I recently bought a PNY RTX 5060 8GB for about $600 CAD after tax, but I later realized that 8GB of VRAM may become limiting in some newer games. I'm interested in trying more demanding titles, yet upgrading to a card with more than 8GB seems to cost at least $900 CAD after tax. Do worthwhile GPU deals come up regularly in Canada, or do the good ones sell out immediately?
4 Answers
The used market may be your best bet. In a larger city, local listings can have much better prices, especially for cards like the RTX 3080, RTX 3080 Ti, or RX 6800 XT. Buying from a Canadian seller and choosing a card that still has warranty coverage reduces the risk. One person mentioned finding an RTX 3080 for about $400 CAD after tax, although deals that good require patience and luck.
The market is pretty rough right now, but there are still a few options. For something under roughly $600 CAD with more than 8GB, the Intel Arc B580 is one of the main choices. If you can spend around $700–$750 before tax, 16GB cards such as the RX 9060 XT may be worth watching. Price-comparison sites are useful for tracking stock and finding cheaper listings.
It’s worth checking price-comparison listings instead of assuming the first available model is the cheapest. Some 16GB cards can be found for less than the usual $900-plus prices.
Good deals do appear, but prices can change quickly. Recent examples included a 20GB RX 7900 XT around $750 CAD and a discounted RX 9070 GRE near $700 CAD. Cards like the RX 9070 or a 16GB RX 9060 XT may also be worth watching, depending on the performance you want. Set a target price, monitor several Canadian retailers, and be ready to buy when a card reaches that range instead of chasing every temporary listing.
Don’t automatically assume that 8GB makes your 5060 unusable. At 1080p with medium-to-high settings, many games should run fine. VRAM becomes more of a concern when you max out every setting, enable ray tracing, use high-resolution texture packs, or play without upscaling. It may be better to keep the 5060 until you find a genuinely substantial upgrade rather than spending hundreds for extra VRAM alone.
That’s basically my concern too. More VRAM helps with longevity, but a 16GB card that performs about the same as the 5060 wouldn’t feel like a worthwhile upgrade.
I’ve had decent results buying used hardware when the seller can provide proof of purchase or the card is still under warranty. Just test it thoroughly and avoid sending payment without protection.