Question Finally upgrading CPU!

[DXVIDM]

It’s been about 3 years since I’ve upgraded but it’s finally time to decide what I want.
I’m not the best at the parts aspects so I’ll need some help!

Current rig (Mainly gaming):
CPU: Intel i7770K
GPU: Nvidia RTX 2070
RAM: 16GB DDR4 @ 2400Mhz
MOBO: GigaByte DAZ270P-D3
HDD: 1TB Generic
SDD: 100GB + 250GB WD SSDs
PSU: 650W Seasonic Core Gold GC-650 80PLUS

So I think the next part I need is a CPU right? I noticed a slight bottleneck in games I’ve been playing recently and I’m pretty sure it’s the CPU.

So with this build, where do i go next, do I need a new mobo if getting a CPU, what CPU is going to be worth it for the price, experts please help!
Thanks!

 

[emitfudd]

Did you mean I7 7700K? That is the fastest CPU you can use in your motherboard socket. If you want to upgrade you will have to buy a new motherboard. A 7700K and a 2070 should give good performance in most games. I was running a 7700K and a 1080ti and I was not having any problems until my 1080ti died. LOL. If you don't want to spend the money on a new build, you could try overclocking the 7700K but I had to delid mine to get it to run at decent temps at 5.0GHz.

 

[DXVIDM]

Did you mean I7 7700K? That is the fastest CPU you can use in your motherboard socket. If you want to upgrade you will have to buy a new motherboard. A 7700K and a 2070 should give good performance in most games. I was running a 7700K and a 1080ti and I was not having any problems until my 1080ti died. LOL. If you don't want to spend the money on a new build, you could try overclocking the 7700K but I had to delid mine to get it to run at decent temps at 5.0GHz.

Oh sorry should have mentioned, I am open to upgrading mobo etc if needed! Looking to spend about 600€ total to upgrade from my current setup
But yeah my current system gets great frames in most games, but even in call of duty warzone I’m not hitting my refresh rate and I’d love to be able to consistently. As of right now I’m only at like 110 fps average on it on a 144hz monitor.

So basically just seeing how I could push my system to the next level within reason and a decent price haha

 

[emitfudd]

What's wrong with 110 FPS? As long as your games are running smooth you don't have to max out your FPS to match your refresh rate.

 

[USAFRet]

Oh sorry should have mentioned, I am open to upgrading mobo etc if needed! Looking to spend about 600€ total to upgrade from my current setup
But yeah my current system gets great frames in most games, but even in call of duty warzone I’m not hitting my refresh rate and I’d love to be able to consistently. As of right now I’m only at like 110 fps average on it on a 144hz monitor.

So basically just seeing how I could push my system to the next level within reason and a decent price haha

Changing from your current i7 is a whole new PC. Including a fresh OS install.

 

[DXVIDM]

What's wrong with 110 FPS? As long as your games are running smooth you don't have to max out your FPS to match your refresh rate.

Nothing wrong with it, I’d just like advice on how I would get an even bette

Changing from your current i7 is a whole new PC. Including a fresh OS install.

Oh? I would have though new CPU, PSU and MOBO?
Could you explain a bit more if you’ve got time?

 

[USAFRet]

Nothing wrong with it, I’d just like advice on how I would get an even bette

Oh? I would have though new CPU and MOBO?
Could you explain a bit more if you’ve got time?

CPU, motherboard, faster RAM.
Possibly the PSU, depending on how old your current one is.

And with the new motherboard, fresh OS install.

Nothing wrong with that, just realize what you're getting yourself into.

 

[DXVIDM]

CPU, motherboard, faster RAM.
Possibly the PSU, depending on how old your current one is.

And with the new motherboard, fresh OS install.

Nothing wrong with that, just realize what you're getting yourself into.

Honestly wouldn’t be a bad thing as I currently only have my OS on an SSD by itself, I keep anything important on my other SSD/ HDD.
If you were to recommend some parts where would I start to get the most out of my system/ GPU

 

[DXVIDM]

If anyone could help with this I’m still looking?
i just got two people to tell me “I don’t really need to upgrade”, whatever that means?

so if anyone could help me build upon my current PC or look at upgrading it, what are my next steps? Thanks a lot guys.

 

[DXVIDM]

CPU, motherboard, faster RAM.
Possibly the PSU, depending on how old your current one is.

And with the new motherboard, fresh OS install.

Nothing wrong with that, just realize what you're getting yourself into.

Would love some suggestions still, what would it cost me to upgrade etc, doesn’t have to be just CPU.

 

[Nighthawk117]

It’s been about 3 years since I’ve upgraded but it’s finally time to decide what I want.
I’m not the best at the parts aspects so I’ll need some help!

Current rig (Mainly gaming):
CPU: Intel i7770K
GPU: Nvidia RTX 2070
RAM: 16GB DDR4 @ 2400Mhz
MOBO: GigaByte DAZ270P-D3
HDD: 1TB Generic
SDD: 100GB + 250GB WD SSDs
PSU: 650W Seasonic Core Gold GC-650 80PLUS

So I think the next part I need is a CPU right? I noticed a slight bottleneck in games I’ve been playing recently and I’m pretty sure it’s the CPU.

