[SOLVED] Greenhorn attempting first computer build

[DingDong07]

Hi, I acquired an ASUS ROG Maximus X1 Hero last year, now looking to complete my first build. Im a complete newbie to this.

Does it have an intergrated video card? If so I imagine it quite basic. Can I install a better graphics card?

CPU is a intel i7 coffeelake 9700K, still need to get RAM.

Any advice on graphic cards sure would be appreciated.

 

[RTX 2080]

Hi, I acquired an ASUS ROG Maximus X1 Hero last year, now looking to complete my first build. Im a complete newbie to this.

Does it have an intergrated video card? If so I imagine it quite basic. Can I install a better graphics card?

CPU is a intel i7 coffeelake 9700K, still need to get RAM.

Any advice on graphic cards sure would be appreciated.

The i7-9700k has integrated graphics, but it's only for general productivity, not gaming (I have the same CPU as you FYI). You can and absolutely should install a separate GPU in order to play games.

The important questions are:

1. What is the resolution and refresh rate of your monitor?
2. What games do you want to play and at what quality settings (low, medium, high, ultra)
3. What is your budget?

Some advice:

• You should buy 16 GB of RAM: 2 x 8 GB Sticks
• If you haven't bought a power supply yet, you should buy a quality unit from Corsair, Seasonic, or another highly reputable brand that is at least 750 watts and Gold-rated.

 

[DingDong07]

I haven't purchased a monitor as yet, my current one is dead. I like to play with flight simulators and Steam American Trucker. Favorite game is Doom and that genre.

Just got from a local computer store closing it doors a Thematake 700 Watt power supply, hope that is enough?

My budget is around 500-600 usd mark for a graphic card.

 

[RTX 2080]

The sweet spot for most people with gaming these days is on a 1440p 144 Hz monitor. Why? Better pixel density than 1080p, less expensive and easier to run than 4K, and up to 144 Hz refresh rate means that you can run games like Doom at high refresh rates.

If you wanted such a monitor, I'd recommend you a RTX 3070 (when they come back in stock; right now all the good graphics cards are sold out due to widespread shortages). That GPU is $500 USD, is almost as fast as the old 2080 Ti, and should run your games well both now and several years down the road.

What is the specific model of your power supply? Depending on which one it is, it might not be enough for the type of build you are looking at.

 

[DingDong07]

I live in a small town on the Pacific north coast of Canada, so everything is via mail order. You're sure right about stock being sold out. Would you recommend AMD or Nvidia?
Any manufacturer that stands out in your opinion?

I was on vacation last year, before all this covid mayhem. Browsing around a computer store and saw a Thermaltake TR2 and was dazzled by the cable management system
and I very well knew at the time I was looking in the 750-800 Watt range. On sale and an impulse buy.

To this point I have been ordering thru Newegg Canada. Just did a quick boo at their RTX 3070graphics cards..like nothing available. Any mail order businesses you would recommend?
I have to watch out for places that just use UPS, quite a sting with hidden brokerage fees at the border I have found out the hard way lol. Has made me shy away from ordering from the States.

 

[RTX 2080]

I prefer Nvidia for many reasons, some of which might not matter to you, but they usually have better drivers, ray tracing performance is better, and DLSS is a killer feature in my opinion. I also prefer G-sync (not "compatible" but the kind with the G-sync module in the monitor. It works better than freesync).

I live in California, so I don't know of any mail order places, sorry. Very few people are able to get their hands on a RTX 3070 right now (or AMD equivalent) so it's a matter of patiently waiting for the GPUs we want to come back in stock (right now they're estimating Q1 2021 is when we'll start seeing widespread availability).