I'm building a PC for the first time in about ten years and could use a second opinion. My current system is an i7-4790K with 16GB of DDR3 and a GTX 970 4GB, so almost any modern setup would be a major improvement. It also can't officially run Windows 11, and Windows 10 support is ending soon.
I'm in Canada with a total budget of roughly $1,250–$1,750 CAD. I initially considered prebuilts, but most of the options I found use an RTX 5060 with only 8GB of VRAM, so I'm leaning toward building myself for better value. I don't have strong brand preferences and I'm not especially concerned about having a long upgrade path. I'm willing to use AM4 if an AM5 or Intel build would cost significantly more without providing better performance.
My current parts list is a Ryzen 5 5600, an ASRock B550M Pro4 motherboard, 16GB of DDR4-3200 memory, a 1TB Kingston NV3 NVMe SSD, an RX 7700 XT 12GB, a Cooler Master Q300L V2 case, and a 750W Gold-rated power supply. The listed total is about $1,527 CAD, although buying everything from one retailer brings it closer to $1,800 after taxes and shipping.
I mainly use 1080p monitors, but I'd like the system to handle 1440p if I upgrade later. Are there better ways to spend this budget, and is this AM4 build reasonable given current Canadian prices?
3 Answers
At these prices, AM4 isn’t automatically the bargain it used to be. Older parts can become expensive because stock is limited, so compare the actual prices rather than assuming DDR4 and AM4 will be cheaper. If you do stay with AM4, it may make more sense to find a used system or a used CPU and motherboard, then put the savings toward the graphics card.
If you’re not in a hurry, waiting for better memory and storage pricing could help. Current prices make both new AM4 and new AM5 builds awkward, since older hardware isn’t necessarily cheap anymore and newer platforms require more expensive memory and boards. Used systems are another practical option: a complete AM4 machine can sometimes provide the CPU, board, and RAM for less than buying those parts individually, leaving room in the budget for a stronger GPU or a new SSD.
The biggest issue with the list is that several components are priced far too high. $175 for 16GB of DDR4 and about $200 for a basic 1TB NVMe drive leave a lot of performance on the table. Check retailer bundles and sales, especially motherboard-and-memory combinations, and compare each component across multiple stores instead of buying everything from one place. A discounted 16GB kit can cost dramatically less, and the CPU may also be cheaper through reputable marketplace sellers, though you’ll need to account for the missing stock cooler and warranty concerns.
The CPU, motherboard, and 16GB of DDR4 currently come to about $515 CAD. I haven’t found an equivalent AM5 or Intel combination at that price; most alternatives add at least another $300 and push the build beyond my budget.