Question i5 9600K vs i7 9700k

[vincentvanbro96]

I am going to be getting a new processor soon. I have an ASUS Turbo GTX 1070. I did some research comparing the i5 9600k and the i7 9700k on GPU check and they are near identical for 1080p (which will be my primary resolution) performance with the 1070. I am inclined to get the i5 since it is cheaper for almost the same performance, but I also want something that is future proof as well. Either way I plan to save up for an i9 9900K in the future. Which one do you think I should go with? I don't plan on overclocking.

 

[jay32267]

As you said....either one will work great with the 1070.

....and I think both CPUs perform nearly the same at 1080p because you are maxing neither CPU out.

Although overall....the 9700k is a significantly more capable CPU as it has two more cores and it has a slightly higher single thread score.

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-9600K+@+3.70GHz&id=3337

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-9700K+@+3.60GHz&id=3335

....so basically it comes down to preference....and if you think the extra performance is worth the extra cash.

 

[rodrigoxm49]

I am going to be getting a new processor soon. I have an ASUS Turbo GTX 1070. I did some research comparing the i5 9600k and the i7 9700k on GPU check and they are near identical for 1080p (which will be my primary resolution) performance with the 1070. I am inclined to get the i5 since it is cheaper for almost the same performance, but I also want something that is future proof as well. Either way I plan to save up for an i9 9900K in the future. Which one do you think I should go with? I don't plan on overclocking.

If you have plans to move to 9900k in the future, you should go now with 9600k or 9600 non-K (since you will not overclock it), saving some money, and it will give you pretty much the same framerates in games that you would have with 9700.

But if you're not right about move to 9900k, you should get 9700k. 6 cores will holding back 1070 soon. The 2 extra cores from 9700k will give u a muche better futureproof.

 

[TR0767]

I'd have to agree with Rod on this one. The biggest question you'd need to answer would be when you move to the i9900. If it's going to be a while, you might as well get the best bang for your buck and get the i7-9700. and absolutely SKIP the "K" designations. Like Rod said, the "K" means the processor is unlocked. You'll save some cash there.

 

[Kkkk1]

Are you buying the i9 purely for gaming? If so it's not worth the money as games won't use the hyper threaded cores. If yes i'd get the i7 9700K as it's the same performance as the i9 but much cheaper. Basically the i9 is the 9700K chip but with hyper threading. If you plan to do video editing etc as well as gaming then go i9.

 

[sizzling]

If you look at game benchmarks there can be a material difference between the 9600k and 9700k. Some games can max out the 9600k in higher FPS setups. However the jump from 9700k to 9900k is minimal and a GTX 1070 is unlikely to be able to utilise the additional performance. Personally I feel Ryzen options are better than an i5, I would say either go straight to a 9700k and avoid the i5 or go Ryzen. While Ryzen doesn’t quite match Intel with FPS this only really shows with stronger gpu’s unless you are going to turn down game settings.

 

[geofelt]

What are your current parts?

All three processors can perform at the 5.0 level.
The main difference is the number of threads you will have. 6/8/16 respectively.
For just gaming, there are few games that can (effectively) use more than the 6 threads of a 9600K.
The value of a 9900K comes from being able to run multithreaded apps like editing/rendering.

Nothing in computing is "future proof"
There is always something better/cheaper on the horizon. That is why new products are introduced.
Buy what you need now...now.
As a rule of thumb for a balanced gamer, budget 2x the cost of the processor for the graphics card.
By that metric, a 9600K is fine.

If you are thinking of a future 9900K, I think I would buy the 9700K now and plan on a graphics card upgrade if you are primarily interested in gaming.
You will want a Z390 based motherboard.
Look into the intel performance maximizer app:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-cpu-auto-overclock-performance-maximizer,6179.html

 

[rodrigoxm49]

Nothing in computing is "future proof"

Everything on computing can be more or less future proof. Ask about it to i3 2100 owners and i7 2600 owners.

 

[logainofhades]

I would go with the 9700k, and not bother with the 9900k, at all.

 

[vincentvanbro96]

What are your current parts?

All three processors can perform at the 5.0 level.
The main difference is the number of threads you will have. 6/8/16 respectively.
For just gaming, there are few games that can (effectively) use more than the 6 threads of a 9600K.
The value of a 9900K comes from being able to run multithreaded apps like editing/rendering.

Nothing in computing is "future proof"
There is always something better/cheaper on the horizon. That is why new products are introduced.
Buy what you need now...now.
As a rule of thumb for a balanced gamer, budget 2x the cost of the processor for the graphics card.
By that metric, a 9600K is fine.

If you are thinking of a future 9900K, I think I would buy the 9700K now and plan on a graphics card upgrade if you are primarily interested in gaming.
You will want a Z390 based motherboard.
Look into the intel performance maximizer app:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-cpu-auto-overclock-performance-maximizer,6179.html

What are your current parts?

All three processors can perform at the 5.0 level.
The main difference is the number of threads you will have. 6/8/16 respectively.
For just gaming, there are few games that can (effectively) use more than the 6 threads of a 9600K.
The value of a 9900K comes from being able to run multithreaded apps like editing/rendering.

Nothing in computing is "future proof"
There is always something better/cheaper on the horizon. That is why new products are introduced.
Buy what you need now...now.
As a rule of thumb for a balanced gamer, budget 2x the cost of the processor for the graphics card.
By that metric, a 9600K is fine.

If you are thinking of a future 9900K, I think I would buy the 9700K now and plan on a graphics card upgrade if you are primarily interested in gaming.
You will want a Z390 based motherboard.
Look into the intel performance maximizer app:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-cpu-auto-overclock-performance-maximizer,6179.html

My current parts are:

Core i5 4760k
Crucial Ballistix 16GB DDR3-1333 RAM
Asus GTX 1070 Turbo
Two 1TB HDDs
128GB SSD
MSI Z87-G45 Motherboard
and a Thermaltake 850 watt Power Supply

 

[vMax]

If purely gaming and sticking to 1080p, then the 9600K will do more than a good job. Yes if you can stretch to the 9700K even better as it is about as good as it gets and only fractionally of the 9900K in terms of gaming performance. If you do move to the 9th gen in the 9600K or 9900K then factor in a decent Z390 board and if overclocking look for one with a good VRM setup. Gigabyte Aorus Gaming X on the lower end still has a very decent 10+2 Phase VRM but you have queit a bit of choice and there are many good reviews on the Z390 range. Also factor in at least DDR4 3200 which has a very good price at the moment of around $80 for 16GB in 2 8GB sticks.

 

[tennis2]

Just go with the 9700K now and forget about the 9900K