Best Components for a Gaming Rig

Best Components for a Gaming Rig: Building Your Dream Machine in SA

So, you’re ready to dive into the world of PC gaming, or perhaps upgrade your current setup to conquer the latest titles? Building your own gaming rig is an exhilarating journey, offering unparalleled performance and customisation. But knowing which are the best components for a gaming rig can feel overwhelming. Fear not, Mzansi gamers! We’re breaking down the essentials to help you craft a machine that delivers epic frame rates and stunning visuals, all tailored for our South African context. 🔧

The Core: CPU, GPU, and Motherboard – Your Power Trio

These three components form the bedrock of your gaming PC. Getting them right is crucial for balanced performance and future upgradeability.

The Graphics Card (GPU): The Heart of Your Gaming Rig

Without a doubt, the GPU is the most critical component for gaming performance. It renders every pixel on your screen, handling the complex graphics that bring virtual worlds to life. Prioritise this in your budget.

• Mid-Range (1080p High/1440p Medium): Look at cards like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 or AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT. These offer excellent value for smooth gameplay at 1080p and can even dabble in 1440p.
• High-End (1440p High/4K): The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT will deliver exceptional performance at 1440p and make 4K gaming a reality. For uncompromised 4K with ray tracing, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 or upcoming RTX 5090 (expected late 2025) are top contenders.

MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8G VENTUS 2X OC Plus Graphics Card / 4608 Cuda Cores / 8GB GDDR7 / 128-Bit Memory Bus / 2602MHz Boost Core Clocks / 912-V536-024

R10299.00In Stock

Palit GeForce RTX 5090 GameRock 32GB GDDR7 512-Bit PCIe 5.0 Desktop Graphics Card / NE75090019R5-GB2020G

R46199.00In Stock

MSI GeForce RTX 5080 SUPRIM SOC 16GB GDDR7 256-bit PCIe 5.0 Desktop Graphics Card / 16GB GDDR7 / 10752 Cuda Cores / Boost: 2640 MHz / 30Gbps Memory Speed / PCI Express® Gen 5 / 912-V531-028

R35999.00In Stock

XFX Speedster QICK308 Radeon RX 7600 Black Gaming Graphics Card with 8GB GDDR6 HDMI 3xDP, AMD RDNA 3 / RX76PQICKBY

R5799.00In Stock

MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G Inspire 3X OC Graphics Card / 12GB GDDR7 / 6144 Cuda Cores / 192-bit Memory Interface / Boost Clock : 2542 MHz / NVIDIA Blackwell & DLSS 4 / 28Gbps Memory Speed / PCI Express® Gen 5 / 912-V532-017

R16599.00In Stock

MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G VENTUS 3X OC / PCI Express Gen 5 / 10752 Cuda Cores / 16GB GDDR7 / DirectX 12 Ultimate / 912-V531-262

R31499.00In Stock

The Processor (CPU): The Brain of Your System

The CPU handles game logic, AI, physics, and everything else that isn't graphics rendering. While the GPU does most of the heavy lifting for frames, a strong CPU prevents bottlenecks.

• Gaming Sweet Spot: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X or Intel Core i5-13600K / i5-14600K. These provide fantastic multi-core and single-core performance without breaking the bank, offering an excellent balance for gaming.
• High-End/Streaming: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D (often hailed as the best gaming CPU due to its 3D V-Cache) or Intel Core i7-14700K. These are ideal if you plan to stream, do heavy multitasking, or run CPU-intensive simulation games.

AMD Ryzen 5 9600 6-Core 12-Threads 3.8GHz (5.2GHz Max Boost) Socket AM5 65W Desktop Processor / Zen 5 Architecture / AMD Radeon™ Graphics / Cooler Not Included / 100-100000718BOX

R5599.00In Stock

Intel 12th Gen Core i3-12100F up to 4.30 GHz 12MB Cache LGA 1700 89W BX8071512100F Desktop Processor / Compatible With 600 Series Chipset / Discrete Graphics Card Required / BX8071512100F

R2299.00In Stock

Intel 11th Gen Core i7-11700K Rocket Lake up to 5.0GHz 16MB Cache LGA 1200 95W BX8070811700K Desktop Processor / Intel SpeedStep Technology / Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x) / Intel® UHD Graphics 750 / Require 500 Series Chipset MB (Z590,B560,H570)

