[SOLVED] Best Pairing of CPU/GPU's upgrading from a i5 7600K/1060 6 GB

[BryceSpicey]

So I'm looking to upgrade from my ASUS GTX 1060 6 GB and i5 7600K to the next step. These would flawlessly run games at high above 100 frames at 1080p a couple years ago, but not so much anymore. I'm just looking to run for the majority open world games and system demanding games like Borderlands 3 and EFT on Ultra settings at a consistent 60+, perf 100+ on most games released this year. I'm currently looking at the i7 9700K and the RTX 2060, I was thinking the 2070 but I'm not looking to run games anything above the resolution of 1080p, so the $150/200 increase in price isn't worth it. Better pairings for similar/better performance are appreciated for around the same price or less, any brand AMD, Nvidia Intel and all. If the current idea of what I have, being the 9700K and 2060 will work great for what I'm trying to achieve, please let me know thank you

 

[Phaaze88]

If your current memory kit is at least 3000mhz, I'd say either AMD or Intel would be viable.
If it's speed is lower than that, stick with the 9700k + 2060(Super) combo.
Unlike Ryzen, Intel's cpus don't have some 20-30% of their performance gated behind memory speed. You can just carry over your current kit to the new combo.

The AMD competitors to the 2060 and Super version are the Vega 56(used) and RX 5700(non XT). The 5700 should be a better value over the 2060 Super, but there is a small con that is often overlooked:
The RX 5700 is much more recent, and with anything new, it's going to have it's share of bugs, compatibility, and other problems that'll get ironed out in driver releases over a few to several months.
The 2060 is older, and thus the drivers are more mature. The 16 and 20 series cards are just a more refined 10 series anyway.

 

[BryceSpicey]

If your current memory kit is at least 3000mhz, I'd say either AMD or Intel would be viable.
If it's speed is lower than that, stick with the 9700k + 2060(Super) combo.
Unlike Ryzen, Intel's cpus don't have some 20-30% of their performance gated behind memory speed. You can just carry over your current kit to the new combo.

The AMD competitors to the 2060 and Super version are the Vega 56(used) and RX 5700(non XT). The 5700 should be a better value over the 2060 Super, but there is a small con that is often overlooked:
The RX 5700 is much more recent, and with anything new, it's going to have it's share of bugs, compatibility, and other problems that'll get ironed out in driver releases over a few to several months.
The 2060 is older, and thus the drivers are more mature. The 16 and 20 series cards are just a more refined 10 series anyway.

I’ve always preferred/liked Nvidia/Intel, so I guess it works out, then. I could upgrade my ram, I have I think 2660 MHz, but would it really be worth it?

 

[Phaaze88]

I’ve always preferred/liked Nvidia/Intel, so I guess it works out, then. I could upgrade my ram, I have I think 2660 MHz, but would it really be worth it?

IMO, no. Get a 9700k and carry your current memory kit over.
2666 - 3200mhz would be a pretty significant diffence with Ryzen though.

 

[j3ster]

9700k with 2060 super or 5700 or even the 5700 XT should be good.
whats your current system spec down to the power supply.

but the 3600/3700x would be a far better option in my opinion.

 

[BryceSpicey]

Currently I’ve got
CPU: i5 7600K (selling/upgrading)
GPU: ASUS 1060 6 GB (sold/upgrading)
PSU: Gold Certified Corsair 650 W
RAM: Two sticks of 8 GB 2666 MHz
Drives: 2 SSD’s and 1 HDD
Case: Coolermaster half 912
Motherboard=Being upgrading depending on the CPU, butt currently I think off the top of my head is a MSI B250M
My main accomplishment here is to try and find the best bang for buck and a worthy, noticeable upgrade for 1080p gaming from my previous 7600k and 1060.

 

[mdd1963]

I'd go for the 2070 Super or 5700XT, either of which might be more than needed now, but, I'd speculate that extra $100-$150 now will spare you shopping for a new GPU for at least an extra year... In fact, I have an Asus GTX1060 (6 GB) myself, and it's possible that with just the CPU and MB, you'd be pretty happy another year at 1080P, once no longer tanking your FPS because of being thread challenged with only 4c/4t... (If you can ever find the 9900KF on sale for only $419 again, I'd go for it as well!)

