Whelp! I mean help.

[Gunner_ZA]

Hi!

Long story short, I need some advice/ recommendations on a build for 1080p gaming.

This is for the motherboard, cpu, and ram. I have everything else, but will get new peripherals etc once the main stuff is sorted.
In essence I need to match my previous i7 3770k in terms of performance, with room to upgrade in future, when I do decide to upgrade.
I'm looking at something with DDR4 + m.2 support, you know, nice to have's.
I'll be using a 27" 144hz monitor, if it matters.

The GPU of choice right now is atleast a GTX1070/ti, but at the current prices, I'd be willing to spend a bit of extra dough on a better card. Why buy a 1070 for 4 or 5k when I can instead buy a 30 series card for a bit more. Having a newer card with the safety net of warranty seems like something schweet. I don't want to spend thousands on a second hand card and then a month later the thing decides to go boom because of previous abuse.

Now, the budget:
I'll probably spend 2-3k getting another i7 3770k rig, so if I could cap the rig at let's say 5/6k would work.
The card is also up for debate. Second hand 1070/ti range from 4-6.5k ( I know, right). so that's the ballparked minimum. However, taking into account warranty etc, we're looking at up to say 12k.

I need a decent rig for "now" as I've got alot I'm busy with. Studying, getting business ideas up and running, besides lifes 110 extra things, so jamming some games at night/ weekends when/if I have time is my only escape.
However, I do not want to spend thousands on components that'll be redundant in a year from now.
So, I'm a bit lost with all the options.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance, may the Force be with you.

 

[AinsleyHarriott]

Total budget?

 

[Gunner_ZA]

Total budget?

Apologies, most important thing I seem to have left out.

TL;DR : 5/6k on the mobo/cpu/ram, and 4-12k on the gpu.

 

[AresFaithfull]

You looking for new or 2nd hand?

 

[Gunner_ZA]

You looking for new or 2nd hand?

Ultimately depends on the price/components/condition. I've found no issue with second hand components, depending on seller and how well they're looked after.

Gpu's the same, however I'm alot more cautious with this.

The more I have to spend, the more attractive newer components will be due to warranty etc.

 

[Kabous_K]

Dude. To be honest. I think 9th gen intel might work for you, otherwise go for 10th /11th gen. Skip 12th gen for now, because of price. For a nicely budgeted GPU, I would recommend the 3060 / 3060 Ti or the 6600 XT. The 3060Ti or 6600XT outperforms the GTX 1070 and is newer.
So the options I would pick personally:

Option 1:

• Intel Core i7-10700F (This is far over the performance of your 3770K)
• B560 motherboard (Future-proof for 11th gen if you want to)
• 16 GB Corsair Vengeance memory kit, the least expensive as far as I know I think (The RGB one is really low in price if I correctly remember)
• RTX 3060Ti / 6600XT

Option 2:

• Intel Core i5-10400F (really great budget CPU) (Beats your 3770K)
• B560 motherboard (Future-proof for 11th gen if you want to)
• 16 GB Corsair Vengeance memory kit (The RGB one is really low in price if I correctly remember)
• 6600 XT / RTX 3060Ti

 

[Kabous_K]

B560 motherboard (Future-proof for 11th gen if you want to)

I would recommend looking at Gigabyte if you would like to shave some money. They are quite reliable in terms of motherboards.

RTX 3060Ti / 6600XT

Here is your choice of brand, but Gigabyte is again looking nice for your budget here. They have nice GPU's as well

 

[ThatGuyJD]

Would also suggest the following:
10400 (2-2.5k on Carb)
B560 board as it allows Mem to be run at more than base clock as opposed to 400 series boards.
The absolute lowest I'd go is the MSI Pro-VDH (with the heatsinks) The Low end Gigabyte DS3H/D2V is also avoid and the next step up is too expensive. For Asus the TUF Gaming or Asrock the Pro4. Pick which has the features you want at the best price.
And then the cheapest 16GB 3200 dual stick kit you can get.

GPU from the 6600/6600XT or the 3060 would be great new option.

Edit: Remember to remove power limits in bios.

 

[PsyentisT]

Don't go cheap on the power supply, i see a lot mentioned about other components but do yourself a favor and bump that well rated psu up the priority list.

