[SOLVED] 4k Gaming Build - i5 9400F or i5 9600K

[SgtKorte]

All,

Getting ready to build a new machine and soliciting a little CPU advice here. Want to know if it's worthwhile to buy a 9600K (or better) on a machine that will be primarily gaming at 4k, or if a 9400F is plenty CPU power considering majority of games are GPU bound at that resolution. For context, my old machine and preliminary new machine specs are below. This is a HTPC that really only games on my 4k TV and runs Oculus VR.

Current Rig:
Core i5 6500
ASRock H170m/ITX ac
16GB DDR4 2133
GTX 1080 FE
1TB Evo 860
2TB Hybrid SSD+HDD

Planned New Rig:
Core i5 9400F (or 9600K)
Gigabyte Z390 AORUS Pro WiFi ATX
16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3200
RTX 2080 Ti
2x 2TB Patriot VPN100 M.2 2280 in RAID 0

 

[prince_xaine]

The i5-9400F is enough, but the 9600K would be better for the long haul.

 

[Rodrigodrt]

Right off the box the F will be about 15% slower, it will do the trick, sure, but thats it, period, it cant be overclocked, and if im not mistaken, the F ones doesn't have an integrated graphics unit, means that if you need a backup GPU while the main one goes to repair, you'll be left in the darkness.

the K can be overclocked, on top of being 15% faster overall, but its more pricey, clearly.

if you gonna overclock, get the K, you could get another good effective 10% power if well done, for an overall 25%, thats quite well noticeable.

however, personally I hate the 9 series, i consider them a refresh of the refresh and a frankenstein chip, and considering the 4 core / 8 thread is now quite sub-optimal, 6c / 6t while perfectly fine and enough, meh, not so future proof, i'd wait for the 10th gen, but as for now, the K no doubt.

 

[TCA_ChinChin]

Since you're playing at 4k, maybe consider one of the new Ryzen chips? Something like the r7 3700x or r5 3600 depending on how much you want to spend. It won't really be CPU bound as much so you'll see little difference, if any between the new Ryzen 3 chips versus the current 9th gen Intel. If you want to stick with Intel, then yeah I would recommend the 9600k over the 9400f. Higher clocks and the ability to actually take advantage of the z390 mobo's overclocking ability.

 

[SgtKorte]

Since you're playing at 4k, maybe consider one of the new Ryzen chips? Something like the r7 3700x or r5 3600 depending on how much you want to spend. It won't really be CPU bound as much so you'll see little difference, if any between the new Ryzen 3 chips versus the current 9th gen Intel. If you want to stick with Intel, then yeah I would recommend the 9600k over the 9400f. Higher clocks and the ability to actually take advantage of the z390 mobo's overclocking ability.

I've typically stayed away from AMD since I last had one of their CPU's (FX-60, way back when lol). Their new chips are much better than before, but if I am spending $150 or $250, I am probably leaning closer to Intel. PCI-e 4.0 has me wondering about waiting entirely though to see what comes out of it on the GPU side. I might go with the 9600k and re-use my GTX 1080 and see if any new refresh comes out for either Green or Red that takes advantage.

 

[mdd1963]

With NVidia having only just released the Super series , and AMD only just releasing the 5700 and 5700XT a day or two ago, there is little chance of anything new and exciting coming down the PCI-e 4.0 /GPU compatibility-pike...

The R5-3600 and 3600X could easily put a dent in future 9400/9400F sales.

If only there was a 3600G! (I just ordered an 8400 for an HTPC despite it costing almost as much as the R5-3600, not quite being confident of the 2400G's quad core architecture...(client does not intend any gaming at all)

As to the original question, it appears indeed that once 4k limited by GPU, the 9400F will match anything else out there....(as counter-intuitive as it sometimes seems)

 

[TCA_ChinChin]

I've typically stayed away from AMD since I last had one of their CPU's (FX-60, way back when lol). Their new chips are much better than before, but if I am spending $150 or $250, I am probably leaning closer to Intel. PCI-e 4.0 has me wondering about waiting entirely though to see what comes out of it on the GPU side. I might go with the 9600k and re-use my GTX 1080 and see if any new refresh comes out for either Green or Red that takes advantage.

I don't want to push you away from Intel, but I would strongly recommend the current Ryzen R5 3600 for you currently. It is still slightly behind in gaming, but it won't really be noticeable at 4k resolution. If you want some concrete data, GamersNexus has some good benchmarks for the R5-3600 versus the i5-9600k.

Otherwise, if you stick with the i5-9600k, I think your current plan of waiting for Nvidia/AMD's new graphics cards is a good idea.

 

[SgtKorte]

I don't want to push you away from Intel, but I would strongly recommend the current Ryzen R5 3600 for you currently. It is still slightly behind in gaming, but it won't really be noticeable at 4k resolution. If you want some concrete data, GamersNexus has some good benchmarks for the R5-3600 versus the i5-9600k.

Otherwise, if you stick with the i5-9600k, I think your current plan of waiting for Nvidia/AMD's new graphics cards is a good idea.

I am taking a look at the AMD options right now. From what I have read, AMD CPU's have the 16 PCI-E lanes for graphics, plus 4 additional lanes for NVMe and 4 for the chipset, which would help boast my expected 2x2TB Raid 0 NVMe setup. If CPU isn't going to be a bottleneck for either OEM at this resolution, than the additional AMD PCI-e lanes could be the deciding factor, along with price. 🙂

 

[SgtKorte]

@TCA_ChinChin :

So after reviewing the new AMD chips, I have decided to ditch Intel for the 1st time in years, way better bang for the buck. My expected new config is below, although I am holding on to my GTX 1080 for the time being as I am not "SUPER" excited about any of the current GPU offerings. That being said, what's your opinion on the 3600 X vs the 3600? Is there any reason to spring the extra $50 for the X model, because based on my research, I don't feel it's necessary.

Planned New Rig:
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
MSI - MPG X570 Gaming Edge WiFi AM4 Motherboard
CM - ML120L RGB Liquid CPU Cooler
Cougar - MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case
G.Skill - 16GB Trident RGB DDR4 3200
2x 2TB Patriot VPN100 M.2 2280 in RAID 0
nVidia GTX 1080 (Recycle)

 

[TCA_ChinChin]

@TCA_ChinChin :

So after reviewing the new AMD chips, I have decided to ditch Intel for the 1st time in years, way better bang for the buck. My expected new config is below, although I am holding on to my GTX 1080 for the time being as I am not "SUPER" excited about any of the current GPU offerings. That being said, what's your opinion on the 3600 X vs the 3600? Is there any reason to spring the extra $50 for the X model, because based on my research, I don't feel it's necessary.

Planned New Rig:
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
MSI - MPG X570 Gaming Edge WiFi AM4 Motherboard
CM - ML120L RGB Liquid CPU Cooler
Cougar - MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case
G.Skill - 16GB Trident RGB DDR4 3200
2x 2TB Patriot VPN100 M.2 2280 in RAID 0
nVidia GTX 1080 (Recycle)

There isn't much of a difference, I think. If there is any difference, its definitely not worth 50$. I think what you have now is quite nice so if you're set on this, good luck, have fun!