R4499.00In Stock

Intel 14th Gen Core i3-14100F Desktop Processor 4(4P+0E) Cores up to 4.70GHz LGA1700 Series Chipset 58W / Discrete Graphics Card Required / BX8071514100F

R2049.00In Stock

Intel 14th Gen Core i9-14900KF Desktop Processor 24 (8P+16E) Cores up to 6.0 GHz Unlocked LGA1700 Series Chipset 125W / <span style="color: red;" >Discrete Graphics Card Required</span> / BX8071514900KF

R10999.00In Stock

AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT 16-Core 32-Threads 3.3GHz (4.8GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 105W Desktop Processor / Zen 3 Architecture / Discrete Graphics Card Required / 100-100001581WOF

R7999.00In Stock

The Motherboard: The Foundation

The motherboard connects all your components, enabling them to communicate. Compatibility with your chosen CPU and RAM is paramount.

• Chipset Matters: For Intel, look for B760 or Z790 chipsets depending on your CPU (Z790 for 'K' series CPUs for overclocking). For AMD, B650 or X670 are popular choices for Ryzen 7000 series.
• Features: Ensure it has enough USB ports, M.2 slots for SSDs, and PCIe lanes for your GPU. Don't spend too much here; a mid-range motherboard is often sufficient. Evetech stocks a wide range of affordable Intel and AMD motherboards, perfect for any build: Cheap Intel and AMD Based Motherboards.

ASRock B860 LiveMixer WiFi Intel Motherboard / ATX Form Factor / Supports Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2) / LGA 1851 CPU Socket / 4x DDR5 DIMM Supporting up to 256GB / 90-MXBQV0-A0UAYZ

R5299.00In Stock

ASUS Prime B650M-K AMD Motherboard(DDR5,PCIe 5.0 M.2,2.5Gb Ethernet,DisplayPort,HDMI®, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C®, Front USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C®, BIOS Flashback™, USB4® Support) / 90MB1F60-M0EAY0

R2499.00In Stock

MSI PRO H810M-B DDR5 Micro ATX Motherboard (Supports Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2) for LGA 1851, DDR5, 5.0, M.2, 2.5G LAN, mATX) / 911-7E64-001

R2699.00In Stock

MSI Pro X870-P Wi-Fi AMD Motherboard / AM5 Socket / Supports AMD Ryzen™ 9000/ 8000/ 7000 Series Desktop Processors / 4x DDR5 UDIMM / ATX Form Factor / 911-7E47-001

R6699.00In Stock

ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 4/AC AMD Ryzen Motherboard / Supports AMD Socket AM4 Ryzen™ 3000, 3000 G-Series, 4000 G-Series, 5000 and 5000 G-Series Processors / AMD B550 Chipset / 90-MXBDZ0-A0UAYZ

R2799.00In Stock

MSI MPG B850 Edge TI WiFi Motherboard, ATX - Supports AMD Ryzen 9000/8000 / 7000 Processors, AM5-80A SPS VRM, DDR5 Memory Boost (8400+MT/s OC), PCIe 5.0 x16, M.2 Gen5, Wi-Fi 7, 5G LAN / 911-7E62-001

R6999.00In Stock

Essential Supporting Components: Don't Overlook These!

These components ensure your power trio runs smoothly and reliably.

Hikvision Future Lite 1TB M.2 PCI-e Gen 4x4 NVMe 3D NAND Solid State Drive (SSD) / Maximum Read Speed 7,100 MB/s / Maximum Write Speed 6,350 MB/s / HS-SSD-FUTURE LITE 1024G

R1399.00In Stock

Corsair Vengeance DDR5 16GB (1x16GB) 5600MHz C40 Intel Optimized Desktop Memory (Onboard Voltage Regulation, Custom XMP 3.0 Profiles, Compact Form-Factor, Solid Aluminum Heatspreader) Black - CMK16GX5M1B5600C40

R1199.00In Stock

Kingston Fury Beast RGB 64GB (2x32GB) 6000MT/s DDR5 CL36 Desktop Memory / AMD Expo / Plug N Play / Kit of 2 / KF560C36BBEAK2-64

