Building a PC for Hollow Knight on a R60,000 SA budget

Quick Answer

Yes — Hollow Knight is light, and even an entry R60,000 build runs it far above 60 fps. At R60,000 this metroidvania build hits 200+ fps in 1080p Max, leaving most of the budget to future-proof for heavier titles. The smart move is to right-size: don't overspend on a GPU Hollow Knight alone will never use.

The R60,000 build for Hollow Knight

For a R55,000 to R65,000 budget at Evetech, the sensible core is a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, a RTX 4080 SUPER or RX 7900 XTX, 32GB DDR5-6000 and a 2TB Gen4 NVMe SSD on a 850W 80+ Gold, all inside a case with proper airflow. A premium build drives 4K comfortably with a 7800X3D and an RTX 4080 SUPER. The CPU pick matters because Hollow Knight is well-threaded and rewards a fast 6-to-8-core chip.

Realistic frame rates on this configuration: 200+ fps in 1080p Max, and 165+ fps in 1440p Max. Spend the bulk of the R60,000 band (R55,000 to R65,000) on the GPU and CPU, then keep the SSD, PSU and cooling honest — a cheap power supply is a false economy.

Settings and SA buying notes

Because Hollow Knight is so light, the real question is what else you'll play. Build for the heaviest game on your list, not the lightest — a RTX 4080 SUPER or RX 7900 XTX card with 8GB+ of VRAM future-proofs you for AAA titles while Hollow Knight runs untouched. Downloading Hollow Knight over SA fibre (Vumatel or Openserve, typically 50-200Mbps in most metros) takes well under an hour, so storage speed matters more than the download itself — a 2TB Gen4 NVMe SSD keeps load screens short.

NSFAS context: the R5,200 student allowance won't cover even an entry gaming PC, so students typically combine it with savings — the entry tier starts around R8,000 at Evetech. All parts above are stocked locally with local warranty support.

Where to spend more, where to save

At this budget Hollow Knight is never the bottleneck — you're buying headroom for the next five years of releases. The extra rand over a R22,000 mid build buys 4K, ray tracing and ultra-high refresh, not better Hollow Knight performance specifically. Put any saving into a larger 2TB Gen4 NVMe SSD and a quality monitor rather than a fourth fan; a 1440p 165Hz or 4K 144Hz panel is where this build actually shines.

FAQ

What FPS will Hollow Knight get on this build?

Expect 200+ fps in 1080p Max and 165+ fps in 1440p Max. Drop to High settings for extra headroom if you want a steadier frame rate.

Is 32GB enough RAM for Hollow Knight?

The 32GB DDR5-6000 in this build is the comfortable sweet spot — modern background apps, a browser and the game together can use 12-14GB, so 16GB is the floor and 32GB is ideal at higher tiers.

Can I buy this build locally with warranty?

Yes — every component listed (Ryzen 7 7800X3D, RTX 4080 SUPER or RX 7900 XTX and the rest) is stocked at Evetech with local warranty and support, so there's no grey-import risk and RMA handling stays in South Africa.