Balanced Gaming PC Build: Where to Spend CPU, GPU & SSD

So, you’ve saved up your hard-earned Rands and are ready to build a new rig. Awesome! But now comes the tricky part: where does the money go? Spend too much on a CPU and you’ve bottlenecked your GPU. Skimp on the storage and you’re stuck in loading screens. Nailing that balanced gaming PC build is the secret to squeezing every last frame out of your budget. Let’s break down where to spend your cash for maximum performance. 🚀

KLEVV CRAS C910G 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 Internal SSD / Up to 5000MB/s Read Speed / Up to 4800MB/s Write Speed / Graphene-copper heatsink for stable cooling / S.M.A.R.T. monitors drive condition / LDPC ECC extends SSD lifespan / K01TBM2SP0-10G

R1899.00In Stock

Kingston KC3000 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 512GB SSD - High-Performance Storage for Desktop and Laptop PCs / 7,000MB/s Read, 3,900MB/s Write / Includes Acronis cloning software / SKC3000S/512G

R1399.00In Stock

ADATA SU650 512GB 3D-NAND SATA 2.5 inch Internal SSD / ASU650SS-512GT-R

R799.00In Stock

ADATA SD810 4000G IP68 Water Resistance Up to 2000 MB/s USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C External Solid State Drive - Black for iPhone 15/Pro/Max, Android / SD810-4000G-CBK

R6199.00In Stock

KLEVV CRAS C930 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 Internal Gaming SSD with Heatsink / Compatible with PS5 / up to 7400MB/s with DRAM Cash / K01TBM2SP0-C93

R2299.00In Stock

ADATA 1TB SSD Legend 900 PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe M.2 internal gaming SSD up to 7,000MB/s PS5 compatible (SLEG-900-1TCS)

R2299.00In Stock

The GPU: Your Gaming Powerhouse

For a pure gaming machine, the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is king. It’s the component that does the heavy lifting, rendering the beautiful worlds you explore and pushing the high frame rates you need to win. As a general rule, you should allocate the largest chunk of your budget here—often around 40-50%.

Your choice of GPU directly impacts the resolution and refresh rate you can comfortably play at. A mid-range card is perfect for 1080p gaming, while a high-end beast is necessary for smooth 4K or high-refresh-rate 1440p gameplay. With game sizes ballooning, pairing a powerful GPU with fast, spacious storage is crucial to avoid stuttering as the card pulls in new textures. Keeping up with today's massive 2TB game installs means a roomy SSD is no longer a luxury.

The CPU: The Brains of the Operation

While the GPU renders the graphics, the Central Processing Unit (CPU) runs the game itself—the AI, physics, and system logic. It tells the GPU what to draw. For a balanced build, you need a CPU that can keep up with your GPU. If the CPU can't prepare frames fast enough, your expensive graphics card will sit idle, waiting for instructions. This is a classic bottleneck.

However, you don't always need the most expensive CPU on the market. A modern mid-range processor from Intel or AMD is more than capable of handling almost any gaming workload without breaking a sweat. The key is finding the sweet spot that provides enough performance to feed your GPU, ensuring a snappy and responsive system, especially when paired with a quality Corsair SSD.

The SSD: The Unsung Hero of Speed ⚡

Remember the days of waiting minutes for a game to load? Thankfully, those are over. A Solid State Drive (SSD) is arguably the single biggest upgrade you can make for overall system feel. It dramatically cuts down loading times, makes your operating system feel instantaneous, and helps eliminate in-game texture pop-in. This is a non-negotiable part of any modern, balanced gaming PC build.

Kingston Fury Renegade 2TB NVMe SSD / M.2 2280 Form Factor / PCIe Gen5.0 / Up to 14,700MB/s Read / Up to 14,000MB/s Write / SFYR2S/2T0

R6999.00In Stock

Kingston KC3000 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 512GB SSD - High-Performance Storage for Desktop and Laptop PCs / 7,000MB/s Read, 3,900MB/s Write / Includes Acronis cloning software / SKC3000S/512G

R1399.00In Stock

Western Digital SN850X NVMe Internal Solid State Drive - 2TB / Sequential Read, Write Performance - 7300MB/s, 6600MB/s / PCIe Gen 4 / WDS200T2X0E

R3999.00In Stock

KLEVV CRAS C910 4TB NVME PCIe SSD Gen4x4 / Sequential Read up to 5200MB/s / Sequential Write up to 4800MB/s / Aluminum Heatsink / 3D NAND Technology / K04TBM2SP0-C91

R5999.00In Stock

Adata Mars 980 Storm 2TB NVMe SSD / PCIe Gen5 x4 / Up to 14,000MB/s - 13,000MB Sequential Read/Write / SMAR-980S-2TCI

R4499.00In Stock

Western Digital SN8100 4TB NVMe Internal Solid State Drive with Heatsink / Read Speeds up to 14,900 MB/s / Write Speeds up to 14,000 MB/s / TCG Opal Security Encryption / nCache™ 4.0, Game Mode, and Adaptive Cooling / Includes SanDisk Dashboard & Acronis® True Image™ Software / WDS400T1XHM

R10499.00In Stock

NVMe vs. SATA

For new builds, an NVMe M.2 SSD is the way to go. It plugs directly into the motherboard and is significantly faster than the older SATA interface. The good news? Prices have come down so much that fantastic performance is more accessible than ever. You can find reliable drives from top-tier brands like Kingston or great value options from ADATA that will transform your gaming experience.

Finding Your Perfect Balance 💰

So, what’s the magic formula for a perfectly balanced gaming PC build? It depends on your primary use case.

• For 1080p/1440p High-FPS Gaming: Prioritise the GPU heavily. A strong mid-range GPU paired with a capable mid-range CPU is the sweet spot.
• For 4K AAA Titles: You'll need a top-tier GPU, supported by an upper mid-range or high-end CPU to prevent any potential bottlenecks.
• For Strategy or Simulation Games: These games can be very CPU-intensive. You might shift your budget slightly more towards the CPU than you would for a standard shooter.

Corsair MP600 PRO NH 8TB PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe M.2 SSD – High-Density TLC NAND – M.2 2280 – DirectStorage Compatible - Up to 7,000MB/sec - No Heatsink - Black / CSSD-F8000GBMP600PNH

R22999.00In Stock

KLEVV CRAS C930 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 Internal Gaming SSD with Heatsink, Compatible with PS5, up to 7400MB/s with DRAM Cash / K02TBM2SP0-C93

R2299.00In Stock

Kingston NV3 2TB NVMe SSD / Up to 6,000MB/s Read / Up to 5,000MB/s Write / PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe / M.2 2230 Form Factor / SNV3SM3/2T0

R3299.00In Stock

ADATA XPG Mars 980 Pro 1TB NVMe 5.0 Internal Solid State Drive / Up to 14,000MB/s Read Speed and Up to 10,000MB/s Write Speed / SMAR-980P-1TCI

R2999.00In Stock

DAHUA M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 2TB NVMe SSD / PCIe Gen4.0x4 Supported / Read: Up to 7200 MB/s Write: Up to 6400 MB/s / DHI-SSD-C970VN2TB

R3399.00In Stock

Adata Mars 980 Storm 1TB NVMe SSD / PCIe Gen5 x4 / Up to 14,000MB/s - 13,000MB Sequential Read/Write / SMAR-980S-1TCI

R3699.00In Stock

A good starting point for a pure gaming build is to spend roughly twice as much on your GPU as you do on your CPU. But always do your research for the specific games you play!