Do I need to upgrade?

[Luwazzi]

Current Build:

Intel i5-6600K
Asus Z170A motherboard
GeForce GTX 980ti
Corsair H80i GT CPU cooler

I've had this build since 2015 and it has been awesome, however as we head into the future and games become harder to run, I have begun thinking whether or not an upgrade is in order. I'd like to upgrade my CPU to the i7-7700K because I do quite a lot of video editing and rendering. But would this upgrade require a new CPU cooler? And how long will my GPU last for in terms of holding a comfortable performance with new titles soon releasing?

Thanks.

 

[mgallo848]

This video just came out last week.

It's still a damn good CPU, just have to get it for the right price..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rOVfeujof4

 

[Dugimodo]

Your existing cooler should be good enough unless you want to push for a high overclock but I'd only consider it if you can get a really good deal on the CPU and probably not even then. You can get an i5 8600K or 9600K and a motherboard for a similar price as a 7700k by itself or not much more and re use your old RAM and they are better choices than the 7700K IMHO. You could also go AMD but assuming your RAM is DDR4 2400 or something like that you'd really want to replace it with a Ryzen which adds some cost.

But I would think about what you currently do and what real gains you are looking for, the 6600K might be worth hanging onto for another 6-12 months and see what the next gen brings. I doubt there will be many games that absolutely need more than 4 cores for a little while yet.

 

[Luwazzi]

Your existing cooler should be good enough unless you want to push for a high overclock but I'd only consider it if you can get a really good deal on the CPU and probably not even then. You can get an i5 8600K or 9600K and a motherboard for a similar price as a 7700k by itself or not much more and re use your old RAM and they are better choices than the 7700K IMHO. You could also go AMD but assuming your RAM is DDR4 2400 or something like that you'd really want to replace it with a Ryzen which adds some cost.

But I would think about what you currently do and what real gains you are looking for, the 6600K might be worth hanging onto for another 6-12 months and see what the next gen brings. I doubt there will be many games that absolutely need more than 4 cores for a little while yet.

Thanks for the advice man, much appreciated

 

[Luwazzi]

This video just came out last week.

It's still a damn good CPU, just have to get it for the right price..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rOVfeujof4

Thanks dude, I'll give it a watch, looks interesting

 

[Luwazzi]

Your existing cooler should be good enough unless you want to push for a high overclock but I'd only consider it if you can get a really good deal on the CPU and probably not even then. You can get an i5 8600K or 9600K and a motherboard for a similar price as a 7700k by itself or not much more and re use your old RAM and they are better choices than the 7700K IMHO. You could also go AMD but assuming your RAM is DDR4 2400 or something like that you'd really want to replace it with a Ryzen which adds some cost.

But I would think about what you currently do and what real gains you are looking for, the 6600K might be worth hanging onto for another 6-12 months and see what the next gen brings. I doubt there will be many games that absolutely need more than 4 cores for a little while yet.

Why would I need to get another motherboard?

 

[mgallo848]

Because the CPU is he suggesting isn't compatible with yours. If you watch the entire Gamers Nexus video he sums it up at the end. It isn't worth changing your system just yet. Of course this all relies on if you can get a good deal on a 7700 k. The system's he's referring to will require you to buy a new CPU and motherboard so you may be looking at $500

 

[Dugimodo]

Yeah it's confusing, intel has stuck with the same socket for 4 generations but the chipsets are not compatible with all the CPUs so you have to be careful when choosing. Even your original Suggestion of a 7700K likely needs the latest BIOS update to be sure it'll work on a Z170 board. You could play it safe and look for a cheap 6700K which is near enough the same performance as a 7700K as well.

I'm not sure it's worth it though, most games will run just as well on your existing CPU as long as you don't try to run other tasks too much at the same time.