 

[simmlaz]

l saw on Carb a guy selling:
i5 12400 New for R2800 his last price was R2600.
Ram on Carb l saw one for R1200 2x8gb CL16 3600mhz
Wootware got [OPENBOX] Gigabyte B660M DS3H DDR4 Intel B660 R2441

Gpu RX 6600XT

 

[ThatGuyJD]

Don't go cheap on the power supply, i see a lot mentioned about other components but do yourself a favor and bump that well rated psu up the priority list.

Uhm yeah missed that. @Gunner_ZA you're going to want to upgrade that PSU as well. Here's the list. lowest end I'd be looking is a C tier but possibly consider a B tier. Even new the 3060s/6600/XTs will leave enough room in your budget to grab a decent PSU that isn't going to give you problems and will outperform that 1070/ti you were looking at significantly, might even be best to just save the extra month or two to ensure you can buy decent stuff just once.

 

[ThatGuyJD]

l saw on Carb a guy selling:
i5 12400 New for R2800 his last price was R2600.
Ram on Carb l saw one for R1200 2x8gb CL16 3600mhz
Wootware got [OPENBOX] Gigabyte B660M DS3H DDR4 Intel B660 R2441

Gpu RX 6600XT

Not a bad deal.

 

[Toy Machine]

If you end up with a board that has decent OC capabilities get yourself ADATA XPG D50 3600mhz ram.
Find, if you can, Samsung B-die as well.

This kit is quite a bit cheaper than any high level/performing branch of gskill/corsair & OC's like a champion according to Gouhan & is well worth it. I couldn't be happier, I just haven't OC'd them because my blady board has a bios resetting issue so it'll always wipe the OC

Frame of reference though is 4300 CL 17-17-17-36*, it does like CL 14 3600 no stress. It only stressing somewhat @ 4500 Cl18/19 xD

**B U T T** get a good psu first, top of the list as Psyentist says. not worth getting something kak.

 

[ThatGuyJD]

If you end up with a board that has decent OC capabilities get yourself ADATA XPG D50 3600mhz ram.
Find, if you can, Samsung B-die as well.

This kit is quite a bit cheaper than any high level/performing branch of gskill/corsair & OC's like a champion according to Gouhan & is well worth it. I couldn't be happier, I just haven't OC'd them because my blady board has a bios resetting issue so it'll always wipe the OC

Frame of reference though is 4300 CL 17-17-17-36*, it does like CL 14 3600 no stress. It only stressing somewhat @ 4500 Cl18/19 xD

**B U T T** get a good psu first, top of the list as Psyentist says. not worth getting something kak.

Yet b-die alone is relatively expensive and unless you can OC properly (just like you can't, due to the board) it isn't worth it over a decent XMP kit. Also better GPU and PSU is significantly more important than hunting for b-die.

 

[Toy Machine]

Yet b-die alone is relatively expensive and unless you can OC properly (just like you can't, due to the board) it isn't worth it over a decent XMP kit. Also better GPU and PSU is significantly more important than hunting for b-die.

Indeed, but this is pretty much plug & play OC @ 4300 even. Not worth specifically hunting for it, even the normal Samsung IC's to my understanding hold well, not sure if this kit has Hynix IC's either. I just know that the kit itself is great value for money & not have to spend R3k+ to get 4ghz stable.

 

[∀Z‾soʇɐuɐɥ┴]

While I know a lot of people don't like Evetech, why not look at their upgrade kits as a mobo/cpu/ram bundle?
They have a 12100 + 16gb ram for R6k new.
Though this doesn't include case/psu if you need those as well, which will likely eat into your gpu budget a bit, but this is likely to be more upgradeable going forward if need be.

https://www.evetech.co.za/core-i3-12100-pro-b660m-e-d4-16gb-rgb-3600mhz-upgrade-kit/best-deal/14793.aspx

 

[Gunner_ZA]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The 10th/11th gen stuff looks to be the choice. Will be putting together a build list soon, just later this week.

Thanks for that list @ThatGuyJD ! Informative. I've currently got a Cooler Master Elite , browsed through the list quick but I dont think it even made the cut. Will be looking at a decent modular psu.

Will definitely need a new chassis. The aesthetically-pleasing ones seem to lack hdd bays, another problem to be solved. I've got like 6 drives I use so need to solve this.

 

[ThatGuyJD]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The 10th/11th gen stuff looks to be the choice. Will be putting together a build list soon, just later this week.

