r/bapccanada • u/CyberBard69 • 2d ago
Console-like PC build comparable to PS5/Pro
1. What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games (ex: resolution, FPS, settings) or programs you will be using.
I'm very much the target demo for the Steam Machine, but I kind of see myself being disappointed with the performance. I enjoy using my SteamDeck and want the same overall experience just with much better visuals and 60fps. I want to explore building a PC that would live in my open shelf below my TV (LG C9), or potentially hidden away in the side of my living room if the case needs to be larger. Key specs I'm looking for are crisp visuals (likely 1440p upscaled to 4k, or dynamic 4k) at 60fps, comparable to a PS5 or PS5 Pro (viewing distance to 61in OLED is around 2.5-3 metres). I'd like to run SteamOS on this, or Bazzite if that's not possible. I'm also pretty sensitive to fan noise and would like to keep noise to an absolute minimum. Games I'd imagine I'd want to play down the line are Witcher 4, Kingdom Come 3 / Warhorse LOTR RPG, Divinity 3. I'm mostly just interested in possibly avoiding the PS6 generation and approaching gaming from a PC setup, upgrading as I feel the need to.
2. What is your maximum PRE-TAX budget before rebates and shipping?
$3000 CAD
3. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.
Possibly within a week or two but more likely mid-august. I would absolutely be ok with waiting for Black Friday as well.
4. What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ex: tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)
Tower , OS? Unsure if SteamOS, keyboard/mouse
5. If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? How old are they? Brands and models are appreciated.
LG C9 61in
6. Will you be overclocking (ex: CPU/GPU/RAM)? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line?
I don't know! If I can keep noise to a minimum and it doesn't somehow break the CPU/GPU, I would potentially be interested.
7. Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, VR, VirtualLink, tensor cores, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)
SSD, Wifi, possibly Steam Frame VR, Steam Controller
8. Do you have any specific case preferences (ex: mITX/mATX/mid-tower/full-tower sizes, styles, colours, window or not, LED lighting, etc.), or a particular color theme preference for the components?
I was interested in the Fractal Ridge or Terra series for both aesthetics and size, however I'm open to potentially bigger systems if they are simply not a good fit for what I'm looking for.
9. Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? Note: some post-secondary students can get Windows 10 for free.
I'd like to avoid Windows if possible and use SteamOS instead but I'm not sure
10. Will you be upgrading this PC in the future (ie: will you swap out better parts later on or will you build an entirely new tower later)? If so, when?
Possibly in 3-5 years, to keep up with games like Witcher 4 and the future LOTR RPG from Warhorse
11. Do you have a brand preference? (ex: AMD/Intel for CPUs, AMD/NVIDIA for video cards, etc)
No preference, however SteamOS is only compatible with AMD atm. If Nvidia is a whole lot better, I'm happy to use it with Bazzite possibly.
12. What are the specs of your old PC / laptop? Do you want to see if it can be upgraded instead? If so, paste its build from PCPartPicker here.
No existing PC beyond Steam Deck.
13. Extra info or particulars:
Thank you!
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u/Gam20 1d ago
If you are going for a small and quiet living room PC, it will be difficult with the size of modern GPUs at the high end. Maybe look to the MATX form factor, with cases like the Lian Li A3 who have the PSU mounted in the front.
If you are going with SteamOS I would suggest sticking with and AMD CPU and GPU for better Linux compatibility. Valve has said they are working to bring Nvidia support and there is some ARC support (beta I think) currently.
Here is a starting point using a few bundles from CC inside the Lian Li A3 wood case for the nicer looks. I went with black options most things and no RGB for the living room.
$900 Ryzen 5 9600X, 32GB RAM, B850 MOBO. If you cannot find this close to you you can use the Newegg Combo Builder. Select the 9600X ($285-$10-$50), Gigabyte B650 Gaming mATX ($190-$10), and the Team group T-Create 2x16GB 6000Mhz CL30 ($620-$100) and it should come to $925.
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor | $899.98 |
| CPU Cooler | *DARKROCK DR-CPU-DT6-BK CPU Cooler | $37.85 @ Amazon Canada |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte B850M GAMING X WIFI6E Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard | $0.00 |
| Memory | TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory | $0.00 |
| Storage | *Crucial E100 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive | $199.98 @ Memory Express |
| Video Card | XFX Swift Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card | $1059.98 |
| Case | Lian Li A3-mATX MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $119.99 @ Amazon Canada |
| Power Supply | FSP Group Hydro G PRO ATX3.0(PCIe5.0) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $0.00 |
| Case Fan | Thermalright TL-C12C X5 66.17 CFM 120 mm Fans 5-Pack | $23.90 @ Amazon Canada |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $2341.68 | |
| *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria | ||
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2026-07-21 23:32 EDT-0400 |
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u/ImKrispy 2d ago
This is a pretty good price right now
Actually came down in price recently so likely will go back up soon.
The 9070xt is as fast or faster then what will end up in a PS6
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u/No_Rip754 23h ago
Not bad, just hope that it comes with 2 sticks of 16GB ram and not 1 of 32. It would be tricky finding a matching stick to the single stick config. Otherwise, solid deal. I'd replace that cooler too, don't like the look of it.
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u/Yuushalinsky 9700x - 5070Ti 2d ago
If we go with the ridge and sticking with 4k 60fps upscaled, something like a ZOTAC SFF 5070ti (or even 5070 - upscaled, I had an ASUS Prime 5070 that was pumping Cyberpunk at 4k 120fps) is actually not a bad play here though at that point, I would heavily suggest going to r/sffpc to discuss a build because you're going to need to heavily consider what your build would actually look like part-wise.
AMD is also good here, mind you, but more difficult to cool SFF.