Gaming PC - What do I need to know?

wow really impressed by all the feedback and help ive gotten in this thread

I must admit though, I'm quite new to all this so struggling a bit to keep up :) which I think is a good thing!

Could someone advise, with this kind of budget im using, is this entry level? or good? or a bit low?

I'm also basing my buys of a pricelist I have here, offering my original spec that I made at R9,068

I'm definitely not against going somewhere else, but id also appreciate if someone could advise if the above figure is a good deal for my spec? or if i should try somewhere else etc.

Once again, really would like to thank everyone for their input!
 
The only problems I have with your original list is the memory and power supply. I trust corsair for both. I didnt read that you didnt need a hard drive, so you can remove that from my list too.

R10k I would say is at the upper end of midrange these days. It gets you a very capable computer, but no SSDs, and no multi GPU setups. You would notice an SSD, but you likely wont notice a multi GPU setup. In fact, those almost always have driver issues.
 
10K gets you a very lekker rig. And I agree, go for Corsair on the PSU and memory - very good warranties on those products and they are well-known. try and push for the core i5 2500K, it's only R100 more and you can think of it as free performance.
 
Hey Wabbit :) did read your original post, already looking to see where I can get one from... Smaller amount of R100 etc I am MORE then happy to pay to get a better machine - it really is just all about the value for money for me. Even though I'd like to keep it closer to R10 000, R12 000 wouldnt be an issue for me at all, so there is comfortable room to play with.

I must admit though, at the moment I am just very selfishly hoping that between Wabbit, Ancalagon and Pada, there will be some sort of unanimous agreement on a perticular build - which would make me one happy guy!
 
DMGotty said:
Hey Wabbit :) did read your original post, already looking to see where I can get one from... Smaller amount of R100 etc I am MORE then happy to pay to get a better machine - it really is just all about the value for money for me. Even though I'd like to keep it closer to R10 000, R12 000 wouldnt be an issue for me at all, so there is comfortable room to play with.

I must admit though, at the moment I am just very selfishly hoping that between Wabbit, Ancalagon and Pada, there will be some sort of unanimous agreement on a perticular build - which would make me one happy guy!
Click to expand...

Us nerds never agree on anything! Or very seldom.

But I think all of us agree on the following:
Get a 2500k
Get a good PSU, be it Corsair, Antec or Coolermaster

If I were you, I would look into cutting the graphics card down to the R2000 range and trying to get an SSD instead. A R2000 SSD would really help with your operating system etc. But thats just me, I dont see the need in the absolute best graphics card, simply because games dont need it. Or I dont.
 
Im presuming, SSD = Solid State Drive,

Does a Solid State Drive offer that much of a difference?

If they are under R1000 rand I'd honestly rather ignore the SSD for now and upgrade my computer by buying an SSD later.


--- edit ---

Sorry I misread and just realised that you pointed out an SSD is R2000 rand my bad
 
I wanted to ask earlier but what size screen do you have? My GTX570 is at 60 percent load @ my native res of 1440x900 on the 'hardcore' setting. The card set me back R3300N but worth every cent. As others have said, don't skimp on ram and a good power supply :)

And yes us nerds will never agree on everything, but an i5, a good PSU and a decent motherboard with the P67 chipset is a good start. We're here to help, remember! :)
 
Well, my monitor is pretty big...

25.5'

My resolution is either 1920 × 1080 or 1920 x 1200 (not at my home pc at the moment to double check)

Hopefully that helps with your question all the same.
 
DMGotty said:
Well, my monitor is pretty big...

25.5'

My resolution is either 1920 × 1080 or 1920 x 1200 (not at my home pc at the moment to double check)

Hopefully that helps with your question all the same.
Click to expand...

:love: 1920 x 1200 :love:
 
NomNom's comparison is as pointless as putting a F1 motor in a Toyota Yaris :p

SSD's are worth it if you use your PC for work, where speed & time is crucial. If you have enough money / big enough budget, then also go for a SSD.
Currently SSD's are just too expensive (~R1300 for 60GB) to include in a gaming PC when you have a budget of less than R10k.

The SSD's prices are still dropping, but unfortunately too slow for most people.
 
One thing you could also consider, like I did, is get a micro-ATX board of you won't need the extra PCI-Ex1 slots that a standard board can offer.

The one I have still supports 8x/8x SLI or Crossfire for when I want to upgrade, and there are enough ports and features to keep me happy :)
 
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