MEW Hardware Challenge: Put together the best R10k PC

Tech
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#1

We all do it. We all go around looking at sites like Rebel Tech and Evetech and putting together PC build we would love to have. We all have opinions about what hardware would make the best of any build.

So let’s have a challenge; who can put together the best build under a particular budget.

The challenge is simple: Put together the best possible PC you think you can within a budget of R10000. You can use any site, but your PC must have all the main components of a normal PC; CPU, GPU, Mobo, RAM, HDD, and Case.

Just a fun little challenge for those with some time to kill, or those who would like to comment on the builds of others. Perhaps this thread can serve as a guide for gamers looking for build ideas.

3 Likes
Gaming on a budget: gaming PC under R10k
#2

Excellent idea. I am itching to spend money but I’m lazy as fuck.

#3

So don’t have to worry about monitors and keyboards etc?

#4

Interesting point. For this challenge, no, only the box

#5

Excellent.That’s my day sorted.

#6

My first attempt:

Component Name Price
CPU AMD Ryzen 5 1500X R 2 449
Mobo ASRock B350 Gaming K4 R 1 815
RAM Corsair 8GB DDR4-2133 R 1 456
GPU EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 R 2 125
HDD WD Blue 1TB R 699
PSU Cooler Master 500w R 667
Case RAIDMAX Vortex V4 R 466
Total R 9 677

All prices taken from Rebel Tech

#7

You might want to stick an aftermarket cooler on that CPU

#8

@DieGrootHammer new or slightly used parts?

#9

I think for the challenge aspect, let’s go with new. It makes it a bit more difficult to build something really good.

1 Like
#10

Not bad. Personally I’d go with an SSD even if it’s smaller. The performance difference is immense.

#11

lets try this

ASUS PRIME B350-PLUS - R 1,641 - Rebeltech
Crucial 8GB 2400MHZ DDR4 - R1395 - takealot
Ryzen 5 1600 - R 2,908 Rebeltech
Palit GeForce GTX 1050 - R1,949.00 - Wootware
RAIDMAX VORTEX V4 - R 466 - Rebeltech
Antec VP500PC 500W - 614.00 - Wootware
WD Blue 2TB - R999 - Takealot

Total Costs R9972

Switched the case to the same one hammer selected

#12

Do the components need to be in stock?

#14

Right love this idea thanks for the distraction @DieGrootHammer

So lets do something a bit different, a sexy Budget Mini build with red theme including red LED on MB

Could maybe change RAM if we drop the cpu to a lower one, also interesting thing I see the 2400G is slightly cheaper than the 1500x and performs nearly the same on early benchmarks

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yBbf7W (this is a diff m.2 drive couldn’t find the ripjaw)

All Prices from Wootware

AMD Ryzen™ 5 1500X Processor. 2 449,00
MSI B350M Gaming Pro AMD Ryzen Socket AM4 Micro-ATX 1 537,00
G.Skill F4-2666C15D-8GVR Ripjaws V 8GB (2x4GB) 2666MHz DDR4 CL15 1.2V Red Desktop Memory 1 329,00
Antec VP500PC 500W 82 Efficiency Desktop Power Supply 614,00
Cooler Master MCW-L3B3-KANN-01 MasterBox Lite 3.1 Micro-ATX Mini Tower Desktop Chassis 699,00
Palit GeForce GTX 1050 StormX NE5105001841-1070F 2GB GDDR5 128-bit PCI-E 3.0 Desktop Graphics Card 1 949,00
G.Skill FT-M8SI-120GRS3 Ripjaws S3 120GB SATA 6GB/s M.2 2280 Solid State Drive 549,00
Western-Digital WD10EZEX Blue 1TB 7200rpm SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch Internal Hard Drive 699,00
R9825,00
1 Like
#15

DDR 3 ram wont work

#16

jip just realised. I’m back to the drawing board.

#17

Hmm, you’re right. WOuld make a big difference in overall performance of the machine. And if you compromise by only getting a 250GB, should fit in budget no problem. Will see if I can put something else in place tonight.

#18

I think you’re currently in the lead with that build. But not by much. I’ll put in some more time to get a bit better at this.

And then, next week I’ll pose a different challenge. Seems people like this idea.

1 Like
#19

just to squeeze ever last cent out of this also add a red led fan to go with the theme

Coolermaster R4-SXDP-20FR-A1 Sickleflow-X 120mm Transparent With Red LED 2000rpm Fan for R157 since the case only has 1 fan included (http://www.coolermaster.com/case/mini-tower/masterbox-lite-3-1/)

Which makes it a grand Total of R9 982,00 :money_mouth_face:

1 Like
#20

I also compiled a build now, and I compiled it with gaming as the primary use (it wasn’t stated).

For that reason, I went with the i3 8100 which is better for gaming, however the problem is the expensive Z370 motherboards. There are no budget chipsets out for Coffee Lake though and the cheapest Z370 board is almost R1000 more expensive than an AM4 one.
This means the i3 8100 falls out of contention and you either have to go intel i3 7xxx or Ryzen, which makes Ryzen the clear choice for me.

However, for such a budget system, primarily for gaming, I don’t think the 1500X is required. So here is the build I came up with. If you drop down to a Ryzen 1300X, you can go up to a 1050Ti, which has a nice performance bump from the normal 1050.

Note: this build only works if I use @Pr0fPyr0’s very cheap M.2 SSD (which I couldn’t find anywhere).

Component Name Price
cpu ryzen 3 1300X R1,899.00
ram G.Skill Ripjaws V (2x4GB) 2666MHz R1,329.00
Mobo ASUS PRIME B350M-K R1,395.00
PSU Antec VP500PC R614.00
case CoolerMaster MasterBox Lite 3 R506.00
hdd Western-Digital Blue 1TB R699.00
gpu EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 TI GAMING R2,908.00
ssd G.Skill Ripjaws S3 120GB M.2 R549.00
TOTAL R9,899.00
2 Likes
#21

shabam https://www.wootware.co.za/g-skill-ft-m8si-120grs3-ripjaws-s3-120gb-sata-6gb-s-m-2-2280-solid-state-drive.html

ya I was thinking about the 1050ti swap out with the cou as well, need to find a benchmark for that m.2 wonder how they are, finding that Cooler Master MasterBox Lite 3.1, made me look at reviews and its pretty sweet only thing is its not glass its acrylic, still looks good

1 Like