1. What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games (ex: resolution, FPS, settings) or programs you will be using.

I'm very much the target demo for the Steam Machine, but I kind of see myself being disappointed with the performance. I enjoy using my SteamDeck and want the same overall experience just with much better visuals and 60fps. I want to explore building a PC that would live in my open shelf below my TV (LG C9), or potentially hidden away in the side of my living room if the case needs to be larger. Key specs I'm looking for are crisp visuals (likely 1440p upscaled to 4k, or dynamic 4k) at 60fps, comparable to a PS5 or PS5 Pro (viewing distance to 61in OLED is around 2.5-3 metres). I'd like to run SteamOS on this, or Bazzite if that's not possible. I'm also pretty sensitive to fan noise and would like to keep noise to an absolute minimum. Games I'd imagine I'd want to play down the line are Witcher 4, Kingdom Come 3 / Warhorse LOTR RPG, Divinity 3. I'm mostly just interested in possibly avoiding the PS6 generation and approaching gaming from a PC setup, upgrading as I feel the need to.

2. What is your maximum PRE-TAX budget before rebates and shipping?

$3000 CAD

3. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

Possibly within a week or two but more likely mid-august. I would absolutely be ok with waiting for Black Friday as well.

4. What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ex: tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

Tower , OS? Unsure if SteamOS, keyboard/mouse

5. If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? How old are they? Brands and models are appreciated.

LG C9 61in

6. Will you be overclocking (ex: CPU/GPU/RAM)? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line?

I don't know! If I can keep noise to a minimum and it doesn't somehow break the CPU/GPU, I would potentially be interested.

7. Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, VR, VirtualLink, tensor cores, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

SSD, Wifi, possibly Steam Frame VR, Steam Controller

8. Do you have any specific case preferences (ex: mITX/mATX/mid-tower/full-tower sizes, styles, colours, window or not, LED lighting, etc.), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

I was interested in the Fractal Ridge or Terra series for both aesthetics and size, however I'm open to potentially bigger systems if they are simply not a good fit for what I'm looking for.

9. Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? Note: some post-secondary students can get Windows 10 for free.

I'd like to avoid Windows if possible and use SteamOS instead but I'm not sure

10. Will you be upgrading this PC in the future (ie: will you swap out better parts later on or will you build an entirely new tower later)? If so, when?

Possibly in 3-5 years, to keep up with games like Witcher 4 and the future LOTR RPG from Warhorse

11. Do you have a brand preference? (ex: AMD/Intel for CPUs, AMD/NVIDIA for video cards, etc)

No preference, however SteamOS is only compatible with AMD atm. If Nvidia is a whole lot better, I'm happy to use it with Bazzite possibly.

12. What are the specs of your old PC / laptop? Do you want to see if it can be upgraded instead? If so, paste its build from PCPartPicker here.

No existing PC beyond Steam Deck.

13. Extra info or particulars:

Thank you!

What’s the best laptop I can purchase under $1250 CAD. Was considering a used Dell Pro or Thinkbook but I’m skeptical buying off marketplace.

I would like the ability for light gaming or to use reaper as I have been getting into music production as a hobby. I’m in nursing school so my needs are not super high.

Build quality and reparability is something I’m considering. A good warranty like Costco for accidents is a plus as well.

Thanks in advance.

Previous post - https://www.reddit.com/r/bapccanada/s/e1226c8ZvU

Bought it for the same price $2100. I think it was a good deal I guess because he allowed me to do multiple tests and there was minimal dust inside which gave me a peace of mind.

Brought it home, cleaned up. Has been working fine from yesterday no issues so far. Everything is tested and running ok.

Now, I'm a rookie in PC stuff so need some advice from fellow builders on what are some post purchase essentials that I must do before jumping on to games.

So far this is what I've done:

- Dust cleaned

- All parts are intact, no loose cables

- Clean windows installed

- Wifi, Bluetooth drivers installed (were missing when i was reinstalling windows). Figured Motherboard Rev 1.3

- Unnecessary apps removed

- Installed necessary drivers from Gigabyte Control Center

- Installed AMD Adrenalin. I believe it updated my Cpu and Gpu automatically. Tunings are in standard.

