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Hi everyone!!

guess what, im also a new gamer with a budget... quite common right?
I can spend at most 2300 on a mobo. So i have been looking at the MSI Intel Z77A-GD65.
i can get it for around 1900.
Is the board worth the money?
If not, what other suggestions do you have for me?

(PS. i want a Z77 chipset, if that is a bad choice please suggest something else)

Instead of multiple threads give us a price your aiming for, what components can be excluded (like screen/box/ect) and specific preferences (like intel/msi/asus).

I'm aiming for about R6 000-7 500 for the mobo CPU and GPU.
Breaking it up would look more or less like this: CPU= 2000-2300
GPU= 2300-2600
mobo= 1800-2000
And if you have time or want to (i doubt that you would like to do a pc quote)
i have R11 000 for everything. Meaning R11 000 for mobo to case to screen to psu to RAM to sound (everything)

I would preffer a intel Z77 chipset and a Intel core i5 2500k/3570k.
And being a gaming rig a want a butt kick GPU.
for GPU: AMD/nVidia i don't care.
for CPU and mobo: AMD/intel- intel all the way.

You comented on my other topic about the GPU a few minutes ago.
I don't want to critisize your advice but PCF rated the 560ti even lower than the HD7850.
They say it doesn't compete with the competition, all i would like to know is, what are the other cards they reffer to?

I have no idea with regards to their competing list. It is important to note though that the article is written in the UK and when it comes to SA our pricing can switch around the situation in a heart beat.

I'm going to take the pricing from www.rebeltech.co.za . they are one of the cheaper online retailers. I will take my brand preferences as well.

CPU - i5 3570 (non-OC) - http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?ma ... ts_id=6568 - R2100
MOBO - MSI Z77A-GD43 - http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?ma ... ts_id=5700 - R1300 (I don't see any dramatic feature difference between the GD65 and GD43)
GPU - Gigabyte geforce 660TI - http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?ma ... ts_id=7467 - R4000
PSU - Cooler Master GX750 - http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?ma ... ts_id=1795 - R1100
RAM - Corsair 2x 4GB DDR3 1600mhz - http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?ma ... cts_id=255 - R600
HDD - Seagate 2TB drive - http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?ma ... ts_id=1261 - R1200
CASE - CM Storm Scout - http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?ma ... ts_id=1744 - R1000
DVD - anything around R200
SCREEN - Samsung LED 23" most models will set you back R2300
K/B + MOUSE - anything around R200
OS - Windows 7 64-bit Home premium - http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?ma ... ts_id=2349 - R1100

Sadly that already puts you at R15000 or in the region and that is even with taking a cheaper mother board.

Thanks for all the links, i will se where i can bend and scratch.

I did not know it is written in the UK, that makes more sense!

Thanks for your trouble!!

Regards
G

I should add that it does not look like the Z77 GD43 supports sli/xfire so if your ever looking at that you might have to look at the higher priced boards. I've used SLI/Xfire in the past and it was not what I was looking. People know my feeling towards a single card solution and it has not changed but that said I've been going for the top of the range cards ever since.