New PC System Build (R5.5K max expenditure)

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DeathOnSight

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Hey guys,
I have a budget of about R5500 to basically build a working system.I play older games(sub 2008) and so on,would like to run some of the newer games as well...with my old system,I played everything mostly on medium to low settings anyway,so the eye candy thing isn't really a factor for me.I prefer smoother gameplay over visuals,personal pref I suppose.I have been to local PC shops and they didn't have what i was looking or in my budget,so I took a look at takealot and this is what I've come up with

Asus P7H55-M LX - Socket 1156 Motherboard Price: R 801
Intel Boxed Core i3 540 Processor - 3.06GHz Dual Core - Socket 1156 - CPU Price: R 1,115
Cooler Master V6 CPU Cooler - INTEL - AMD RR-V6SV-22PR-R1 Price: R 372
MSI GeForce Graphics Card GTX460 - 1GB 256Bit GDDR5 - PCI-E Price: R 1,939
Corsair Value Select - 4GB DDR3 1333MHz x2 Price: R434 (R217 each)
Cooler Master Extreme Power PSU - 550w Price: R 547

To a grand total of R5208

I have a Samsung 22inch LCD,hard drives and a DVD writer,so I haven't included that nor a chassis because I have one of those
This list is composed of what I think has the best individual components I can afford on my budget,but I may be mistaken or misinformed.any help/suggestions to this build would be highly appreciated.BTW the reason for that motherboard is simply because it has a lot of USB ports,and I'm always in need of those
 
Newer stuff is available...

get a H67 board,
Absolutely no need for a CPU cooler mate you will not need it, rather get the i5 2310/2400 then
the GTX 460's have been replaced by the GTX 560's(NON TI version) which is a bit faster.
and a Proper PSU rather save and get a Corsair GS 600 or at least a CX500/600, it will allow you a longer lasting PC.

Get the Intel H67 boards, they have a 3 year warrenty and just last forever, overclocking is not that good but you will not need it or use it as it isn't available on the H chipset.
 
Here are a few questions that you need to answer:
Do you have:
1) a case with good airflow?
2) a SATA DVD drive?
3) SATA HDD(s)?
4) a need for more than 4GB of RAM

I agree with Geogre, that you should look at:
PSU: Corsair CX500. Unfortunately Takealot doesn't have the CX500. They have the CX600 @ R680: http://www.takealot.com/electronics/corsair-cx600-watt-power-supply-unit,9301065
CPU: i5 2310 @ R1730: http://www.takealot.com/electronics...ocessor-2-90ghz-quad-core-socket-1155,9770644
Motherboard: Socket 1155 ( H67 chipset ) eg. MSI PH67S-C43 @ R865: http://www.takealot.com/electronics/msi-ph67s-c43-b3-socket-1155-motherboard,9684853
RAM: 2x 2GB DDR3 1333MHz 1.5V CL9 @ R270: http://www.takealot.com/electronics...alue-select-ddr3-1333-mhz-2-x-2gb-kit,6864425
GPU: MSI HD6870 Hawk @ R1900: http://www.takealot.com/electronics...ard-r6870-hawk-1gb-256bit-gddr5-pci-e,9724203
This total is still under R5,500, and it is a WAY better gaming PC than you posted.

Now you still need a case with good airflow, SATA HDD(s), SATA DVD drive, and like Windows 7 x64 Home Premium.

Update:
The motherboard that I chose has 4 RAM slots, so if you really need more than 4GB of RAM, you can always buy more.
 
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Pada I really think for a gaming PC buying 8GB now is really almost a given, 8GB ram is like R450 compared to only 2 months back that was the price of 4GB. I do not think RAM prices will go down more only up from here cause 8GB sticks are still not available yet.

Most LGA 1155 boards do not come with PATA(IDE) ports thus you need a SATA DVD Drive.

That 6870 is a GREAT Buy I have 2x MSI Hawks cards and the quality is just amazing. Thanks Pada
 
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Wait for the amd stuff to launch bud you may find something very decent coming :D. Not long now, couple weeks.
 
Thanks GeOgre and Pada.
Well to be honest,i just wanted the CPU cooler cause I like things lol...but if its not necessary then i shouldn't get it of course.
As for the case,it is pretty good.has grills behind the front panel,on the side as well with like an induction type scoop by the CPU area.it also has a cooler master exhaust fan.
I do have a SATA DVD writer,LG light scribe to be exact,and I have a 500gig + 1Tb Western Digital SATA hard drives.
With regards to RAM,i thought the more I have,the better for me,even if I have to use Windows 7 x64

The motherboard, CPU, RAM and PSU all look good to me.I did notice that takealot doesn't have the PSU in stock though,so do you guys know where i could pick one up in person in JHB. Its not that I don't trust other online stores, I'm just familiarized with takealot/take2 and their services,so I just prefer to use them...Also another thing,does the MSI Radeon Graphics Card R6870 Hawk give more bang for the buck compared to say the GTX 560?
In the setup you described Pada,what would be the bottle neck as to speak?
Hmmm that is a possibility actually Killadoob,seeing as I wont be buying it all at once,just wanted to get a feel of what's out there at the moment...realistically speaking,it will be purchased over a 2 month period...which allows me to pay all the bills and what not:D
 
Yes, 8GB is very cheap at like R434 for 2x Corsair DDR3 1333MHz. I actually bought 2x 2GB + 2x 4GB Corsair DDR3 from Takealot this weak for two of my colleagues :)

8GB isn't really necessary for a pure gaming PC, and since it costs R163 more than the 2x 2GB, it would mean that my suggestion would exceed his R5,500 budget.