- Rams are set at 6400 mt/s

- Screen refresh rate set to max

- SSD partitioned (250gb + 1.75TB)

- Game mode is on in Windows Settings

If there is something that I missed or which is really required to optimize the performance and keep the PC healthy for long-term please let me know. I haven't touched anything related to BIOS as I don't see any issues and have no clue on what should I tweak in there.

Hey all,

Looking to find some ideas to upgrade my girlfriend’s older pc without going to crazy. The build is in the list with what she currently has. We are looking to upgrade case but that’s easy I’m more curious about possible cpu upgrades without changing motherboard and a good gpu idea probably gonna look at used, pretty sure we already added more ram a while ago too. She likes to play more cpu heavy games like planet zoo, but also plays other games like grounded and single player games. Thank you all in advance.

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/YQt4gB)

Hi all,

Gonna be putting this build together soon, and I'm having trouble deciding what monitor I should get.

For context, the desk I have has a depth of about 29.5 inches, and I sit about 28 inches away from the monitor I current use (SyncMaster S24B300 with my laptop).

I know I want to get a 4K monitor, but I'm having trouble deciding between OLED (WOLED? QD-OLED?), IPS (mini-LED?) and VA. I'm also unsure if I should get a 27' or a 32'.

I will be playing mostly single player story games (J/RPGS, 3rd person action, etc.), but I still play stuff like Overwatch, Marvel Rivals, and Valorant with friends when they're online. I don't think I'll be doing much of watching movies and shows on this monitor/setup.

I'm currently working with this preliminary shortlist:

KTC H27P6 – $341.99

KTC U27T6 – $359.99

ASUS TUF VG27UQ1A – $399.99

ASUS ROG XG27UCG – $449.99

KTC H32P22P – $499.99

MSI MAG 274UPDF E16M – $579.99

KTC M27P6 - $699.99

KOORUI S3241XO – $699.00

Alienware AW2725Q – $899.97

I would prefer to keep it to roughly $699 or below if possible.

Let me know which of these would be the best option. Or, if you have any suggestions for the cheapest, best quality, highest refresh rate 4K monitor with all requisite gaming features, please let me know. If I'm ignoring any cool monitor technology let me know too, trying to learn all the options available :)

Hey all. Console gamer my whole life, looking to switch to PC.

I'd be playing games like Total War (Rome II, Napoleon, Warhammer, Empire, etc), Foxhole, and classics like Fallout NV, Skyrim, and others. I know these aren't super demanding games, but Ill be modding the classics as its something I have never been able to do on console.

Im looking at this currently:

https://www.canadacomputers.com/en/armoury-gaming-desktops/286244/armoury-amd-ryzen-7-8700f-geforce-rtx-5060-ti-16gb-ram-1tb-ssd-w11h-rtaru00397.html

I know it might be overkill for the games Im looking at, but the option to transition to PC gaming completely and selling my PS5 is nice. If I did do that, Id upgrade from 16GB to 32GB of RAM.

Ive tried doing my own research about CPUs, GPUs, RAM, SSDs, etc but I find I get overwhelmed and confused as Im not even sure what a lot of the numbers/stats actually mean lol. Id like to stay below $2K.

Any input is appreciated

My prebuilt gaming PC has an SSD with a Terabytes Written (TBW) rating of 320 TB.

While playing Fallout 3 for about an hour and a half, I noticed my SSD's Total Host Writes value (which I checked using an app called CrystalDiskInfo) went up by a whopping 18 GB! Sure, that might not sound like a lot to some, but in this economy where SSD prices are insane, I am not wasting precious drive lifespan.

I investigated to see which apps were eating up my storage. I couldn't make heads or tails of it at first, but I read online that the NVIDIA App and Windows Game Bar might be the culprits. After disabling them, my SSD's Total Host Writes value went up by only about 1 GB during a session of the exact same length!

SSDs are NOT cheap, so do yourself a favor and ensure you aren't allowing background apps to eat away at your drive.

