Building a PC for Days Gone on a R10,000 SA budget

Quick Answer

At R10,000 a Days Gone-ready SA build should centre on an entry RTX 3050 / RX 6500 XT class card or strong iGPU and a Ryzen 5 5500 or Core i3-class chip, which realistically delivers 1080p Medium-High at 60fps in lighter titles. At this budget a pre-built or careful parts pick beats chasing a high-end GPU you cannot fit.

Where your R10,000 goes

Spend the bulk on the graphics card and CPU. For this budget that means an entry RTX 3050 / RX 6500 XT class card or strong iGPU and a Ryzen 5 5500 or Core i3-class chip, plus 16GB DDR4-3200 and a 500GB NVMe SSD. Add an 80 Plus-rated PSU sized 100-150W above the GPU's draw, a B650 or B760 motherboard, and a case with at least two intake fans. At this budget a pre-built or careful parts pick beats chasing a high-end GPU you cannot fit.

What Days Gone actually needs

Days Gone's open world and horde scenes hammer the CPU when hundreds of Freakers swarm, so balance the chip with the graphics card. In practice that means a few sensible defaults: cap the frame rate to your monitor's refresh to keep frame times even, enable DLSS or FSR Quality when the title supports it for free headroom, and keep the game on the NVMe SSD so streaming hitches disappear. Expect 1080p Medium-High at 60fps in lighter titles on the parts above once you dial settings to High.

Buying it in South Africa

Everything here is stocked locally at Evetech, so you avoid import duties and long lead times. If you are a student, note that the NSFAS R5,200 device allowance does not stretch to a gaming desktop on its own, so plan the rest of the budget around it. Buy the case, PSU and cooler you can keep through a future GPU upgrade, since those parts outlast two or three graphics cards.

FAQ

Can I run Days Gone on a cheaper build than R10,000?

Yes, you can drop a tier and still play Days Gone well at 1080p, but you lose the high-refresh and 1440p headroom this budget buys. The an entry RTX 3050 / RX 6500 XT class card or strong iGPU here is the part that makes the difference.

Should I prioritise the CPU or GPU for Days Gone?

Days Gone's open world and horde scenes hammer the CPU when hundreds of Freakers swarm, so balance the chip with the graphics card. Put roughly 45-50% of the budget into the GPU and size the CPU so it never holds the card back at your target resolution.

Is 16GB of RAM enough for Days Gone?

16GB is the floor for 1080p, but 16GB DDR4-3200 on this build gives you smoother 1% lows and room for browser tabs, Discord and mods running alongside the game.