(The 1060 might not handle ultra/max quality on newest games, but, it sure handles high quality on 95% of most games fine...; BF1 still looks gorgeous on it with everything on high. I had planned on upgrading GPUs myself this year, but, as BF1 still plays great, I've delayed the shopping experience until I think it is actually needed)

 

[j3ster]

Currently I’ve got
CPU: i5 7600K (selling/upgrading)
GPU: ASUS 1060 6 GB (sold/upgrading)
PSU: Gold Certified Corsair 650 W
RAM: Two sticks of 8 GB 2666 MHz
Drives: 2 SSD’s and 1 HDD
Case: Coolermaster half 912
Motherboard=Being upgrading depending on the CPU, butt currently I think off the top of my head is a MSI B250M
My main accomplishment here is to try and find the best bang for buck and a worthy, noticeable upgrade for 1080p gaming from my previous 7600k and 1060.

is that a RM 650w? if it is you wont really need to change that along with you case and obviously drives.

whats your budget for upgrading?

 

[Phaaze88]

While Ryzen does have a better bang for buck, but when considering what you already have - that 2666mhz memory kit.
If you were to go and get a 3600 or 3700X and pair it with your current memory, that's like 15-20% performance already off the table - remember my post on memory speeds with Ryzen.

Do you believe spending another $80-$100 on a new kit of faster memory so you're not missing out on that 15-20% performance is going to be worth it???

 

[BryceSpicey]

is that a RM 650w? if it is you wont really need to change that along with you case and obviously drives.

whats your budget for upgrading?

For the motherboard, preferably around $100 or less, not looking for anything flashy just as long as it gets the job done and doesn’t limit performance, plus I don’t intend to overclock, or at least much at all.
As for the CPU $300-400
And the GPU $300-400 I can maybe push that further but would prefer not to.
Honestly there are no “limits” just more so, if I spend a small amount extra of X in exchange for a huge performance increase being Y, I’ll do it for sure. So if I have to spend an extra $100 for a HUGE performance increase in something, I don’t mind.

While Ryzen does have a better bang for buck, but when considering what you already have - that 2666mhz memory kit.
If you were to go and get a 3600 or 3700X and pair it with your current memory, that's like 15-20% performance already off the table - remember my post on memory speeds with Ryzen.

Do you believe spending another $80-$100 on a new kit of faster memory so you're not missing out on that 15-20% performance is going to be worth it???

So you’re saying it’s a 15-20% boost from the 9700K if I spend $100 more on the memory so the Ryzen doesn’t have limited performance? Hmm tempting lol. My only concern is that I don’t think the CPU needs to get better in this scenario, but maybe the GPU, unless I want even more of a bottleneck or maybe there’s a better pairing for the Ryzen so there isn’t as much limited performance.

 

[j3ster]

For the motherboard, preferably around $100 or less, not looking for anything flashy just as long as it gets the job done and doesn’t limit performance, plus I don’t intend to overclock, or at least much at all.
As for the CPU $300-400
And the GPU $300-400 I can maybe push that further but would prefer not to.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($359.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler ($74.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z390 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB AORUS Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $989.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available



vs



PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($234.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.95 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB XC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($549.99 @ B&H)
Total: $994.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
(you can add an after market cooler which id suggest but the stock cooler should suffice for normal use.)
(also be sure to get the b450 tomahawk MAX version which has its bios updated out of the box)

not breaking the 1000USD upgrade point
but you can also get either the 3700x or the 3800x for the amd upgrade path.

 

[BryceSpicey]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($359.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler ($74.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z390 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB AORUS Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $989.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available



vs



PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor ($234.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.95 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB XC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($549.99 @ B&H)
Total: $994.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
(you can add an after market cooler which id suggest but the stock cooler should suffice for normal use.)
(also be sure to get the b450 tomahawk MAX version which has its bios updated out of the box)

not breaking the 1000USD upgrade point
but you can also get either the 3700x or the 3800x for the amd upgrade path.