Thanks for that list @ThatGuyJD ! Informative. I've currently got a Cooler Master Elite , browsed through the list quick but I dont think it even made the cut. Will be looking at a decent modular psu.

Will definitely need a new chassis. The aesthetically-pleasing ones seem to lack hdd bays, another problem to be solved. I've got like 6 drives I use so need to solve this.

Honestly no need to fork over the additional cash on a fully modular PSU a semi should be all you need.

P.s your elite is on the list but at E, it doesn't get much worse than that.

 

[TollieKop]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The 10th/11th gen stuff looks to be the choice. Will be putting together a build list soon, just later this week.

Thanks for that list @ThatGuyJD ! Informative. I've currently got a Cooler Master Elite , browsed through the list quick but I dont think it even made the cut. Will be looking at a decent modular psu.

Will definitely need a new chassis. The aesthetically-pleasing ones seem to lack hdd bays, another problem to be solved. I've got like 6 drives I use so need to solve this.

Phanteks and Fractal Design cases are the only easy to find and reasonable new cases that can accommodate several drives
The others are either high end or extremely hard to find, and/or hard to find spares for

 

[Oj0]

While I know a lot of people don't like Evetech, why not look at their upgrade kits as a mobo/cpu/ram bundle?
They have a 12100 + 16gb ram for R6k new.
Though this doesn't include case/psu if you need those as well, which will likely eat into your gpu budget a bit, but this is likely to be more upgradeable going forward if need be.

https://www.evetech.co.za/core-i3-12100-pro-b660m-e-d4-16gb-rgb-3600mhz-upgrade-kit/best-deal/14793.aspx

/voteban

No, seriously, there are guys on ZAGA receiving their upgrade kits with the CPU and RAM lying loose in the motherboard box.

 

[TollieKop]

/voteban

No, seriously, there are guys on ZAGA receiving their upgrade kits with the CPU and RAM lying loose in the motherboard box.

Yeah with the cooler included without fking brackets and backplates for them

2 or 3 guys sent stuff to me like that (loose, falling around, clearly missing padding/stuff to keep them in place) I was like "WTF" - their reasoning: "This is how I got it from Evetech"

 

[Oj0]

Phanteks and Fractal Design cases are the only easy to find and reasonable new cases that can accommodate several drives
The others are either high end or extremely hard to find, and/or hard to find spares for

Cases — Best Deals in South Africa at Progenix

Elevate your build with our range of computer cases. From sleek minimalism to high-performance designs, find the perfect enclosure for your components. Upgrade your aesthetics and airflow with our diverse collection.

progenix.co.za

Cooler Master has a few extra options as well, which I haven't added yet.

 

[TollieKop]

Cases — Best Deals in South Africa at Progenix

Elevate your build with our range of computer cases. From sleek minimalism to high-performance designs, find the perfect enclosure for your components. Upgrade your aesthetics and airflow with our diverse collection.

progenix.co.za

Cooler Master has a few extra options as well, which I haven't added yet.

I love the brand but got gatvol of CM lately - next time I want a case, will have a look at your available options (or will research and mail you with my request)

 

[∀Z‾soʇɐuɐɥ┴]

/voteban

No, seriously, there are guys on ZAGA receiving their upgrade kits with the CPU and RAM lying loose in the motherboard box.

While I don't say this isn't happening (way too many complaints about them regarding this and other shit to just ignore it), what I can say is that both upgrade kits I have gotten from Evetech has worked perfectly without issues and still runs to this day.

 

[Oj0]

I love the brand but got gatvol of CM lately - next time I want a case, will have a look at your available options (or will research and mail you with my request)

That wasn't a link to Cooler Master cases - that was a link to cases that support at least 6 x 3.5" drives and are in stock Most of what's available is Thermaltake.

 

[TollieKop]

That wasn't a link to Cooler Master cases - that was a link to cases that support at least 6 x 3.5" drives and are in stock Most of what's available is Thermaltake.

Your filter options are on point man

Anyway I had a look - I'm already sorted but will give it a go when I'm looking again

 

[Oj0]

While I don't say this isn't happening (way too many complaints about them regarding this and other shit to just ignore it), what I can say is that both upgrade kits I have gotten from Evetech has worked perfectly without issues and still runs to this day.

Let's talk again when you have warranty issues (I mean seriously, everyone is good until there's a warranty issue unless they're TRYING to suck before the time). Second hand value also goes down the toilet, as buyers don't want to deal with potential issues.