R4999.00In Stock

XPG 2TB GAMMIX S70 Blade - Works with Playstation 5, PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 Internal Gaming SSD Up to 7,400 MB/s (AGAMMIXS70B-2T-CS)

R2899.00In Stock

KLEVV CRAS V RGB DDR5 48GB (2x24GB) 7200MHz CL34 Gaming Desktop RAM - White / SK Hynix Chip / XMP 3.0 / AMD Expo Ready / KD5KGUD80-72B340J

R3399.00In Stock

KLEVV CRAS V RGB DDR5 32GB (2x16GB) 7200MHz CL34 A-DIE 1.4V Gaming Desktop Ram Memory SK Hynix Chip XMP 3.0 / AMD Expo Ready - White / KD5AGUA80-72B340J

R2899.00In Stock

KingSpec XG7000 1TB NVMe Internal Solid State Drive SSD / TLC NAND flash memory / PCIe Gen 4.0, M.2 2280, Up to 7400MB/s/6600MB/s Read/Write Speeds / XG7000-2280-1TB

R999.00In Stock

Corsair MP700 PRO SE Hydro X Series 2TB M.2 PCIe Gen5 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD – M.2 2280 – Up to 14,000MB/sec Sequential Read – High-Density TLC NAND – Pre-Installed Water Block – Black / CSSD-F2000GBMP700PHXS

R7499.00In Stock

Memory (RAM): Speed and Capacity

For modern gaming, 16GB of RAM is the minimum, but 32GB is increasingly becoming the new standard, especially if you multitask or play open-world titles.

• Speed: Aim for DDR4 3200MHz (for older platforms) or DDR5 6000MHz (for new AMD AM5 or Intel 13th/14th Gen platforms). Faster RAM can provide a measurable performance boost in games.

Storage: NVMe SSD is Non-Negotiable

Forget slow hard drives for your operating system and games. An NVMe SSD is crucial for lightning-fast boot times, game loading, and overall system responsiveness.

• Primary Drive: A 1TB NVMe Gen 4 SSD is the sweet spot for your OS and main games.
• Secondary Storage: If you have a massive game library, a larger SATA SSD or even a traditional HDD can be added for bulk storage.

Power Supply Unit (PSU): The Unsung Hero

Never skimp on your PSU. A reliable, adequately-sized PSU ensures stable power delivery to your components and protects them from surges.

• Wattage: Match your PSU wattage to your components. For a mid-range build (RTX 4060/RX 7600 XT), a 650W - 750W 80+ Gold rated PSU is usually sufficient. For high-end builds (RTX 4070 Ti SUPER/RTX 4080 SUPER), an 850W - 1000W 80+ Gold/Platinum rated unit is recommended.
• Certification: Always look for an 80+ Bronze, Gold, or Platinum certification for efficiency and reliability.

Case and Cooling: Looks and Longevity

Your PC case isn't just about aesthetics; it's vital for airflow and keeping your components cool.

• Airflow: Choose a case with a mesh front panel or ample ventilation to ensure good airflow.
• Fan Support: Ensure it supports enough fans or radiators for your cooling needs.
• Cooling: For most CPUs, a good air cooler (e.g., Deepcool AK400, Peerless Assassin 120) is sufficient. For high-end CPUs or overclocking, an AIO (All-in-One) liquid cooler (240mm or 360mm) is recommended. Evetech offers a wide selection of computer cases to suit any build and aesthetic: Computer Cases at Evetech.

Budget Gaming PC Builds: Getting Started in SA

If building from scratch seems daunting, or if you're working with a tighter budget, Evetech offers fantastic pre-built budget gaming PCs. These are expertly assembled, tested, and come with warranties, making them an excellent entry point into PC gaming for South African enthusiasts: Budget Gaming PCs at Evetech.

Choosing the best components for a gaming rig is a balancing act between performance, budget, and future-proofing. By prioritising your GPU, ensuring a capable CPU, and supporting them with quality RAM, fast storage, and a reliable PSU, you'll be well on your way to a powerful machine that delivers an incredible gaming experience. Happy building, Mzansi! ✨