Thank you! I think I’ll go with the 2060 super, would the extra 150 from the 2060 super to the base 2070 be worth it, in your opinion? Do you know the percent margin for better performance? AMD seems suspiciously cheaper for the same or better performance compared to intel, is there a catch?

 

[j3ster]

Thank you! I think I’ll go with the 2060 super, would the extra 150 from the 2060 super to the base 2070 be worth it, in your opinion? Do you know the percent margin for better performance? AMD seems suspiciously cheaper for the same or better performance compared to intel, is there a catch?

you can watch or read about the 2060 super vs 2070 (non super) im not fairly certain which is better.

thats why Ryzen 3rd gen is such a great product stack especially the 3600/3600x.
intel maintains a premium because they claim they have great IPC but ryzen 3rd gen has pretty much caught up, thats why i prefer the 2nd option over the intel having ther 2070 super also helps with fps more so than the abit faster 9700k vs the 3600x.

you can also get the 3700x instead of the 3600 and still retain the RTX 2070 super.

 

[Phaaze88]

...
So you’re saying it’s a 15-20% boost from the 9700K if I spend $100 more on the memory so the Ryzen doesn’t have limited performance? Hmm tempting lol. My only concern is that I don’t think the CPU needs to get better in this scenario, but maybe the GPU, unless I want even more of a bottleneck or maybe there’s a better pairing for the Ryzen so there isn’t as much limited performance.

No. I was saying that it's a 15-20% boost for Ryzen between 2666 and 3200mhz ram.

Thank you! I think I’ll go with the 2060 super, would the extra 150 from the 2060 super to the base 2070 be worth it, in your opinion? Do you know the percent margin for better performance? AMD seems suspiciously cheaper for the same or better performance compared to intel, is there a catch?

1)2060 Super is essentially a 2070. You'll notice next to no difference. 2070 is no longer in production, thus is being replaced by the former. Same thing with the 2070 Super and 2080.

2)AMD doesn't have a choice but to be the value option. They've almost always been the value option. They are trying to earn greater marketshare, and what better way to do that?

3)AMD's RX 5700 and XT directly compete with the 2060 Super and 2070 Super.

4)AMD has caught up to Intel in cpu gaming performance, save for the 9700k and 9900k - darn close though, and better value - and completely stomped them in productivity with Ryzen 3000.
AMD still has a ways to go in the gpu market though. They can't touch Nvidia in the high end market, and Intel is just around the corner, and both of these companies are working with much bigger budgets...

5)The catch is, as with any new product, ironing out all - at least, most of - the bugs. It happens without fail.
Driver stability and system compatibility will get patched in over time in a few to several months. Intel and Nvidia are going to be the more stable platforms until most of those bugs are dealt with - now, not everyone is going to run into problems, the ones that do are usually the minority.

 

[BryceSpicey]

No. I was saying that it's a 15-20% boost for Ryzen between 2666 and 3200mhz ram.


1)2060 Super is essentially a 2070. You'll notice next to no difference. 2070 is no longer in production, thus is being replaced by the former. Same thing with the 2070 Super and 2080.

2)AMD doesn't have a choice but to be the value option. They've almost always been the value option. They are trying to earn greater marketshare, and what better way to do that?

3)AMD's RX 5700 and XT directly compete with the 2060 Super and 2070 Super.

4)AMD has caught up to Intel in cpu gaming performance, save for the 9700k and 9900k - darn close though, and better value - and completely stomped them in productivity with Ryzen 3000.
AMD still has a ways to go in the gpu market though. They can't touch Nvidia in the high end market, and Intel is just around the corner, and both of these companies are working with much bigger budgets...

5)The catch is, as with any new product, ironing out all - at least, most of - the bugs. It happens without fail.
Driver stability and system compatibility will get patched in over time in a few to several months. Intel and Nvidia are going to be the more stable platforms until most of those bugs are dealt with - now, not everyone is going to run into problems, the ones that do are usually the minority.

