I'm putting together my first-ever PC and would really appreciate honest feedback on the parts list. Since I'm buying in Canada, pricing is a major factor—many components cost nearly twice as much as they do in the United States—so this build is based more on what I can afford than on perfect optimization. I mainly want to know whether I've made any serious compatibility, performance, or value mistakes.
The build includes a Ryzen 7 5700X, Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE cooler, 32 GB of DDR4-2666 memory, a 2 TB PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD, a Radeon RX 9070 GRE, an 850 W Gold-rated modular power supply, a 1440p 180 Hz monitor, and a Fractal Design Pop XL Air case. The keyboard, mouse, and speakers are temporary budget options that I plan to replace later. The listed total is about $2,401 CAD.
3 Answers
Use the parts list as a starting point, but double-check the actual prices at Canadian retailers. The graphics card price shown in the example build may not be available locally, and the closest alternative could cost considerably more or require stepping down to a lower-tier card. Availability can change the best choice quite a bit.
Also consider buying some components used, especially through local listings. A used case, memory kit, or previous-generation graphics card could free up enough of the budget for a stronger platform or better-priced parts. Just test used hardware carefully and avoid anything without a reasonable way to verify that it works.
It may be worth checking an AM5 build before buying. DDR5 systems can cost more upfront, but AM5 generally gives you a better future upgrade path than investing in the older AM4 platform. That said, if DDR5 pricing pushes the build beyond your budget, staying with AM4 is understandable—just be aware that future CPU upgrades will be more limited.
I looked into it, but even basic DDR5 bundles are currently too expensive here, and I’m not confident the performance difference would justify going over budget. I’ll still see whether I can make any small changes.
That’s exactly the issue I’m running into. The listed graphics card price isn’t available at the retailers near me, and the next option is about $300 more unless I downgrade. I’m comparing a few smaller adjustments instead.