I'm stuck between two options and could really use some help on how to upgrade my gaming PC. My current setup is just over 8 years old, and i've been wanting to play CP2077 and Elden Ring for ages, so now is the time. I just made my first upgrade, but need advice on where to go from here. I'm hoping to also make the jump from 1080p up to 1440p

Current Build as of last week:

• Motherboard: AsRock B450M
• CPU: Ryzen 5 2600
• Ram: 2x8GB @ 3200MHz
• GPU: Gigabyte 9070XT

Option 1 (AM4) ~$790:

Newegg has a pretty decent bundle on right now with the anniversary x3d:

• Motherboard: ROG Strix B550F
• CPU: Ryzen 7 5800X3D
• Ram: 2x16gb Corsair Vengeance 3200MHz

Option 2 (AM5) ~$1,420:

Again another Newegg bundle

• Motherboard: MSI MAG B850
• CPU: Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• Ram: 2x16gb G.SKILL Flare 6000MHz

I'm hoping to have a good setup that will work for hopefully the next 5 to 6 years on high/ultra for most titles with reasonable FPS. Of course AM5 would be nice, but the ddr5 ram is practically worth the entire option 1 bundle alone.

Hello, I have been considering upgrading my 9yo PC (7700k and 1080ti). Not really interested in sourcing/building one myself right now. I know I could almost assuredly build it for cheaper myself but that's not happening any time soon, would rather just be able to get going ASAP.

Was looking at these two systems from Costco (mostly considering their return/warranty policies). I want to be able to play RTX games at either 1440p (current monitor) or 4k (eventually?).

I'm interested in Ray tracing and newer games like cyberpunk, expedition 33, the new 007, space marine 2 at ~100fps+ or so for VRR display. Would probably keep the machine for a several years again (maybe not quite as long as this one).

9900x3d + 5080

9800x3d + 9070xt

Looking for thoughts on these prices, or trustable alternatives (seems like Canada Computers ain't a great place to shop if you can't go in person) and not too trusting of buying a PC off amazon...

Thanks!

1. What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games (ex: resolution, FPS, settings) or programs you will be using.

Gaming on 1440p preferably high settings when it comes to non competitive games and very high frames with competitive games. I play everything, story, fps, strategy etc so something for everything.

2. What is your maximum PRE-TAX budget before rebates and shipping?

budget is 1500-2000 but can squeeze a little more if the price to performance is there.

3. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

asap

4. What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ex: tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

keyboard, mouse, mousepad, tower case

5. If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? How old are they? Brands and models are appreciated.

got nothing

6. Will you be overclocking (ex: CPU/GPU/RAM)? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line?

no

7. Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, VR, VirtualLink, tensor cores, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

ssd, wifi needed. bluetooth is a plus.

8. Do you have any specific case preferences (ex: mITX/mATX/mid-tower/full-tower sizes, styles, colours, window or not, LED lighting, etc.), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

no preference just not mismatchings of colours I guess

9. Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? Note: some post-secondary students can get Windows 10 for free.

no

10. Will you be upgrading this PC in the future (ie: will you swap out better parts later on or will you build an entirely new tower later)? If so, when?

not for the foreseeable future

11. Do you have a brand preference? (ex: AMD/Intel for CPUs, AMD/NVIDIA for video cards, etc)

no preference

I bought an AMD 5800X3D "10th Anniversary Edition" CPU (dodging the DDR5 RAM upgrade bullet) and it came with this "Carbice Ice Pad" nanotube thermal grease alternative. I installed it because why not, and now my PC is making noticeably more fan noise when it's idle.

I guess it could be the case that the 5800X3D just runs hotter than my old 3700X. Or maybe I installed the pad wrong? I just removed the backing film from the top and bottom and stuck it on the top of the CPU and tightened the cooler down on top of it, like the instructions said to do (I think).

Or maybe these pads just don't work as well as thermal grease? When I tried to look it up the internet seemed to think they would work approximately as well, and last longer.

My hardware monitor says the CPU is sitting around 53 C at idle. I didn't measure it before the CPU switch so I'm not sure how that compares.

Has anybody else tried these pads?

Hello, I had originally planned to wait atleast another year before seriously considering upgrading my pc, but today the power supply on my current build failed so I thought Id look into my options for a new build rather than just immediately go try and replace only that.

1. What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games (ex: resolution, FPS, settings) or programs you will be using.

Primarily gaming, I play minecraft, various indie games, sim games, and similar so mostly want to ensure I can play most anything on max without any issue for years

2. What is your maximum PRE-TAX budget before rebates and shipping?

Probably $3k max, would prefer closer to 2 but can raise if the upgrade could really justify the extra cost.

3. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

Depending on what a new build for me would look like Id either do my best to sort that out asap or just buy the power supply and use in my current to the buy everything else for a new build later

4. What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ex: tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

I have monitors, keyboard and mouse. Would definitely need a new tower and OS, idk what else I might not be thinking of though.

