Can This $2,000 CAD Gaming PC Handle 1440p Gaming and Streaming?

A balanced setup would be a Ryzen 5 7600X, 32GB DDR5, a decent B650-class motherboard, a dual-tower air cooler, a 1TB or 2TB NVMe drive, and a reliable 650W or 750W power supply. You don’t need an expensive X3D processor unless you’re pairing it with a very high-end graphics card; for this budget, putting more money into the GPU will usually help 1440p gaming more.

Avoid the 8GB version of the 9060 XT. Modern games can already exceed that comfortably at 1440p, so the 16GB version is the minimum sensible choice. That said, the 16GB model may be close enough in price to a significantly faster card that it’s worth comparing both before buying. A 9070 GRE would offer noticeably more performance for the money if the budget can stretch by roughly $50.

Streaming doesn’t necessarily require a much stronger CPU because the graphics card’s hardware encoder can handle it. I’d prioritize the GPU and choose a solid AM5 platform for future upgrades. A 2TB NVMe SSD would be preferable, and it’s better to buy one good power supply now rather than save money there. For 1440p, aim for a faster card such as a 9070 GRE or 9070 XT if a sale or other component savings make it fit the budget.

The original build needs several changes. Use a Ryzen 5 7600 or 7600X for gaming, or consider a newer Ryzen 5 if pricing makes sense. A dual-tower cooler would be safer than the small cooler selected. Go with 32GB of reasonably fast DDR5 in two sticks, use an NVMe SSD instead of a hard drive, and replace the budget power supply with a better-quality model. The graphics card is acceptable for 1440p, but it should be the 16GB version if you choose that model.