Thank you, very informative, thanks for clarifying So you're saying if I don't mind the occasional bugs/instability, AMD is definitely my best option here, all around, essentially, to summarize? Other than ATM graphics cards, but will be in the soon future, possibly. To conclude an AMD processor and a Nvidia graphics card should be my choice? At least when it comes to the perspective of value per dollar?

you can watch or read about the 2060 super vs 2070 (non super) im not fairly certain which is better.

thats why Ryzen 3rd gen is such a great product stack especially the 3600/3600x.
intel maintains a premium because they claim they have great IPC but ryzen 3rd gen has pretty much caught up, thats why i prefer the 2nd option over the intel having ther 2070 super also helps with fps more so than the abit faster 9700k vs the 3600x.

you can also get the 3700x instead of the 3600 and still retain the RTX 2070 super.

Hmmm AMD is seeming to be better and better... I may have to go with them if I'm gonna be honest, extra room for the better graphics card, possibly.

 

[j3ster]

Thank you, very informative, thanks for clarifying So you're saying if I don't mind the occasional bugs/instability, AMD is definitely my best option here, all around, essentially, to summarize? Other than ATM graphics cards, but will be in the soon future, possibly. To conclude an AMD processor and a Nvidia graphics card should be my choice? At least when it comes to the perspective of value per dollar?

Hmmm AMD is seeming to be better and better... I may have to go with them if I'm gonna be honest, extra room for the better graphics card, possibly.

id agree on what phaaze says, ryzen 3rd gen has bugs and problems since its still very very fresh.. but knowing people who upgraded to ryzen 3rd (although its a rather smaller sample size but still worth pointing out) and they found no problems what so ever. so yea go for intel for just the peace of mind that it works or go for AMD where you might experience some problems (big question mark).

but in a nutshell AMD is just really good especially if you have a budget in mind, which if i was in your place with the given budget the 3600/3600x with the 2070 super is a no brainer.

 

[BryceSpicey]

id agree on what phaaze says, ryzen 3rd gen has bugs and problems since its still very very fresh.. but knowing people who upgraded to ryzen 3rd (although its a rather smaller sample size but still worth pointing out) and they found no problems what so ever. so yea go for intel for just the peace of mind that it works or go for AMD where you might experience some problems (big question mark).

but in a nutshell AMD is just really good especially if you have a budget in mind, which if i was in your place with the given budget the 3600/3600x with the 2070 super is a no brainer.

Okay, that'll most likely be my decision, thanks for all the help

 

[Phaaze88]

Thank you, very informative, thanks for clarifying So you're saying if I don't mind the occasional bugs/instability, AMD is definitely my best option here, all around, essentially, to summarize?

Yes. They'll get the kinks patched out in time. Some people would even recommend waiting a few months after a new product has launched specifically because of that.

Other than ATM graphics cards, but will be in the soon future, possibly. To conclude an AMD processor and a Nvidia graphics card should be my choice? At least when it comes to the perspective of value per dollar?

If you're all about that bang for buck, for cpu/gpu you go AMD/AMD.
If you got money to burn, it's Intel/Nvidia.
IMO, the best balanced combo currently is AMD/Nvidia.

Hmmm AMD is seeming to be better and better... I may have to go with them if I'm gonna be honest, extra room for the better graphics card, possibly.

Yeah, Intel is in a tough spot right now. They really don't have anything save for their 9700k and 9900k, and even the speed advantage they have over AMD's fastest cpus is nothing to make a fuss over... yet some people still insist on getting the 'absolute fastest/bestest(?) for gaming'... Even though it's like $200+ more than the competition, and only yields 20 more fps???
The logic behind some people, I tell ya...

 

[BryceSpicey]

Yes. They'll get the kinks patched out in time. Some people would even recommend waiting a few months after a new product has launched specifically because of that.



If you're all about that bang for buck, for cpu/gpu you go AMD/AMD.
If you got money to burn, it's Intel/Nvidia.
IMO, the best balanced combo currently is AMD/Nvidia.