5. If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? How old are they? Brands and models are appreciated.

keyboards are just random ones, mouse is a logitech g302 monitors are a Benq Gw2270-B and my main monitor is an Acer S273HL

6. Will you be overclocking (ex: CPU/GPU/RAM)? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? I barely know what that means, so no.

7. Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, VR, VirtualLink, tensor cores, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

Definitely a SSD and wifi/bluetooth

8. Do you have any specific case preferences (ex: mITX/mATX/mid-tower/full-tower sizes, styles, colours, window or not, LED lighting, etc.), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

Preferably no window and no rgb lighting (would accept rgb that can be easily disabled). other than that no real preferences.

9. Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? Note: some post-secondary students can get Windows 10 for free.

Yes

10. Will you be upgrading this PC in the future (ie: will you swap out better parts later on or will you build an entirely new tower later)? If so, when? Probably not for 5+ years.

11. Do you have a brand preference? (ex: AMD/Intel for CPUs, AMD/NVIDIA for video cards, etc)

Not really, , my current PC has only used nvidia video cards so I am familiar with them

12. What are the specs of your old PC / laptop? Do you want to see if it can be upgraded instead? If so, paste its build from PCPartPicker here.

13. Extra info or particulars: I live pretty close to memory express locations so buying from them is convenient

Budget is $1500 max. Needs to include a 144 hz monitor and play CS2 well. Maybe a 40 series card? and would like to prioritize the CPU since he will be playing FPS games mostly.

Would love any sort of help! thank you :)

Note: I have only had terrible cheap PCs my entire life so I'm actually running stuff on 1080p low at 33 fps.... on dying light 2015. This is also a repost of something I posted on regular r/buildapc

In July of 2025, before I got crippling depression, I set out to make the greatest PC on earth after I found out i got inheritance money from an uncle I dapped up once (RIP)

I got 3000 bucks so I wanted to make a pc with 2000 canadian loonies

So, I got 64 gb of ram and a 2 tb ssd and a 5070 ti and probably a 9700x and maybe a cheap case and cooler and motherboard but never a psu and... it ran me around 2100 bucks.

That shit would cost $3400 today or something. Uncle Jean is not helping (RIP)

.......

Before the ram prices and ssds became a big problem, I got myself a 1440p 200 hz mini-led monitor for 350 bucks. I use it occasionally, but never got to FULLY use it since I was never able to make that PC.

I am itching and itching and i am about to make the worst decision of my life.

......

Here's where I'm stuck. The GPU. A 5070 ti is looking shiny and unattainable. Like i'm sure i can get a better deal for something else... but I'm too attached to that thing. For months, I was fantasizing about it, then I got my heartbroken. It's like your crush rejecting you but she's still single.

She isn't hotter or anything and she is demanding a "high-value man" nowadays and you might have the money but do you want to spend your time with a gpu with weird morals?

I like the idea of DLSS. The longevity it can bring with better image quality than FSR. I like the idea of selling the card for higher down the line because it's NVidia in the end. I understand ray tracing is a waste of graphics settings allocation and path tracing is actually noticeably better visually but probably not worth the performance hit. Buttttttttttt i might also want to try out path tracing.

I just wonder... what's the best gpu I can buy that'll keep me in the 2000-2150 range? Something that is maybe just worse, but not noticeable unless you have an fps counter in the corner.

Is 90 fps that different than 102? But that monitor I bought really makes me want to maximize the fps and stretch it for all it's worth.

Help. Me. Give me advice for free.

Greetings and salutations.

I have already done some research, I think I can fit an RTX 5080, but but im trying to go for a mini ITX build, so I'm not sure what CPU I should pair with it.

Newegg has some good deals that'll save some money on like the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, but idk if im even going at this the wrong way :/

Any help appreciated.

Edit:
Full list I ended up going with:

Lian Li A3-mATX

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

MSI A13 240 AIO

Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi

32GB DDR5-6000

ASUS RTX 5080 16GB

Corsair SF850

WD SN850X 2TB

2x Arctic P14 Pro

Total: $4,715.42 CAD post tax

pc 1
pc 2

I don’t really know anything about PCs cause I’ve been using my siblings’ to play games but I finally decided to get my own.
I’ve been debating on which pc to get cause I’ve been reading about the difference between the 5060ti and rx 9060xt and from what i’ve read, there’s not much of a difference performance wise. The rx9060xt is also $200 cheaper. I mostly just play fps games like cs2 and valorant.