So with this build, where do i go next, do I need a new mobo if getting a CPU, what CPU is going to be worth it for the price, experts please help!
Thanks!

Yes a 7700K will bottleneck a 2070 in certain games. You will need a new motherboard, you don't necessarily need to upgrade your RAM right now though 2400Mhz is a little on the low side. 3600Mhz would be nice with a new CPU. I'm going to assume you like Intel, in which case I would recommend going to the i7 12700K with a DDR4 motherboard. It's the best value high end chip in my opinion. The 5900X would also be an excellent choice.

 

[DSzymborski]

Would love some suggestions still, what would it cost me to upgrade etc, doesn’t have to be just GPU.

It wouldn't be the GPU. You can't even get something as powerful as your current GPU new on that budget.

For $600, you can get an i5-12600K and a solid midrange motherboard and use your current RAM.

Or you can wait until DDR5 is more fully implemented and actually available at a non-horrifying price.

 

[Nighthawk117]

Would love some suggestions still, what would it cost me to upgrade etc, doesn’t have to be just GPU.

Can you live with your 2070 for a bit longer and just maybe reduce the graphics to meet your desired frame rate? It's not a bad GPU and the current ones are so crazy expensive, I would do the CPU side of things now and get Lovelace next year.

 

[logainofhades]

CPU, motherboard, ram, and cooling. GPU prices are too crazy to bother with trying to upgrade, right now.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor (£252.18 @ Technextday)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler (£55.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z690 UD DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (£184.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£97.00 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £590.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-12-07 16:56 GMT+0000

 

[DXVIDM]

Yes a 7700K will bottleneck a 2070 in certain games. You will need a new motherboard, you don't necessarily need to upgrade your RAM right now though 2400Mhz is a little on the low side. 3600Mhz would be nice with a new CPU. I'm going to assume you like Intel, in which case I would recommend going to the i7 12700K with a DDR4 motherboard. It's the best value high end chip in my opinion. The 5900X would also be an excellent choice.

Now this is the type of answer I was looking for

Thanks for the info, so I’ve noticed it bottleneck looking at CPU times vs GPU times in COD: Warzone too so you are 100% correct there.
I’ve checked both prices for the CPUs mentioned and they seem pretty similar, I actually don’t have a preference towards intel it was just what I had been recommended last time I upgraded, do you think I’d see better results with a AMD or Intel?
And one final thing, could you point me in the direction of a compatible MOBO that would fit this project? Or would most DDR4 work?

thanks again!

 

[DXVIDM]

It wouldn't be the GPU. You can't even get something as powerful as your current GPU new on that budget.

For $600, you can get an i5-12600K and a solid midrange motherboard and use your current RAM.

Or you can wait until DDR5 is more fully implemented and actually available at a non-horrifying price.

Oh shoot I meant CPU not GPU in that post, my bad!
Ok great so your suggestion was pretty similar to the one above, a i7 12X00K and a MOBO upgrade, budget is flexible so I can go to like 800€ if really needed, I don’t know anything about DDR5 so this is all new to me haha

Thanks for the tips so far!

 

[DXVIDM]

CPU, motherboard, ram, and cooling. GPU prices are too crazy to bother with trying to upgrade, right now.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor (£252.18 @ Technextday)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler (£55.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z690 UD DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (£184.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£97.00 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £590.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-12-07 16:56 GMT+0000

Wow this is great!

I actually have a bit more room to work with in terms of budget, would you an i7 12700k or 5800x work with the other parts listed? Or be worth the extra €?

thanks!

 

[DXVIDM]

Can you live with your 2070 for a bit longer and just maybe reduce the graphics to meet your desired frame rate? It's not a bad GPU and the current ones are so crazy expensive, I would do the CPU side of things now and get Lovelace next year.

Sorry I actually meant CPU here

 

[DSzymborski]

Oh shoot I meant CPU not GPU in that post, my bad!
Ok great so your suggestion was pretty similar to the one above, a i7 12X00K and a MOBO upgrade, budget is flexible so I can go to like 800€ if really needed, I don’t know anything about DDR5 so this is all new to me haha

Thanks for the tips so far!

Alder Lake is compatible with both DDR4 and DDR5, but DDR5 isn't in all motherboards right now, mostly on the higher-end stuff. Right now, you can't really even find DDR5 RAM in stores and 16 GB kits are going for $500-$750 or so on eBay. So not ideal.

Ryzen is another possibility, though the slow RAM would hurt you there. It may also hurt in the new Intel, but I haven't seen anyone test slow vs. fast RAM on 12th gen yet as it's very new. But it definitely hurts in the Ryzen.

 

[DXVIDM]

Alder Lake is compatible with both DDR4 and DDR5, but DDR5 isn't in all motherboards right now, mostly on the higher-end stuff. Right now, you can't really even find DDR5 RAM in stores and 16 GB kits are going for $500-$750 or so on eBay. So not ideal.

