[SOLVED] i5-6600k to i7-7700k worth an upgrade?

Nov 2, 2021
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Hello all, I have a question on whether it would be worth an upgrade from an i5-6600k overclocked to 4.6GHz to an i7-7700k? Something in my setup is bottlenecking my performance and I believe it is the CPU, but I am not certain if upgrading just the CPU alone would get me out of the weeds since I am fairly limited in the direct upgrade options.

Here are my specs:
CPU i5-6600K (OC to 4.6GHz)
MB ASUS z170 pro gaming
RAM 32GB (XMP profile 3,000mhz)
GPU RTX 3080

I normally game on a 34" ultrawide but it just stopped working yesterday so I need to send it in for repairs unfortunately. I was thinking my setup has been lagging due to the resolution, but going back to my 27" I still get lower fps in games than I would like.

I would say my budget for an upgrade is around $500 or so. Any recommendations on best bang for my buck? I don't think I can get a better CPU than the i7-7700k without also upgrading the MB, but would consider doing both if it would make a large difference in performance.

Thank you
 
Solution
i5-10600K/11600K and a nice Z590 motherboard easily fit in that budget. DDR4 3000 is acceptable, so no need to change that out.

jacob249358

Commendable
Sep 8, 2021
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215
1,290
Hello all, I have a question on whether it would be worth an upgrade from an i5-6600k overclocked to 4.6GHz to an i7-7700k? Something in my setup is bottlenecking my performance and I believe it is the CPU, but I am not certain if upgrading just the CPU alone would get me out of the weeds since I am fairly limited in the direct upgrade options.

Here are my specs:
CPU i5-6600K (OC to 4.6GHz)
MB ASUS z170 pro gaming
RAM 32GB (XMP profile 3,000mhz)
GPU RTX 3080

I normally game on a 34" ultrawide but it just stopped working yesterday so I need to send it in for repairs unfortunately. I was thinking my setup has been lagging due to the resolution, but going back to my 27" I still get lower fps in games than I would like.

I would say my budget for an upgrade is around $500 or so. Any recommendations on best bang for my buck? I don't think I can get a better CPU than the i7-7700k without also upgrading the MB, but would consider doing both if it would make a large difference in performance.

Thank you
A 7700k is only 4c/8t and isn't even cheap. Here are 2 options on is right at $500 the other is cheaper.
$500 Cpu/Mb combo would be this motherboard and a 5600x
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dm...tx-am4-motherboard-tuf-gaming-x570-plus-wi-fi
$380 CPU/mb combo with an i5 11600k
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3BkLXb
 
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Nov 2, 2021
3
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Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are generally companies clearing out unsold stock. It will mostly be undesirable components, either they were priced too high, or have some other flaw that means they don't sell well. Could completely be perception though.

Still, generally only a good option if you are going for truly budget items. If you are after higher end components, the price doesn't tend to change much.
 
Your I5-6600K has 4 threads and a passmark rating of 6284. That is when all 4 threads are 100% busy. The single thread rating is 2331. That is most important for cpu centric games such as sims, strategy and mmo.
Your strongest upgrade with your motherboard will be a I7-7700K
About $200-$250 used on ebay.
8 threads is a plus, the rating is 9689/2745.
But, while legit reviews are not yet out, consider the new i5-12600K processor.
You can pre-order for $320 on newegg:
https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-12600k-core-i5-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118347
You can buy a lga1700 motherboard for $180 which comes close to your $500 budget:
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813162038?quicklink=true
A leak shows the 12600K to be exceptionally strong in single thread performance:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antony...12600k-alder-lake-processors/?sh=295598722f74

Your current ram will be fine.
Plus, you will be able to run windows 11.
 
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It would be hard to justify spending money any money to perhaps get an extra 100 MHz in OC headroom via the 7700K...(my own 7700K sample does 4.7 GHz all-core easily, but, the additional .05V of core voltage to go even 100 MHz higher elevates temps from 70-72C to 85C, which I do not consider a worthy tradeoff...
 
Nov 2, 2021
3
1
15
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. After considering options I decided on getting an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X along with an MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK motherboard bundled with a MAG CORELIQUID 240R CPU cooler. That pushed me a bit over my initial budget (~$610 before taxes), but seemed like a solid build for my needs. Links below for those that are curious.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X ($387)

MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk Gaming Motherboard + MSI MAG CORELIQUID 240R - AIO RGB CPU Liquid Cooler ($230 - $10 MIR)

The mail-in rebate on the motherboard can be found under the Motherboard Only option on Amazon. I assume it works for the combo deal as well.

My thought process was that I would need a better CPU cooler than the stock 5600X cooler anyway, and the 5800X was only about $80 more.

Thanks again!
 
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