4GB should be enough for most games for the next year or two.

Update:
That MSI HD6870 Hawk is on a special, so you won't really find anything else near the R2k price range that would match its performance.
If you can get a GTX560 Twin Frozr / DirectCU II for like R2100, then go for that instead, otherwise keep with the HD6870 Hawk.

I'd say the CPU would be the bottleneck, unless you're going to play on very high detail at 1920x1200 with 16x AA & 16x AF on, in which case the GPU would be the bottleneck.
Currently that PC that I suggested is fairly well balanced. The only thing it lacks is USB3, but very few people use USB3 in any case.

If you really want the CX500, see http://www.ikonicit.co.za/power-supplies/450w-650w/corsair-cx500.html
THey're in JHB: http://www.ikonicit.co.za/contact-info-and-banking-details-en.html
They also have the Antec HCG520 for a very good price.
 
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hmm alright.Well that motherboard does have 4 RAM slots,so I could always add another 4GB later on if need be.
I see what you are saying about the graphics cards though,so I'll stick with your recommendations.
As for the PSU,I'm not hell bent on getting the CX500,but if you guys say it will be best for me in the long run:D so that's what I will get.

Thanks a lot for the help.If I went ahead and bought some of that stuff i mentioned in the first post without asking you guys first,I would have been buying dated stuff LOL,so I appreciate it a lot.
Will keep you guys informed as time goes on
 
DeathOnSight said:
hmm alright.Well that motherboard does have 4 RAM slots,so I could always add another 4GB later on if need be.
Click to expand...

At a R163 difference would it really that big a deal to stretch your budget a little to get 2x 4GB?
 
LOL,I guess you right ponder,that isn't such a leap over the budget,and if it makes a noticeable difference then i should actually invest the extra amount.Thanks snail112 I will check it out when i have a chance to.compare prices and such,will report back any findings of greater interest
 
GeOgre said:
Newer stuff is available...


the GTX 460's have been replaced by the GTX 560's(NON TI version) which is a bit faster.
and a Proper PSU rather save and get a Corsair GS 600 or at least a CX500/600, it will allow you a longer lasting PC.

.
Click to expand...

Thing is though, that the 460GTX when OCd can far outperform a 560 non-ti. You can get yourself a 460 GTX hawk which overclocks like a beast, has superior cooling and is just all round a better card. Ive got myself one at the moment and wouldnt consider looking back.

Take a look at some of the reviews of the hawk, or possibly even the MSI 460 GTX cyclone, also a great card that will outperform a non-ti version of the 560. The 460s are cheaper for the performance you will be getting out of it.

There are some interesting links from here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/324307-33-6870
Compares the 460gtx to 6870: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/for [...] study.html

Out of Nvidias card, id go for the 460gtx. Bring on the ATIs though, and I might consider the 6870 if you can get it for about 2k.
 
_Maximus_:
Please read my first post in this thread.
You'll see that I gave a link to an MSI HD6870 Hawk for R1900 (incl shipping), and the GTX460 Hawk would cost you slightly more.
You really can't do better than that HD6870 Hawk, unless someone has a much better special, where they sell like a GTX560Ti Twin Frozr II/Hawk/DirectCU II model for under R2k.

There's no point in buying a GTX560 non-Ti at this point.
 
Pada said:
_Maximus_:
Please read my first post in this thread.
You'll see that I gave a link to an MSI HD6870 Hawk for R1900 (incl shipping), and the GTX460 Hawk would cost you slightly more.
You really can't do better than that HD6870 Hawk, unless someone has a much better special, where they sell like a GTX560Ti Twin Frozr II/Hawk/DirectCU II model for under R2k.

There's no point in buying a GTX560 non-Ti at this point.
Click to expand...

Consider my post a +1 then, with a bit of explanation for the anti attitude against the 560 gtx.
 
Whatever Pada said, I am voting for that. :)

Just one thing, the I5 2500k is about R1880 @ Rebeltech, which is better than the I5 2310.
 
SharkBait:
If he goes for the i5 2500k, then he'll also need another motherboard and an aftermarket cooler to make the difference worth while, which would set him back at least another R700 in total.
 
Pada said:
SharkBait:
If he goes for the i5 2500k, then he'll also need another motherboard and an aftermarket cooler to make the difference worth while, which would set him back at least another R700 in total.
Click to expand...

You're right, I didn't check what mobo you suggested. ;) Anyway, that cpu is just a bit expensive and looking at rebeltech's site, you can do a bit better for the same money, or get the same, and save some.
 
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