Starter — a real gaming PC under $1,000
A real gaming PC under $1,000 — for Minecraft, Roblox, and lighter Fortnite. Built in Leaside, Toronto. 2-year warranty and local Toronto delivery.
What it plays
The Starter is built around the games kids actually play. The numbers below are real — frame-rate targets we measured on this exact configuration. No "up to" tricks, no benchmarks for games your kid will never open.
| Game | Typical FPS | Settings |
|---|---|---|
| Minecraft (vanilla, Java) | 300+ FPS | 1080p, max Render distance 24 chunks. |
| Minecraft (with shaders) | 90+ FPS | 1080p, BSL medium shaders BSL is the parent-friendly default we ship. |
| Roblox | 120+ FPS | 1080p, graphics 8 Frame-cap default 144. |
| Fortnite (Performance Mode) | 120+ FPS | 1080p Performance Mode is what most kids use. |
| Fortnite (Battle Royale, DX12) | 90+ FPS | 1080p, high Drops into the 70s in heavy fights. |
| Stardew Valley | 240 FPS | 1080p, capped Will run on a calculator. Worth listing because kids ask. |
| Among Us | 240 FPS | 1080p Effortless. |
Tested 2026-04-22 at our Leaside workshop on the Starter as configured below. Real-world numbers vary with monitor, mods, and game patches; we update this table at every quarterly refresh.
What is inside
Every component is named — manufacturer and model — so you can look it up. Each one comes with a one-sentence note in plain English about why it is in the build.
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5600 Six cores, twelve threads. Plenty for Minecraft modpacks, Roblox, schoolwork, and a couple of Discord calls in the background. |
|---|---|
| GPU | Intel Arc B580 12GB The 1080p value pick of 2025. 12 GB of memory means modded Minecraft and Fortnite stay smooth where 8 GB cards start to stutter. |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4-3200 (2×8) Two sticks instead of one — runs faster, and there are two empty slots if you ever want to add more. |
| STORAGE | 500GB NVMe SSD (Gen3) Fast enough that Windows boots in under fifteen seconds. Holds Minecraft, Fortnite, Roblox, and a dozen other games with room to spare. |
| MOTHERBOARD | B550 micro-ATX A grown-up motherboard from a name brand (ASRock, MSI, or Gigabyte depending on stock). Standard layout — no proprietary parts. |
| PSU | 550W 80+ Bronze Power supply from a brand we trust (EVGA, Corsair, Seasonic). Quiet under load and built to last. |
| CASE | Quality airflow mid-tower (one ARGB front fan) Mesh front for cool air, sensible cable management. One soft-glow front fan — no rainbow strip down the side. |
| COOLING | Stock AMD Wraith cooler The Ryzen 5 5600 runs cool enough that the included cooler is genuinely fine. We have tested it. |
| OS | Windows 11 Home (genuine OEM) Properly licensed, fully updated, and pre-configured with Windows 11 Family Safety so you can set screen-time limits before your kid even unboxes it. |
If you want a longer walk-through — what we test, how we cable-manage, what BIOS settings we change — read how we build a PC.
Why $999 is not a compromise
The Starter is for the kid who is just getting into PC gaming. Most days that means Minecraft, Roblox, and a bit of Fortnite. The build pairs a six-core Ryzen with the new Intel Arc B580 — a 12 GB graphics card that handily out-runs the older RTX 3050 you will see in big-box prebuilts. The honest tradeoff: no glass panel, no rainbow lighting, and a CPU cooler that is "fine" rather than "fancy." None of that matters for the games an eight-to-eleven-year-old plays.
The cheapest comparable Canadian-built prebuilt sits around $1,549 (GamerTech and Quoted are both there). The Starter clears that ceiling by $550 because we made three honest decisions: we do not pay for a CPU your kid will not stress, we ship a clean case rather than a glass-and-RGB statement piece, and we run a tight margin on this build because the goal is to make it real, not to pad it. The parts come from the same name brands the higher tiers use.
