The members’ toolkit

Builds a parts list, checks the parts fit each other (socket, case size, power), and prices every line at Canadian stores on its Canadian edition. The list The Build Sheet starts from.

Reads the processor, motherboard, chipset and memory in a running PC, down to each stick’s timings. Start here before planning an upgrade to an old build.

Choose a processor, graphics card, board, memory and drives and it adds up the wattage. Its lists include RTX 50 series cards and Ryzen 9000 chips.

Makes a bootable USB stick from a Windows or Linux ISO for a clean install on a new build. Runs without installing, on Windows 8 or later.

Turns one USB drive into a boot menu: copy several ISO files onto it and pick one at startup, with no reformatting between installers.

Boots from a USB stick and tests memory for faults outside Windows. Run it on a new build, or when a PC crashes and you suspect the RAM.

Adds a price history chart to Amazon.ca product pages and alerts you when an item drops below your target price or comes back in stock.

Watches retailer pages for graphics cards and consoles and alerts you when stock appears. Has a Canada section; alerts need a free account.

Compares PC game prices across stores and shows each game’s historical low, Canadian prices included. Its waitlist alerts you at the price you set.

An independent Steam database, not run by Valve: a price table and graph for each game, and the dates of the next Steam sales.

Shows temperatures, fan speeds, voltages, loads and clock speeds for the processor, graphics card, board and drives. Free and open source.

Captures frame times while you play, then charts and compares runs, so a stutter shows up even when the average frame rate looks fine.

Graphics benchmarks with scores you can set against other PCs or your own before an upgrade. The free demo has Steel Nomad, Time Spy and Fire Strike.

Maxon’s render benchmark. It scores the processor and the graphics card on the same scene, which makes before-and-after comparisons simple.

Reads the health status and temperature of SSDs and hard drives, NVMe included. Worth a look before you move an old drive into a new build.

Controls RGB lighting on many brands’ boards, memory, cards and peripherals from one app, without each maker’s software. Free and open source.

Remaps keys, layers and macros on QMK keyboards from a web page, with no install. Works with more than 1,400 keyboards. Open source.

Logitech G’s app for DPI, button assignments and LIGHTSYNC lighting on its mice, keyboards, headsets, wheels and microphones.

SteelSeries’ app: Engine sets lighting and macros on its gear, Sonar tunes game and chat audio and cuts mic noise, Moments saves clips.

Razer’s app for button remapping, macros and settings such as Rapid Trigger on its devices. A web version handles quick changes.

Records and streams from scenes you build out of game capture, webcam, capture card, images and text, with an audio mixer. Free and open source.

Keeps GeForce drivers current and records gameplay. Instant Replay saves the last 30 seconds when something worth keeping happens.

Removes keyboard and fan noise from your mic and blurs or replaces the background behind your webcam. Needs an RTX 2060 or newer.

Elgato’s audio mixing app, with effects for the microphone. It works with any mic, not only Elgato’s.

A full video editor for cutting recordings into clips and videos. The free version handles most 8-bit formats up to 4K at 60 frames per second.

Fact sheets from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety on monitor position, chairs, keyboards, mice and sit-stand desks.

Reminds you to take breaks: by default a 20-second mini break every 10 minutes and a 5-minute break every 30. Postpone or skip as needed.

Browser tests from Blur Busters that show a monitor’s motion blur, ghosting, refresh rate and frame skipping. Run it after setting a new refresh rate.