I'm thinking about switching from PlayStation to PC and have been out of the PC hardware scene for roughly 10 years. I'm considering a Costco prebuilt with an Intel Core Ultra 5 225F, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and an Intel Arc B570 graphics card. At around $1,200 CAD, would this be a good purchase, or would I get better value by building a similar system myself?
5 Answers
For a comparable all-new build, you’d probably spend slightly more in Canada, so the price isn’t bad. Put the parts into a PCPartPicker-style list and compare, but low-end components can be surprisingly expensive when bought separately.
I’d be cautious about this particular system. The B570 is an entry-level graphics card, and the listing not identifying the power supply is a concern. Prebuilts sometimes use poor-quality or nonstandard parts, which can affect reliability and future upgrades. I’d want the exact PSU model and details about the motherboard before buying.
Building from scratch may not save money right now, even with an older AM4/DDR4 platform. DDR5 memory and SSD prices can make a custom build surprisingly expensive, so this prebuilt is reasonable strictly from a price perspective. Still, check bundle deals and make sure the power supply, motherboard, cooling, and upgrade support aren’t being sacrificed.
There are stronger alternatives around the same price, especially a system with a GeForce RTX 5060 and an Intel i5-14400F. The 5060 generally offers better gaming performance and features than the B570, while the processors are fairly close in most games. If you’re mainly gaming, I’d prioritize overall performance over having slightly more VRAM.
The value depends heavily on what games you want to play and whether you’re targeting 1080p or 1440p. Also, is roughly $1,200 CAD your maximum budget? Those details could change the recommendation quite a bit.
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