Compare to Family and Plus
- Family ($1,499) — Family ($1,499) jumps to a Ryzen 5 7600 and an RTX 4060 — the right call if your kid plays competitive Fortnite or wants the PC to last through middle school.
- Plus ($1,899) — Plus ($1,899) is overkill for the games Starter targets. If your kid is purely on Minecraft and Roblox, Plus is money you do not need to spend.
How long should it last?
For the games it targets — Minecraft, Roblox, lighter Fortnite, schoolwork — the Starter has a comfortable three-to-four-year horizon. By year four, your kid will be a teenager, and the games they want to play may have moved on. If they have grown into competitive Fortnite at 1440p or are streaming to friends, the Family is a better fit by then.
The good news: the Starter is upgradeable. Drop in a stronger graphics card later and it picks up another two years. We will tell you exactly which card fits over email, free, even years after you bought the PC. More on this at how long does a PC last.
Parental controls — pre-configured
Every Starter ships with Windows 11 Family Safety set up before the PC arrives. Screen-time limits, content filters, app-purchase approval — all ready to go. The Parental Controls Kit in the box has a printed setup card and a link to free guides for every game your kid plays: Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft, Discord, Steam, and Epic. Real, dated guides — not marketing fluff.
Frequently asked questions
Will it run Fortnite?
Yes — at 1080p in Performance Mode it runs at 120+ FPS, which is what most kids actually play. In full Battle Royale mode at high settings it sits around 90 FPS and dips into the 70s in busy fights. If your kid plays competitive Fortnite at 144 Hz, step up to Family.
Will it run Roblox at high frame rate?
Yes. Roblox runs at 120+ FPS with the in-game graphics slider at 8 (out of 10). The Arc B580’s 12 GB of memory means the heavier Roblox experiences (like obstacle courses with lots of effects) still feel smooth.
Why is it cheaper than the big-box brands?
We do not ship a glass panel, a rainbow LED strip, or a CPU we are paying extra for headroom you would not use. The parts inside come from the same brands the higher tiers use — just lower in the line. There is no margin trick; there is just no fluff.
Can I upgrade the GPU later?
Yes. Standard PCIe slot, 550 W power supply with a spare 8-pin connector. You can drop in a more powerful card down the road. We will tell you what fits over email if you ever want to.
Does it come with Windows?
Yes — Windows 11 Home, properly licensed, fully updated, with Windows 11 Family Safety pre-configured. Your kid signs in, you do not have to set up anything before they can play.
What if my kid wants more in two years?
Two upgrade paths. Drop in a stronger graphics card (the easiest, biggest-impact change), or trade up to a Family build and we will buy back the Starter at a fair price. Email us when the day comes.
Where do you ship?
Local-only in v1: free pickup in Leaside, free hand-delivery to inner Toronto neighbourhoods, $25 short courier to East York / Don Mills / Forest Hill / Riverdale. Outside that, not in v1.
How long does shipping take?
We build to order. Most PCs ship in 3–5 business days, then 1–3 days in transit depending on where you live.
Can I pick up locally in Toronto?
Yes — we offer free pickup in Leaside by appointment. Mention pickup when you email and we’ll arrange a time.
What does the warranty cover?
2-year parts warranty on every component, plus lifetime tech support over email. If something goes wrong, we walk you through it — and if it’s a hardware fault, we replace the part.
What happens if my kid breaks something?
Accidents aren’t covered, but we’ll always quote a fair repair price on parts. We don’t mark up replacements.
Do I have to send the whole PC back?
For most issues, no — we ship a replacement part and walk you through a 10-minute swap. Only complex faults come back to us.
Is a gaming PC safe for a kid?
Yes — when it’s set up right. We pre-configure Windows 11 Family Safety, set up safe accounts on Steam and Epic, and ship every PC with our Parental Controls Kit. Our guides walk you through Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft, and Discord controls.
What age is appropriate for a gaming PC?
Most of our customers buy for kids 8–15. Younger than 8, a tablet usually fits better. We’re happy to talk through your kid’s situation before you buy — email us with their age and the games they play.