There’s no better time to join the PC Master Race — get started on your PCMR journey with MSI (Part 1)
With the recent price reductions on last-gen graphics cards and more performance-per-ringgit than ever from the newer cards, it is a great time to join the PC Master Race. Joining the PCMR is probably a little bit daunting considering that PCs are made up of multiple components, but here are some suggestions from MSI according to your budget to help you get started in no time.
Premium Build – around RM15 000
If you are looking to start off at the high end segment, well, this is the build for you. This build is definitely more than just for gaming, as you will be getting a top-notch overclocking motherboard with the MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY and plenty of cooling from the MAG Coreliquid 360R, perfect for pushing the Intel Core i9-10900K for maximum performance. Cram all of that in the MSI MPG SEKIRA 500X and you have a showpiece that performs great as well.
You can probably play around with the other components in the build, but key to delivering the premium gaming experience that you would expect when you spend top dollar is of course the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio 10G and the MAG322CQR. Overall this combination would deliver a stunning visual experience, especially when you turn up all the graphics to the max.
Premium Build Specs and Pricing
| Model | Price | Where to Buy | |
| Processor | Intel Core i9-10900K | RM2700 | |
| CPU Cooler | MSI MAG Coreliquid 360R | RM729 | Lazada |
| Motherboard | MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY | RM1399 | Lazada |
| Memory | 32GB (2 x 16GB) KLEVV CRAS XR DDR4-3600 | RM729 | |
| Graphics | MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio 10G | RM3590 | |
| Storage | 2TB (1TB x 2) WD Blue SN550 PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD | RM1178 | |
| PSU | Cooler Master V850 Gold V2 | RM579 | |
| Case | MSI MPG SEKIRA 500X | RM999 | Lazada |
| Display | MSI Optix MAG322CQR, 32″ 1440p, 165Hz refresh rate, 1500R curvature | RM2249 | Shopee |
| Total | RM14 152 |
This build is ready for pretty much everything you can throw at it, and while the MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY does not sport any form of RGB lighting, it does fully support Mystic Light, which will allow you to take advantage of the RGB fans on the MSI MAG Coreliquid 360R as well as the MSI MPG SEKIRA 500X. Not to mention the MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio also comes with some sweet RGB lighting to bling up your PC.
Overall, this system will give you a great experience, with the following breakdown of its feature set:
| Pros | Cons |
| + Great overclocking potential + 20GB/s USB-C port on the motherboard and 10GB/s USB-C port on the case + Dragon Center allows for easy monitoring of entire system + 2.5G LAN and WiFi 6 for great connectivity, wired or wirelessly + Top notch gaming performance |
– Motherboard is not as flashy as MSI’s other designs – Might be difficult to source a Core i9-10900K |
Upper mid-range build – around RM10 000
Say you still want a great gaming experience but you don’t exactly have RM15 000 just lying around. Well then you can probably consider this upper mid-range build which can still throw some heavy punches, with an Intel Core i7-10700K AND MSI GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER Gaming X. Mated to a MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi board, you still get most of the great features like 2.5G LAN and WiFi 6 baked into a flashier looking board too. And with the MSI MAG Coreliquid 360R, you will have plenty of thermal headroom to overclock the system to squeeze more performance out of the Core i7-10700K.
The overall cost of the system is also reduced by using a more affordable MSI MPG GUNGNIR 110R case and MSI Optix MAG272CQR display, which still offer most of the features from their pricier brethren used in the Premium Build above. The case looks even flashier and yet has plenty of room to build in, and the monitor is slightly smaller, but is by no means inferior with a similar 1440p resolution, 165Hz refresh rate and the same 1500R curvature. Some might even say the smaller monitor will look better, thanks to a higher pixel density.
Upper mid-range build Specs and Pricing
| Model | Price | Where to Buy | |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-10700K | RM1649 | |
| CPU Cooler | MSI MAG Coreliquid 360R | RM729 | Lazada |
| Motherboard | MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi | RM999 | Lazada |
| Memory | 16GB (2 x 8GB) KLEVV CRAS XR DDR4-3600 | RM399 | |
| Graphics | MSI GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER Gaming X | RM1505 | Lazada |
| Storage | 1TB WD Blue SN550 PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD | RM589 | |
| PSU | Cooler Master V750 Gold V2 | RM519 | |
| Case | MSI MPG GUNGNIR 110R | RM449 | Lazada |
| Display | MSI Optix MAG272CQR, 27″ 1440p, 165Hz refresh rate, 1500R curvature | RM1999 | Shopee |
| Total | RM8837 |
Overall, this system will give you an excellent experience for your money, with the following breakdown of its feature set:
| Pros | Cons |
| + Great overclocking potential + Core i7-10700K offers all the gaming performance of Core i9-10900K while being significantly more affordable and easier to source + 10GB/s USB-C ports on the rear I/O and case front panel + Dragon Center allows for easy monitoring of entire system + Mystic Light can synchronize lighting on case, graphics card, case and CPU cooler for some interesting effects + 2.5G LAN and WiFi 6 for great connectivity, wired or wirelessly |
– GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is not great for 1440p gaming at maxed graphics |
Mid-range build – around RM6000
Going further down the scale, MSI still offers plenty of options for gamers who are on a tighter budget. For the sub-RM6000 build, you will be well served by a locked Intel Core i5-10400, which offers up to 12 processing threads for greater performance in games that can take advantage of more processing threads. Paired with either the MSI MAG B460M MORTAR or MAG B460M MORTAR WiFi, depending on whether you need wireless internet connectivity, you are well on your way to some good performance.
Better cooling is never wasted, so the MSI MAG Coreliquid 240R is recommend for this build. The case is going to be a very affordable MSI MAG FORGE 100R that delivers plenty of airflow for cooler components. Cooler components run better and last longer, so it is always nice to have more cooling than less of it. The graphics will be the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER VENTUS XS, which will deliver good frame rates at the 1080p resolution of the MSI Optix G24C4, taking full advantage of the 144Hz refresh rate of the display.
Mid-range build Specs and Pricing
| Model | Price | Where to Buy | |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-10400 | RM839 | |
| CPU Cooler | MSI MAG Coreliquid 240R | RM549 | Lazada |
| Motherboard | MSI MAG B460M MORTAR WiFi | RM639 | Lazada |
| Memory | 16GB (2 x 8GB) KLEVV BOLT XR DDR4-3600 | RM319 | |
| Graphics | MSI GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER Ventus XS | RM1359 | Lazada |
| Storage | 1TB WD Blue SN550 PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD | RM589 | |
| PSU | Cooler Master V650 Gold V2 | RM469 | |
| Case | MSI MPG FORGE 100R | RM259 | Lazada |
| Display | MSI Optix G24C4, 24″ 1080p, 144Hz refresh rate, 1500R curvature | RM999 | Shopee |
| Total | RM6021 |
Here’s a breakdown of what’s good and not with this mid-range build:
| Pros | Cons |
| + USB-C ports available on rear I/O + + Dragon Center allows for easy monitoring of entire system + 2.5G LAN and WiFi 6 are great features at this price point |
– Non-overclockable processor takes the fun out of an Intel platform – Case does not offer USB-C port to take advantage of motherboard header |
That’s it for our recommendations for Intel builds, but stay tuned for Part 2, in which we will discuss builds featuring AMD processors instead!
This is an exclusive article for MSI Malaysia.
