This would be my first gaming PC, and I'm looking for advice on what parts or prebuilt system would suit my needs. My budget is roughly $1,500 CAD, with up to about $2,500 CAD if the extra cost is worthwhile. I'm located in Saskatchewan, Canada, and I already have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, so the budget only needs to cover the computer itself. I mainly play Overwatch, Minecraft, Marvel Rivals, and similar games. I'd like something that runs smoothly without frequent lag and gives me room for future upgrades.
3 Answers
Since your monitor and peripherals are already covered, you can focus the entire budget on the tower. Around $1,500 CAD should be enough for smooth performance in those games, while $2,000–$2,500 CAD could get you a noticeably stronger system with more headroom for newer titles. You probably don’t need to spend the full amount unless you want high-refresh-rate gaming or long-term upgrade capacity.
One cost-effective approach is to start with a reasonably priced motherboard, processor, and 32 GB DDR5 memory bundle, then add a 1 TB SSD and a strong midrange GPU. A build in the neighborhood of $2,300–$2,400 CAD could include a current-generation processor and a 16 GB graphics card, giving you excellent upper-midrange performance. Choosing a compatible X3D processor later could also provide an easy upgrade path if you want better gaming performance in the future.
A sensible target would be a modern six- or eight-core processor, 32 GB of DDR5 memory, a 1 TB NVMe SSD, and a solid midrange graphics card. That combination should handle Overwatch, Minecraft, and Marvel Rivals comfortably at 1080p or 1440p, depending on your monitor. Make sure the power supply and airflow are good rather than putting the entire budget into the graphics card.
I mainly want something that won’t lag often, so I’m open to spending more if it makes the system smoother and more reliable.