Can I use Kaby Lake instead of Coffee Lake?

[quarfx]

I really don't want to switch my motherboard. Would there be a notable difference from the 7700k and the 8770k. If I dont switch would my performance suffer as a result? Or is it okay to keep my current cpu.

 

[Ecky]

To my knowledge, Kaby Lake CPUs do not work in Z370 boards, and Coffee Lake chips do not work in Z270 boards.

 

[jaguarskx]

Unless you want to consistently be on the cutting edge of CPU performance, there is no need to upgrade to Coffee Lake. Just because the i7-8770k is coming out, it does not mean your i7-7700k has suddenly become obsolete...

Unless all game publishers suddenly patch all their games to require an AMD Ryzen / Intel Coffee Lake CPU just to launch. I can see it now... Minecraft... Minimum CPU requirement: i7-8770k.

 

[Cromwell__]

Processors do not improve that much between generations... even now with competition seemingly accelerating improvements somewhat. You will not see a very noticeable difference between a 7700k and an 8700k, and any difference a person could see would not be worth the $500 it would take to upgrade.

As an illustration, I currently have an i5-3470, so 4 or 5 generations ago, and I can still run every modern game with high/ultra settings in 1080p 120fps with my GTX 1070. I am only now updating my CPU/mobo to an 8770k. I will then probably keep that for 3 or 4 years minimum. (But I'll probably go through a few new graphics cards in that time period. 😉)

Anyway, save your money. Get a new graphics card in a year or two. You will see a massively greater increase in performance spending your money on GPU upgrades every few years. A 7700k should last you a good long while.