Ryzen is another possibility, though the slow RAM would hurt you there. It may also hurt in the new Intel, but I haven't seen anyone test slow vs. fast RAM on 12th gen yet as it's very new. But it definitely hurts in the Ryzen.

Ok by the sounds of things and with my budget I definitely can’t afford to pay 500$ for 16gb DDR5 just yet haha So what mobo/ RAM would you recommend if I wanted to pop a 12700k in with my RTX 2070?

 

[Nighthawk117]

Now this is the type of answer I was looking for

Thanks for the info, so I’ve noticed it bottleneck looking at CPU times vs GPU times in COD: Warzone too so you are 100% correct there.
I’ve checked both prices for the CPUs mentioned and they seem pretty similar, I actually don’t have a preference towards intel it was just what I had been recommended last time I upgraded, do you think I’d see better results with a AMD or Intel?
And one final thing, could you point me in the direction of a compatible MOBO that would fit this project? Or would most DDR4 work?

thanks again!

Your welcome, I upgraded from an i7 6700K similar to your 7700K to a i9 10850K fairly recently. Your 7700K is definitely bottlenecking you I don't notice it in all games but Cyberpunk and playing Battlefield V at high refresh rates you notice the difference. Frame rates much more stable, feels smoother. Shooters like your COD: Warzone, Battlefield V or 2042 on a high refresh rate monitor, you won't need a benchmark chart to notice the difference.

One thing to note right now is some games don't play nice with 12th gens hybrid architecture. There are workarounds but it's something to be aware of, it wouldn't be something that put me off though personally as I think it will all get fixed.

For high refresh rate gaming right now, you'd benefit more from Alder Lakes strong per core performance, it generally wins in most benchmarks. The 5900X does have the benefit of all the cores being the same, so if games needed more than 8 cores down the line it may have some benefit as the E cores right now offer little for gaming. That's a big question mark though, it likely wont matter in the lifetime of the chip and it assumes game developers won't make optimisations for the E cores.

There is no wrong choice, both are excellent CPU's and quite capable of doing what you want, so pick your colour really

As for motherboards it depends on how much you want to spend, there are no cheap options though for Z690. The boards are either DDR4 or DDR5 they do not support both. For me I would look at something like this:
https://www.ebuyer.com/1410482-gigabyte-z690-gaming-x-ddr4-atx-motherboard-z690-gaming-x-ddr4

It has strong VRM's that should handle the top CPU's just fine and it's one of the more reasonably priced. If you want more fancy then I quite like the Strix ones:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus-rog-strix-z690-a-gaming-wifi-d4-intel-z690-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-6gz-as.html?_gl=1*1lb5ogz*_up*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQiAqbyNBhC2ARIsALDwAsCno7y01YlnuuAzw1egytmwudKLrXOipELl1mOyMaztLN7GJz3Q7OAaAgXcEALw_wcB

If you went the AMD route, then good affordable pick for X570 would be:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-MAG-X570-Motherboard-Bluetooth/dp/B0896G6HSC/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=X570&qid=1638898030&sr=8-5

Something a bit more fancy while not costing the price of a CPU:
https://www.ebuyer.com/899213-asus-rog-strix-x570-f-gaming-am4-ddr4-atx-motherboard-rog-strix-x570-f-gaming

If you don't need PCI-E 4 everywhere, then good B550 pick would be:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/STRIX-B550-F-GAMING-ASUS-Noise-Cancelling/dp/B089HFNQ1K/ref=sr_1_17?keywords=asus+X570&qid=1638898161&sr=8-17&th=1

 

[logainofhades]

Wow this is great!

I actually have a bit more room to work with in terms of budget, would you an i7 12700k or 5800x work with the other parts listed? Or be worth the extra €?

thanks!

The 12700k wouldn't be a terrible choice either.

 

[Nighthawk117]

The 12700K is a much better choice than the 5800X.

 

[logainofhades]

The 12700K is a much better choice than the 5800X.

Yea the only advantages of the 5800x, is you can run a cheaper motherboard, and it is a mature platform. If you can splurge for a 12700k, definitely do so. Raptor lake should be a bios update/drop in upgrade. AM4 is a dead end, though it had a great run.

 

[DXVIDM]

Your welcome...

Thanks for the detailed reply, sorry for the slow one on my end! Been looking at the parts youve linked, do you think there would be a cheaper option for a mobo, didn't realize I would have to drop about 200£ on one

The 12700k wouldn't be a terrible choice either.

Ah thank you, I think I am going to wait till after the xmas madness and grab myself one if I can find a reasonably prices mobo to suit it, 250e on one seems like a lot.

Yea the only advantages of the 5800x, is you can run a cheaper motherboard, and it is a mature platform. If you can splurge for a 12700k, definitely do so. Raptor lake should be a bios update/drop in upgrade. AM4 is a dead end, though it had a great run.

Yeah the mobo proce is going to be the thing that messes me up I feel. I am going to try do some research for more reasonably priced ones to suit a 12700k