[SOLVED] Looking to upgrade CPU & possibly MB, thoughts? [PART 2]

[Robby Shorts]

Original post: [link]

Hey guys, I've been looking to upgrade my PC pretty soon and I've been thinking about upgrading my CPU (currently have an i5-7600K) to a higher end one before upgrading my GPU (1060 to 2070), just to prevent any potential bottlenecks and to just future proof my pc in general.

I've been looking at the i7-9700K, which seems like a very good cpu to me, only issue is that I'm pretty sure my current motherboard isn't the right chip set for that processor (currently have an asrock z270m pro 4). With that most likely being the case, I would have to get a new motherboard along with this CPU. The i7-9700K is around $365 on amazon, and I would like to keep my budget under $500, which means I really don't want to spend more than like $140 at the most for a new motherboard.

Any suggestions on what motherboard to get? I was looking at the asrock z390 pro4 since it's only $100, but I have no clue if this would work or not.

Along with this, I'm not sure if my current cpu cooler (cooler master hyper 212 evo) would provide enough cooling for the 9700K.

So if anyone has suggestions or comments, I'd love to hear them! And thank you for your time.

P.S. Here is my build on pcpartpicker: [link]

Thanks again, -Robby

 

[dajuukes]

I'm curious about your wish to upgrade your CPU - I don't see much of a bottleneck with the i5-7600k with something like a 2070. If the build is for gaming, that combination should work fine.

The motherboard you linked seemed to have poor reviews on Newegg regarding quality control. You may want to look into alternatives such as a Gigabyte Z370XP SLI, etc.

 

[Robby Shorts]

I'm curious about your wish to upgrade your CPU - I don't see much of a bottleneck with the i5-7600k with something like a 2070. If the build is for gaming, that combination should work fine.

The motherboard you linked seemed to have poor reviews on Newegg regarding quality control. You may want to look into alternatives such as a Gigabyte Z370XP SLI, etc.

Ahh, I see the reviews now, in regards to the MB. Yea that doesn't seem like that good of a board, thanks for pointing that out.
I was interesting in upgrading the cpu to an i7, for the added multi-thread power for some demanding games I have, such as AC Odyssey, monster hunter and etc. I'm surprised to hear that you don't believe that there would be a bottle neck, with a 2070 & my current CPU, I would've never of though of that!

Thanks

 

[dajuukes]

Ahh, I see the reviews now, in regards to the MB. Yea that doesn't seem like that good of a board, thanks for pointing that out.
I was interesting in upgrading the cpu to an i7, for the added multi-thread power for some demanding games I have, such as AC Odyssey, monster hunter and etc. I'm surprised to hear that you don't believe that there would be a bottle neck, with a 2070 & my current CPU, I would've never of though of that!

Thanks

I believe a 4c8t CPU instead of a 8c16t CPU would be fine there; but I might just be old-school. Generally 4 strong cores instead of 8 are best in my experience.

 

[parkour47]

The 7600K is a quad core processor without hyperthreading, so the OP would definitely notice the upgrade to a 9700K, which has twice as many cores (still no hyperthreading) and currently beats every other CPU on the market in the majority of gaming benchmarks. However, the 7600K isn't horribly outdated or anything. Switching out the graphics card will yield much better results in terms of frame rates.

Also, I'd personally never cheap out on the motherboard. That's essentially the backbone of your entire system, with the power supply being its heart. Look for a Z390 from either Gigabyte or MSI that has all the features you require. The newer line of boards have better VRM setups than the Z370 range, too, which is helpful when overclocking Intel's latest chips, as they tend to run rather hot.

Speaking of which, yes, I would recommend upgrading your CPU cooler. The Hyper 212 EVO is very good for its price, but you won't be able to push the 9700K to its potential without a much beefier cooling solution. BE QUIET!'s Dark Rock 4 would be my choice if you're trying to keep the price down, or the Pro variant if your budget can accomodate it.

Alternatively, you could just get a 1660 Ti and wait for prices to drop when AMD's new Ryzen lineup hits and NVIDIA release the new Super versions of their RTX cards.

 

[Robby Shorts]

The 7600K is a quad core processor without hyperthreading, so the OP would definitely notice the upgrade to a 9700K, which has twice as many cores (still no hyperthreading) and currently beats every other CPU on the market in the majority of gaming benchmarks. However, the 7600K isn't horribly outdated or anything. Switching out the graphics card will yield much better results in terms of frame rates.

Also, I'd personally never cheap out on the motherboard. That's essentially the backbone of your entire system, with the power supply being its heart. Look for a Z390 from either Gigabyte or MSI that has all the features you require. The newer line of boards have better VRM setups than the Z370 range, too, which is helpful when overclocking Intel's latest chips, as they tend to run rather hot.

Speaking of which, yes, I would recommend upgrading your CPU cooler. The Hyper 212 EVO is very good for its price, but you won't be able to push the 9700K to its potential without a much beefier cooling solution. BE QUIET!'s Dark Rock 4 would be my choice if you're trying to keep the price down, or the Pro variant if your budget can accomodate it.

Alternatively, you could just get a 1660 Ti and wait for prices to drop when AMD's new Ryzen lineup hits and NVIDIA release the new Super versions of their RTX cards.

Thanks for the comment!

I like your idea with just getting a 1660 Ti, and waiting for prices to drop in due course. After much thought and consideration, I think it would be a bad idea to upgrade my CPU to an 8th or 9th gen right now, since that would force me to have to upgrade my MB due to the outdated chip set.

What do you think of the idea of getting a 1660 Ti, and pairing it with an i7 7700K for the added multi thread performance in some CPU demanding games that I play. By getting a 7700K, I wouldn't have to upgrade the MB, since my current MB supports the chip set. If this sounds like a good idea, what CPU cooler would you recommend for a 7700K?

Again, thank you for your comment & your great advice.

 

[parkour47]

Stepping up to the 7700K would provide those few extra frames you're looking for in CPU intensive games, especially paired with that graphics card. It would also delay the need to upgrade your motherboard for a couple more years, meaning you'll be able to skip the current generation altogether.

With good airflow, your Hyper 212 EVO might be sufficient to cool the 7700K, depending on your case. However, if you really want to push the overclock (assuming your current motherboard can take it), I'd still recommend the BE QUIET! Dark Rock 4, to avoid thermal throttling.

Glad to be of help!