What’s a sensible budget for a first gaming PC in Canada?

Prebuilt systems are also worth checking in Canada, especially if you’re nervous about assembling your first PC. Look for at least 16 GB of RAM, preferably 32 GB, a 1 TB NVMe SSD, a reputable power supply, and a standard motherboard rather than heavily proprietary parts. A current midrange GPU such as an RTX 5060-class card should be more than enough for League and CS2, while also handling your other games at 1080p. I’d avoid Intel graphics cards for CS2 unless you’ve specifically checked recent driver benchmarks, since they can still have occasional issues.

Around $1,000 CAD for the tower is a reasonable starting point, though current new-part pricing can push a complete build closer to $1,200–$1,300 CAD before adding a monitor and keyboard. Your games don’t require an extremely high-end system. A midrange graphics card paired with a recent six-core processor and 32 GB of RAM should handle competitive games at high frame rates and still run titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 well. An AM5 system with DDR5 is preferable if the price is reasonable because it leaves more room for future CPU upgrades.

GTA 6 is difficult to plan around right now because the PC version and its requirements aren’t confirmed, and a poorly optimized port could be demanding regardless of the hardware. I wouldn’t spend a lot extra solely to future-proof for that game. Build for the games you play today and consider upgrading the graphics card later if needed.

Used parts can reduce the cost, but I’d be much more cautious with the power supply. Buying a new, reputable 80 Plus Gold or similarly well-reviewed PSU is a good safety choice. For peripherals, inexpensive mechanical keyboards and entry-level gaming monitors now offer solid value, so you don’t need to spend heavily there. A 1080p high-refresh-rate monitor would suit League and CS2, while a 1440p monitor would make more sense if you want sharper visuals in single-player games and have room in the budget.

Use a compatibility and price-checking tool when planning the parts. Compare actual benchmarks for the games and resolution you want rather than judging parts only by their names. Older AM4 or LGA1700 platforms can be good value, but newer AM5 is generally the better choice if you can fit it into the budget. For the graphics card, AMD often offers better traditional gaming performance per dollar, while NVIDIA is worth considering if ray tracing or certain upscaling features matter to you.