[SOLVED] 3700x vs i7-9700K - Gaming

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Jul 26, 2019
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Hi Everyone, I bet this question has been asked, but I am looking to upgrade my PC from an i5-6600K to one of the above mentioned processors. This is the first question. Is this upgrade worth it?

Second question, I am currently running a 2060 RTX. Will there be any bottle necking issues with either the 3700x or the 9700K?

Third Question, 3700x or the i7-9700K? I really cant decide. I have had all intel processors for the last few years.

LAST QUESTION, If I do go with the 9700k, can I recycle my Cooler Master EVO Heatsink currently on my i5-6600k and reuse it?

INFO: I am going off microcenter prices, and currently BOTH processors are priced at $329.99. However, a new mobo is cheaper for AMD and I wouldnt need to replace the heatsink (if above recycle is not possible).
 
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So here is the thing, I do stream sometimes, so the 8 cores sounds really nice. Plus, I got this credit card for this purchase specifically that gives $150 cash back at $500 in the first 3 months. So I planned on spending $500-600.

I just really want to feel this upgrade, I realize the 9700k is the best for this result, but if the 3700x will give me some WOW factor in this upgrade, I can also get better ram, a nicer case, and all that jazz for the same price as a mobo + i7 combo.

Its been a really tough decision to make lol.
You can use the NVENC encoder on the GPU for streaming as well. Unless you think you'll keep the CPU for more than 3 years I doubt a 3700x will give you any real world gaming advantage over 3600 for quite...
I'd honestly go AMD not because I am a "fanboy" you need a pretty good cooler to keep 9th gen intel chips cool you can probably recycle your cooler on the AMD chip as well also no there shouldn't be any major bottleneck however something will always bottleneck your system if they didn't you'd have infinite FPS.
 

rigg42

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I'm not sure the performance would be all that different on a 2060 between the CPUs. You'll likely be GPU bound on ultra settings at 1440p and FPS would be much the same. Intel might be a little better at 1080p but probably not enough to justify the extra platform cost. Just keep in mind AMD is still getting the AGESA code for the bios' figured out. I've built 5 Ryzen 3000 machines and I've had a few bios issues here and there. What AM4 motherboard were you looking at?
 
Jul 26, 2019
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I'm not sure the performance would be all that different on a 2060 between the CPUs. You'll likely be GPU bound on ultra settings at 1440p and FPS would be much the same. Intel might be a little better at 1080p but probably not enough to justify the extra platform cost. Just keep in mind AMD is still getting the AGESA code for the bios' figured out. I've built 5 Ryzen 3000 machines and I've had a few bios issues here and there. What AM4 motherboard were you looking at?

I plan on playing at 1080p. I play alot of CSGO, Apex Legends, Overwatch, and Battalion at high level.

I was looking at cheaper mobos, something budget friendly, but havent made a decision yet. Any suggestions? Ill be upgrading at Microcenter.

Will I notice a difference at 1080p on low settings?
 
If it's for gaming, I wouldn't even upgrade to a new CPU from an i5-6600k. You would likely only likely see up to a 15% difference in performance depending on the game. An i5-6600k compared to a Ryzen 5 2600x are close to equal in performance with +/- 5% fps between them in games.

I would look for benchmarks and compare the current CPU to newer CPUs of equivalent performance in games I play and then compare that to the CPUs I want to buy. I personally would only upgrade if I knew I was going to hit my monitors high refresh rate more consistently at the native resolution.

Ask yourself if it's worth spending up to $600 on a new CPU to increase fps by 5-25% which could possibly mean only getting 5 to 25fps depending on the game. If your upgrade is also for production and other working tasks not related to gaming, you should no doubt get the Ryzen 7 3700x.
 
Jul 26, 2019
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If it's for gaming, I wouldn't even upgrade to a new CPU from an i5-6600k. You would likely only likely see up to a 15% difference in performance depending on the game. An i5-6600k compared to a Ryzen 5 2600x are close to equal in performance with +/- 5% fps between them in games.

I would look for benchmarks and compare the current CPU to newer CPUs of equivalent performance in games I play and then compare that to the CPUs I want to buy. I personally would only upgrade if I knew I was going to hit my monitors high refresh rate more consistently at the native resolution.

