Question CPU upgrade

[Juzz]

I currently have a i5 8400, gtx 1080, 16 gb ram, aorus z370 motherboard. I am looking for a new cpu as I am getting some bottlenecking. The i7 8700k and i7 9700k both look good. What are the positives and negatives of each one. Also, they are both the same prices where I live.

 

[theonerm2]

The 9700K is about equal to the 8700K with a very slight edge to the 9700K. Ultimately the price should dictate which one you get between them. If one is much less than the other go for the cheaper one. If prices are about the same go for the 9700K.

You said the price is the same so I think the 9700K should be the obvious choice.

Secondly I think your current setup is pretty balanced. I'd only upgrade the CPU if I also planned to upgrade the graphics card too. If you play at 1080p well then it will bottleneck in most games because the GTX 1080 is meant for 1440p and maybe 30 fps at 4k. The FPS doesn't matter if it's above your refresh rate. Also... If you're on 60hz you don't need to upgrade.

 

[Juzz]

The 9700K is about equal to the 8700K with a very slight edge to the 9700K. Ultimately the price should dictate which one you get between them. If one is much less than the other go for the cheaper one. If prices are about the same go for the 9700K.

You said the price is the same so I think the 9700K should be the obvious choice.

Secondly I think your current setup is pretty balanced. I'd only upgrade the CPU if I also planned to upgrade the graphics card too. If you play at 1080p well then it will bottleneck in most games because the GTX 1080 is meant for 1440p and maybe 30 fps at 4k. The FPS doesn't matter if it's above your refresh rate. Also... If you're on 60hz you don't need to upgrade.

I play on 1080p at 144hz andthe task manager always says that my cup is at 100% but god isn’t close

 

[theonerm2]

I play on 1080p at 144hz andthe task manager always says that my cup is at 100% but god isn’t close

You'd benefit by upgrading that CPU for 144hz.

 

[Juzz]

You'd benefit by upgrading that CPU for 144hz.

What do you mean upgrade cpu for 144hz? My monitor is 144hz

 

[Obakasama]

If your PC can only output, eg. 60 fps it doesn't matter that your monitor is 240Hz; the monitor isn't going to somehow boost your fps by the difference.

Basically theonerm2 seems to suggest you would benefit from a better CPU to achieve the fps you want for your monitor's refresh rate.

 

[Juzz]

If your PC can only output, eg. 60 fps it doesn't matter that your monitor is 240Hz; the monitor isn't going to somehow boost your fps by the difference.

Basically theonerm2 seems to suggest you would benefit from a better CPU to achieve the fps you want for your monitor's refresh rate.

Am I missing something? The whole point of this thread was to ask if I should get the 8700k or 9700k. I know I need a new cpu. Or is there something else that I am not understanding.

 

[Obakasama]

And theonerm2 has provided you with an answer in the i7-9700k given you've stated both are the same price. I do have my suspicions you may need to update the BIOS of your motherboard.

Not all games are equal in their coding. Some games will benefit from more cores/threads but not all. That your i5-8400 is close or at 100% usage would suggest a higher core/thread count CPU will help to achieve what you want; and even if it doesn't drastically fps you should at least get more consistent fps. Going the other way, if a game relies on limited cores/threads but prefers clockspeed then any performance may be limited.

Cores are better than threads. If memory serves the i7-8700k is 6c/12t and the i7-9700k is 8c/8t, and benchmarks were very close between the two.