I'm putting together a new gaming PC and would appreciate advice before buying. I'll mainly be playing demanding games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur's Gate 3, and Resident Evil Requiem. The current build comes to about $4,400 CAD, but I've been told that some of the parts may be significantly overpriced. Which components should I replace, and is there a better way to balance performance and value for this budget?
3 Answers
For a gaming-focused system, I’d consider putting more of the budget toward the graphics card instead. A Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with a Radeon RX 9070 XT would provide excellent performance and could bring the total closer to $3,300 CAD, depending on current sales. A quality 750 W or 850 W Gold power supply would be plenty for that setup.
Several prices in the build look unusually high. The 64 GB memory kit and 2 TB SSD appear especially overpriced for gaming. A good 32 GB DDR5-6000 CL30 kit is generally enough, unless you know you’ll be running heavily modded games, content-creation software, virtual machines, or other memory-intensive workloads. You could also use a less expensive but reputable 2 TB NVMe drive and save a substantial amount.
Look for CPU, motherboard, and memory bundles from major Canadian retailers. Combo discounts can reduce the platform cost considerably. The motherboard does not need to be an expensive premium model for this processor, and a basic tower cooler such as a Peerless Assassin-class cooler should be sufficient. You can also install Windows without buying the full retail license immediately, then activate it later if needed.
With a budget that high, it may also be worth checking whether an RTX 5080 fits after cutting the overpriced memory, storage, and other parts. Just make sure any cheaper power supply and SSD are from reputable sellers and include proper warranties.