Ask yourself if it's worth spending up to $600 on a new CPU to increase fps by 5-25% which could possibly mean only getting 5 to 25fps depending on the game. If your upgrade is also for production and other working tasks not related to gaming, you should no doubt get the Ryzen 7 3700x.

I am running games at 1080p on low settings. My goal is to maintain 144 frames for my 144hz monitor more often. Does that justify it more?
 

rigg42

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Oct 17, 2018
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I plan on playing at 1080p. I play alot of CSGO, Apex Legends, Overwatch, and Battalion at high level.

I was looking at cheaper mobos, something budget friendly, but havent made a decision yet. Any suggestions? Ill be upgrading at Microcenter.

Will I notice a difference at 1080p on low settings?
I'd probably lean toward the Intel CPU based purely on performance. The difference at 1080p low should be pretty significant. Most recent benchmarks are done with 2080 ti's at 1080p with high/ultra settings to really show the CPU differences. You should see pretty similar FPS difference by using a 2060 on low settings.

Its kind of a lot of money to spend though for the amount of extra performance you'll get. A 3600 with a b450 board would do pretty damn good for far less than the 9700k/3700x alone would cost. You could possibly make money upgrading to ryzen 3600/b450 and selling your i5 and mobo on ebay. If you are comfortable with buying an open box board you could probably walk out of there with a pretty good board for less than $20 or a really nice board for less than $100. If you want to let me know what store location you'll use I could make a recommendation based on what they have in stock. I've used a bunch of different AM4 boards and I've done a ton of research.
 
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Jul 26, 2019
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I'd probably lean toward the Intel CPU based purely on performance. The difference at 1080p low should be pretty significant. Most recent benchmarks are done with 2080 ti's at 1080p with high/ultra settings to really show the CPU differences. You should see pretty similar FPS difference by using a 2060 on low settings.

Its kind of a lot of money to spend though for the amount of extra performance you'll get. A 3600 with a b450 board would do pretty damn good for far less than the 9700k/3700x alone would cost. You could possibly make money upgrading to ryzen 3600/b450 and selling your i5 and mobo on ebay. If you are comfortable with buying an open box board you could probably walk out of there with a pretty good board for less than $20 or a really nice board for less than $100. If you want to let me know what store location you'll use I could make a recommendation based on what they have in stock. I've used a bunch of different AM4 boards and I've done a ton of research.

Would the upgrade from an i5-6600k to a 3600 really be noticeable?
 
Jul 26, 2019
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For the most longevity (16 threads vs 12 with 3600), I'd go for the 3700X. Even if the 9700K outperforms it slightly on average and peak FPS, I'd bet the minimum fps (1% lows) numbers are likely higher with the 3700X...
So here is the thing, I do stream sometimes, so the 8 cores sounds really nice. Plus, I got this credit card for this purchase specifically that gives $150 cash back at $500 in the first 3 months. So I planned on spending $500-600.

I just really want to feel this upgrade, I realize the 9700k is the best for this result, but if the 3700x will give me some WOW factor in this upgrade, I can also get better ram, a nicer case, and all that jazz for the same price as a mobo + i7 combo.

Its been a really tough decision to make lol.
 

rigg42

Respectable
Oct 17, 2018
639
233
2,390
So here is the thing, I do stream sometimes, so the 8 cores sounds really nice. Plus, I got this credit card for this purchase specifically that gives $150 cash back at $500 in the first 3 months. So I planned on spending $500-600.

I just really want to feel this upgrade, I realize the 9700k is the best for this result, but if the 3700x will give me some WOW factor in this upgrade, I can also get better ram, a nicer case, and all that jazz for the same price as a mobo + i7 combo.

Its been a really tough decision to make lol.
You can use the NVENC encoder on the GPU for streaming as well. Unless you think you'll keep the CPU for more than 3 years I doubt a 3700x will give you any real world gaming advantage over 3600 for quite some time if it ever does. Once you enter the 200mhz auto OC in the PBO menu you get the same single core speed. Considering the fact that selling your i5 and mobo would mostly if not completely cover a 3600 and b450 I still think its a low risk hi reward purchase. Plenty left over for RAM, SSD, Case, PSU, Cooler ext. in your $500-600 budget left over. The frame times and 1% lows should be drastically improved in gaming and overall system performance will be way better if nothing else.

Not an ideal benchmark but here is a comparison with some different games and GPU's:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdaESf0_4uw
 
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