Building a PC for Half-Life Alyx on a R25,000 SA budget

Quick Answer

A R25,000 PC runs Half-Life Alyx at a flawless 90fps on the sharpest mainstream headsets, with plenty of supersampling headroom. A Ryzen 7 7700 with an RTX 4070 and 32GB DDR5 is ideal. Alyx is VR-only, so the build assumes you pair it with a PC VR headset, a separate but essential purchase.

Why R25,000 Buys VR Comfort

Alyx scales with headset resolution, and a stronger GPU keeps the stable 90fps that VR comfort requires even on high-pixel-count headsets. At R25,000 a Ryzen 7 7700 with an RTX 4070 12GB and 32GB DDR5-6000 holds 90fps with substantial supersampling headroom for a noticeably sharper image. The tower is the straightforward part; the VR headset is the essential companion.

VR Performance And Supersampling

VR renders two eye views, doubling GPU load versus flat gaming, and Alyx looks dramatically better with supersampling enabled. The RTX 4070's 12GB VRAM and strong raster performance let you push supersampling well past default on most headsets while holding 90fps. That extra clarity is the main reason to spend R25,000 over a R15,000 VR build.

Headset, Storage And SA Buying

Budget the PC VR headset as a core line item - the full Alyx experience is the tower plus headset together. Alyx installs around 50GB, so a 1TB NVMe is more than enough. Confirm current GPU stock before ordering; SA metro buyers can usually collect the tower same-day.

FAQ

Is R25,000 worth it for Half-Life Alyx?

Yes if you have or plan a higher-resolution VR headset. The RTX 4070 in this build holds a stable 90fps with heavy supersampling for a sharper image. Remember Alyx is VR-only, so a headset is a separate essential cost.

How much supersampling can this build handle?

The RTX 4070's 12GB VRAM and strong performance allow well above default supersampling on most headsets while keeping the 90fps VR needs. That extra resolution is the clearest visual upgrade over a cheaper VR rig.

Does Half-Life Alyx run on a monitor?

No. Alyx is built exclusively for VR and cannot be played on a normal screen. Any Alyx build must include a PC-compatible VR headset alongside the tower.