Question 9600K replacement for 6800K

[Tanyac]

My son is a gamer and also designs games using the unreal engine.
He does some Photoshop work and after affects stuff and uses the Red Giant Trap code suite.
Some video encoding, streaming of games he's playing, watching movies and browsing.
He also still uses Adobe flash.

His I7-6800K CPU is 6 core 12 thread. He has an MSI X99A XPower AC motherboard. He does not use WiFi.
He has only 1 x M.2 and he would like to add another.

So, I'm thinking of buying him an I5-9600K and mid range ATX board (Around $250 AUD - $125 USD) for his birthday.
The 9600K only has 16 PCIe Lanes so I'd have to find a motherboard that takes both M.2 slots from the chipset, whilst still allowing for at least 4 data devices. He doesn't use any other PCIe devices.

But - is his current CPU better for the types of workloads he does?
I know that games typically don't use many threads, but the design apps do.

I can do this for about $675. But if I have to stay with the HEDT technology the prices will be up to $2500, assuming I can even get a motherboard.

Or go 9900K @ $825 + a $250 motherboard.

 

[rookieGamer]

i get it, surprise gift is the best one,
but i think getting 9th gen chip now when 10th gen which few months away and especially when 10th gen is likely to have a significant improvement.. getting a 9th gen chip at this point is not a good idea.
also you might want to check AMD's ryzen chips i think they can do a much better job of things you mentioned your son do. intel still rule the single core performance but raw power of extra core is still hard to beat.

- i wouldnt buy me a 9th gen intel or 2nd gen ryzen chip now would advice you not to buy either, but you know your son better.

 

[Karadjgne]

Production means cores, bolstered by clock speeds. For Adobe CC, that means Intel, but the caveat is the 9700k is better suited than the 9600k. 8 threads vrs 6 makes a world of difference in compiling and editing. Adobe currently doesn't scale well above 8 threads, to amd chagrin, so even a high thread 2700x suffers due to IPC and clock speed restrictions. Even the i7 9800x is coming in in the middle of the pack, although if overclocked that would change, some.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/recomm...obe-Photoshop-CC-139/Hardware-Recommendations

 

[Tanyac]

Thanks for the feedback.
New chips are always at a premium price, and we often pay double what the US does. I thought about the new CPUs coming, but didn't want to let that influence what I buy.

The 9700K is about $200 more than the 9600K. That doesn't put it out of the equation, just makes it a little harder to justify price wise.

@Karadjgne - Overclocking is definitely on the cards. Over 4.0ghz if we can. The 9700K is a substantial improvement over the 9600K according to the link you provided. Sadly the 6800K isn't listed on that chart.

Is 8 cores better than 6 cores/12 threads?

The 9800X pushes us into the HEDT arena, where prices skyrocket. X299 motherboards are rare as hens teeth and as much as $1600.

This is not urgent so I will wait until the announcements in June from the next big tech event.

 

[RobCrezz]

What about a 8700k? Can you get a better deal on that?

I wouldnt go 6800k to 9600k.

 

[SkyNetRising]

He has only 1 x M.2 and he would like to add another.
So, I'm thinking of buying him an I5-9600K and mid range ATX board (Around $250 AUD - $125 USD) for his birthday.

If adding another M.2 drive is the main concern, then you can do this with M.2 to PCIE adapter card.

I'd have to agree - going from I7-6800K to I5-9600K is not a good move for multi-threaded productivity workload. It's a downgrade actually.

 

[-Fran-]

Anything outside of the X Intel platform will be a downgrade for anything development related.

You won't be satisfied with anything you buy unless it's an i7 8700K and up with the 9800K being the lowest CPU I'd say you should upgrade to in the mainstream arena.

As for AMD, unless you go thread ripper, it will also be a downgrade from the 6800K and that's a bummer. Maybe the new platform, with PCIe 4 will alleviate a lot of the worries as it will have plenty PCIe 3-compatible bandwidth to play with and won't break your bank.

This is one of those where you have to sit and wait until AMD makes its move. Intel may have something in store as well, or at least should slash the top dog prices a bit.

Cheers!

 

[mdd1963]

7900X is $870 on Amazon, currently...compared to $990 for 9900X

Might be time to look at Threadripper offerings (2950X is 16 cores)....or, wait for Ryzen 9-3800/3850, whatever the 16 core offerings are supposed to be...?

 

[TechyInAZ]

9600K doesn't make much sense as an upgrade because your demoting your son's rig to 6 cores 6 threads vs 6 cores 12 threads.

My vote would be to go at least with a 8700K or 9700K.

9900K will always be the best. Especially for game engine workloads. So if the 9900K can fit into your budget, do it!