coffee Lake chips, or AMD Ryzen. Coffee Lake is faster, the problem is, at the moment you have no choice but to buy an expensive motherboard, AND it will be difficult to get hold of Coffee Lake chips. Not many of them available. You could buy the older Intel stock, but I would not recommend it. It would be outdated as soon as you bought it.
 
Neoprod

Neoprod

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Ancalagon said:
You could buy the older Intel stock, but I would not recommend it. It would be outdated as soon as you bought it.
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As someone who ran a 2500K quite happily until last year, I disagree :twisted:

I would say get more than 4 cores right now if the budget allows but 4C/8T (potterh's i7 deal especially if available) will be plenty of CPU for ages.
 
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Ancalagon

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Here is a build I'd recommend:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 1500X - R2990
You have a problem here. RebelTech is sold out of the 1600, which is the best value for money wise. They do have the 1600X, but that costs R4k and does not come with a CPU cooler. You would need to add one at another R400, so total cost is now R4400 for the CPU alone. The one I have selected is R3000.
Also RebelTech is sold out of all the good Coffee Lake CPUs
Motherboard: MSI B350M Mortar - R1552
Case: CoolerMaster MasterBox Lite 5 - R714
Hard drive: Seagate Barracuda 2TB - R1093
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 2 x 8GB DDR4 3200 CL16 - R2945
Yes, the memory is expensive. You can downgrade to cheaper memory if you want, or only 8GB of it. Buying 16GB now means you probably won't have to upgrade again. Ryzen is very dependent on the speed of your memory, so you want to get it as fast as possible.
PSU: EVGA 600W
Windows 10 Home - R1606
Building it - R300
Total without GPU - R12000

As for GPU, I actually recommend you buy a used GPU. Owing to the cryptocurrency market slowing down, you can pick up a used 480 or 580 for a very good price. Like around R4k. That would push you over your budget, but you would have an awesome PC.

If you don't want to buy a used GPU, then buy an Nvidia 1050Ti for about R2600. It won't be as fast as a 480/580, but it would be decent.
 
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Ancalagon

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Neoprod said:
As someone who ran a 2500K quite happily until last year, I disagree :twisted:
Click to expand...

It would still last a while, but I see no point in paying full price for a Kaby Lake CPU when you can get Coffee Lake. If you can get Kaby lake for a good price, then yeah.
 
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Ancalagon

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ponder said:
Hang on a bit for coffee lake, performance & pricing looks good so far. The 4C/8T ryzen 5 1500X is the same price as the 6C/6T i5-8400 and the prelim benchmarks show the i5 on top.
https://www.anandtech.com/show/11859/the-anandtech-coffee-lake-review-8700k-and-8400-initial-numbers

Once all the reviews are out then decide.
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Just bear in mind that the only Coffee Lake boards available are Z370 boards, which start at R2000 (or more, something around that).


Also, general availability of Coffee Lake CPUs is only expected next year. The first half of next year, not even the first quarter.
 
Neoprod

Neoprod

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Ancalagon said:
It would still last a while, but I see no point in paying full price for a Kaby Lake CPU when you can get Coffee Lake. If you can get Kaby lake for a good price, then yeah.
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http://www.mineaway.co.za/index.php?route=product/product&path=94_96_105_138&product_id=126

i7 7700 for R3 125.00 VAT incl...if I didn't already have a 6600K (that I paid more for!), I would jump all over that...crazy value. The Skylake version is also there but a hundred bucks more for some reason.

Doesn't fit in with the OP wanting someone to build it for him though...unless he finds a volunteer somewhere. I doubt Rebeltech is going to build a PC if they're not also selling the hardware.
 
ponder

ponder

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Ancalagon said:
Just bear in mind that the only Coffee Lake boards available are Z370 boards, which start at R2000 (or more, something around that).
Click to expand...

Forgot about that, lower end chipset/boards will only arrive later.
 
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