Yeah, Intel is in a tough spot right now. They really don't have anything save for their 9700k and 9900k, and even the speed advantage they have over AMD's fastest cpus is nothing to make a fuss over... yet some people still insist on getting the 'absolute fastest/bestest(?) for gaming'... Even though it's like $200+ more than the competition, and only yields 20 more fps???
The logic behind some people, I tell ya...

So after a lot of research myself, I think the best combo at this point would be the Ryzen 3600x and the 2070 Super. This fixes my slight bottleneck issue almost completly. It kinda stinks the Ryzen has 2 less cores, but like you mentioned it's not worth $200 more for 2 cores, especially at the clock speeds of the 3600x. Having to upgrade the ram kinda stinks, so it's technically $325, but that's still around $60 less compared to Intel (plus not to mention it is a ram upgrade). Now, with that money being saved I can get the 2070 Super, so it works out. I would go for the AMD graphics card, but I'm willing to spend the extra $100 for the 2070 S, considering for a $100 the difference in performance is pretty large.
So final Decision would be the Ryzen 3600X and the RTX 2070 S

 

[Phaaze88]

So after a lot of research myself, I think the best combo at this point would be the Ryzen 3600x and the 2070 Super. This fixes my slight bottleneck issue almost completly. It kinda stinks the Ryzen has 2 less cores, but like you mentioned it's not worth $200 more for 2 cores, especially at the clock speeds of the 3600x. Having to upgrade the ram kinda stinks, so it's technically $325, but that's still around $60 less compared to Intel (plus not to mention it is a ram upgrade). Now, with that money being saved I can get the 2070 Super, so it works out. I would go for the AMD graphics card, but I'm willing to spend the extra $100 for the 2070 S, considering for a $100 the difference in performance is pretty large.
So final Decision would be the Ryzen 3600X and the RTX 2070 S

Save your money and get the 3600(non X). You'd be paying a price premium for a bloody LETTER:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYiz0iUvp9w

 

[BryceSpicey]

Save your money and get the 3600(non X). You'd be paying a price premium for a bloody LETTER:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYiz0iUvp9w

That is a good point, that'll make the combo of the 3600 and the ram only 270, $100 less. Another thought, would it be a bad idea to get the 2070 S prior, use it with the current system until I sell my current processor in a couple weeks? I realize it'll be a pretty large bottleneck, but I don't have a graphics card right now, lol. I'd overclock the 7600k to compensate a tad, but I don't think I can with my current motherboard.

 

[Phaaze88]

That is a good point, that'll make the combo of the 3600 and the ram only 270, $100 less. Another thought, would it be a bad idea to get the 2070 S prior, use it with the current system until I sell my current processor in a couple weeks? I realize it'll be a pretty large bottleneck, but I don't have a graphics card right now, lol.

Wut?
No mate, just set Low Latency Mode to On, or whatever it's called. It'll make the gpu wait on the cpu, so it doesn't cause a bunch of screen tearing.

 

[BryceSpicey]

Wut?
No mate, just set Low Latency Mode to On, or whatever it's called. It'll make the gpu wait on the cpu, so it doesn't cause a bunch of screen tearing.

That would be a lot more simple, overthinking at it's finest lol.

 

[BryceSpicey]

Quick question, the motherboard you listed hasn't been in stock in quite some time. Looking for some budget boards, instead of a $150 x570, I found an MSI PRO B450M PRO-M2 which is pretty much the same thing as the Tomahawk you listed, but without the flashy stuff, at least from what I could see. Would this be a fine replacement? It looks fine to me but some second eyes would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Phaaze88]

Quick question, the motherboard you listed hasn't been in stock in quite some time. Looking for some budget boards, instead of a $150 x570, I found an MSI PRO B450M PRO-M2 which is pretty much the same thing as the Tomahawk you listed, but without the flashy stuff, at least from what I could see. Would this be a fine replacement? It looks fine to me but some second eyes would be appreciated. Thanks

Unfortunately, that's one of the few Msi boards that DOESN'T have the bios flashback feature. What is available for you?