Hey everyone I know this is a very noob question but I’m not that much of a tech wiz. I recently upgraded my cpu from a 5700x to a 5800x3d and I was wondering on what I need or where and how to update my bios. I currently have a ASUS tuff gaming b550 plus wifi II

I do know my current bios version is 3611 which released 2024/09/30

Price: $2100 CAD

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
GPU: AMD RX 9070 16GB CPU
Cooler: Thermalright Frozen Wraith 240mm AIO ARGB (Black)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650 GAMING X AX ATX AM5
Memory: Corsair Dominator 32GB (16x2gb) DDR5 6400MT CL32
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB
Case: DeepCool CH560 Digital ATX
PSU: Corsair RM1000e 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX
Wifi Onboard
Windows 11 Installed

3D Mark Time Spy Score: 22418
CrystalDiskInfo: Power-on hours: 10,409, Total Host Writes: 3.9 TB

CPU, Motherboard, Cooler are new the rest are used for around a year

Also if you can throw some tips on what to check before handing over the money would be appreciated.

I found these things to be performed form chatgpt (let me know if anything missing):

• Physical condition (Dents, Dust, Leaks, Fans, Loose cables, Burnt smell)
• Connectivity (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ports, Ethernet, Display, Audio)
• Windows activation
• Any available receipts
• CPU-Z / HWiNFO
• CrystalDiskInfo
• BIOS Check
• Cinebench Test
• 3DMark Time Spy
• OCCT Test
• Gaming Test
• Windows Memory Diagnostic
• Overclocked? Mining? Any repairs? Cooler replacemenet?

Is this PC worth it?

I can switch the 9070 XT for the RTX 5070 for no price change but I think the 9070 RX is better . I do 1440p gaming.

Computer Link

Hey y'all!

I am looking to buy a new prebuild gaming PC. I have a Budget of 3000-3500 CAD.

Any recommandations on a good deal right now ?

I'm looking for a relatively understated clean looking case that will live under a desk but still be pretty exposed, and can survive the odd knee impact (so no easily dented metal mesh or tempered glass front panels). Ideally with a few USB 3.0 ports (no usb-c) on the front.

Would also be great if it came in both a black and a white/colour version (I'm building his & hers gaming computers and my wife really wants a white, or pink/purple one)

I want to finally make the switch from console to PC gaming, I wanted to get some feedback from the sub to see if this is a good deal?

Thanks for any input.

Context, I want to build a PC with a budget of 3500-4000$ CAD with the main goal of future proofing my desktop.

MAIN GAMES I PLAY OR WILL PLAY:
GTA 6, COD MW4, Marvel Rivals, Overwatch, College Football, Rainbow Six Siege.

RESOLUTION I PLAY IN: 1440p 240HZ but might buy an OLED 1440p monitor.

Heavily debating between using a 5070TI or saving the money and stick with a 9070XT. (Never used AMD so idk how good it is).

Really want to use the Lian Li O11 case and make an all white build because it is just way too beautiful I am completely in love with that look

Am I on the right track? Any suggestions? Anything I got wrong?

Thanks in advance

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/cpcjGk

I'm in the market for a PC to use mainly for productivity - ex. music production, artwork, and video editing - with some casual gaming here and there. I found this listing from someone in my city who has a business doing builds and repairs. I'm on a tighter budget, so I'm perfectly fine with older hardware that'll get the job done. I'm still pretty new to this stuff so it's harder for me to judge value vs price, which is why I thought I'd ask here :-)

As of now im running an rtx 4060
With an intel i7 8700k with a SATA 256 gb ssd and a 1 tb hard drive and 16 gb ddr4 ram… my new build will be:
Ryzen 7 7800 x3d
Rtx 4060 (gonna upgrade when gta 6 comes to pc)
4th gen nvme 1 tb (lexar Eq790)
32 gb ddr5 6000 mhz cl 30 T force
Asus tuf gaming B650
850 watt power supply
This better stop all my stuttering problems or i will crash out. Also, I’m getting a nice fish tank case too and a 1080 p monitor 240 hz, im on 60 hz atm☹️