[SOLVED] New build, i7 9700K @4.7ghz OR i9 9900K @4.7ghz gaming setup

[Kkkk1]

Hi folks,
I'm buying a new CPU, Mobo and RAM to replace my aging i7 4700K. Having read reviews for both 9700K and 9900K for gaming they are almost the same in the fps charts. However my current i7 9700k build is coming in at £867.00 as opposed to the i9 9900K build at £999.00. So do I spend another £130.00 to get the i9 build which I really don't want to do as I could do with a new case. However the only reason i'm considering the i9 is in a few years games might need more than 8 cores. My case isn't bad but wanted to get it lit up like a Christmas tree?
I normally change CPU, Mobo RAM around every 6 years ish.

I currently play at 1440P combined with a GTX 1080Ti. Any advise is greatly received.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Or 8700k \ 6 cores \ 12 threads

 

[maziech]

I currently play at 1440P combined with a GTX 1080Ti. Any advise is greatly received.

If this 4700k CPU is overclocked, probably You won't even notice a difference after upgrade at 1440p resolution.... It will be like 10-20 fps for 1000-1500 pounds.

 

[Kiki5535]

If you have to choose between the i9 9900K and the i7 9700k go for the i9 9900k because it has 8 cores and 16 threads and the i7 has 8 cores 8 threads, so go for the i9

 

[Kkkk1]

If this 4700k CPU is overclocked, probably You won't notice a difference after upgrade at 1440p.... It will be like 10-20 fps for 1000-1500 pounds.

My current i7 4700K is OC to 4.4ghz but having checked some online fps the i7 9700K @4.7 is about 40% faster. Enough for me to upgrade

 

[maziech]

i7 9700K @4.7 is about 40% faste

Highly doubt that, especially in 2K resolution.
Maybe You compared CPU speeds alone?

 

[Kkkk1]

Highly doubt that, especially in 2K resolution.
Maybe You compared CPU speeds alone?

Yeah maybe, but I play games such as Planet Coaster which will definitely play better with a superior CPU, (GPU already taken care of) but also I have to look to the future, I have to buy when I've got the money. If I don't buy this now and in 2- 3 years time I have to upgrade my GPU, it's likely my CPU with be a bottleneck especially with DDR3 1600 RAM. So anyway I'm going to upgrade but the point is i7 or i9??????

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[thetiesthatbind2018]

There isnt much difference from 4th gen to 9th gen about the FPS. I’d recommend 9700K since you don’t really need the multi threading for gaming and if’s significantly cheaper

 

[Kkkk1]

There isnt much difference from 4th gen to 9th gen about the FPS. I’d recommend 9700K since you don’t really need the multi threading for gaming and if’s significantly cheaper

Mmmm,
The only issue I have is I only change my CPU, Mobo, RAM around every 6 -7 years. I accept the fps won't be any better on an i9 at the moment but what about in 3-4years time. After a bit of research "The Division 2" already makes use of 8 cores so will my i7 9900K suffer as opposed to the i9 in a few years????????

 

[thetiesthatbind2018]

Mmmm,
The only issue I have is I only change my CPU, Mobo, RAM around every 6 -7 years. I accept the fps won't be any better on an i9 at the moment but what about in 3-4years time. After a bit of research "The Division 2" already makes use of 8 cores so will my i7 9900K suffer as opposed to the i9 in a few years????????

Well, as far as I can see from your signature you are playing on a 1440p monitor right? If yes, your best option and the cheapest one is buying a RYZEN 7 2700X paired a solid X470 motherboard and some high frequency RAM sticks like 3200 MHz or more.

You see, when you are gaming on 1440p the stress is moved to the GPU and performance is depended on your GPU's performance. What I would recommend is to stay as you are for now, sell your 1080TI and simply buy a RADEON VII.

On the other hand, if you want to upgrade your current system, then for 2K gaming, a Ryzen 7 2700X will be more than enough and will save tons of money from your pocket compared to Intel's overpriced CPUs. As I said the load is transferred to your GPU once you leave 1080p gaming. Buy yourself a Ryzen 7 2700X, MSI X470 Gaming Carbon and some 3200MHz RAM, 16GB will be enough, like HyperX Predator. AMD offers support to AM4 socket until 2020, meaning that anything new released by the company will be able to work with the X470 chipset, meaning a better upgrade path for you and cheaper upgrades for you.

And finally to answer your question the Intel I7 9700K will not suffer in a few years nor the i9. Both use the same CORE COUNT but i7 9700K lacks of Hyper threading which is a feature that would benefit you only if you are rendering etc. On the gaming part, it won't make any difference at all.

So, to sum up, my main recommendation is to upgrade your GPU only from GTX 1080Ti to RADEON VII or if you want to keep your GPU, then buy a 2700X instead of 9700K/9900K. You won't notice any difference. If you want to stick with Intel, then buy 9700K

 

[maziech]

GTX 1080Ti to RADEON VII

This is not an upgrade....

 

[thetiesthatbind2018]

It's definitely an upgrade.

 

[boju]

1440p is not a demanding resolution. Powerful GPUs today can easily drive this resolution over 100fps in many titles.

Resolution does not indicate a percentage load shift, more the fact the CPU needs to deliver the frames at resolutions capable of reaching the CPU's maximum fps capability without being overworked. If a CPU reaches close to maximum usage, not only is there a chance of stutter but loss of frames as well.

4k is a different kettle of fish and fps won't be high enough most times to be an issue--Yet. But in 1080p/1440p where fps can be rather high, the CPU needs to be capable of pre-rendering each frame + still managing other tasks set by the game. More fps = more CPU work regardless of resolution.

IPC work of 9700k & 9900k are able to supply top GPUs comfortably in all titles @ 1080p or 1440p. Id favour 9900k with it's more threads and won't starve a GPU quite so easily.

 

[cryoburner]

It's definitely an upgrade.

On average, a Radeon VII offers similar gaming performance to a 1080 Ti, or maybe a little less, depending on resolution and the game in question. As such, it would not be a worthwhile upgrade, especially given the higher power draw.

I accept the fps won't be any better on an i9 at the moment but what about in 3-4years time.

Buying for future performance does not seem like a good idea, especially since Intel's current processors have been stuck on the 14nm process for the last few years. You would probably be better waiting a bit to see how the next generation of 7 and 10nm processors from AMD and Intel turn out. AMD should be launching their new processors this summer, and Intel probably by around the end of the year. The move to these smaller manufacturing processes should bring with it more efficiency and performance, and probably higher core counts at lower prices.

Hardware Unboxed actually benchmarked the 8700K versus the 4770K paired with a 1080 Ti, both at stock clocks and at 4.8 GHz. In short, they performed almost identical at 1440p with ultra settings in the games tested, since the 1080 Ti tended to limit performance more than anything. Even the stock-clocked 4770K's performance was close enough to the 8700K's at that resolution that is is unlikely one would notice the difference in most games. That comparison was done a year ago though, and perhaps some newer, more heavily-threaded games like Battlefield V might show a little more performance on a higher-core processor, and you may get slightly higher clocks out of a 9700K, but I doubt the differences would be anywhere near dramatic enough to warrant a £900 upgrade.

Keep in mind that most of the charts they show are for 1080p, since at 1440p Ultra all the CPUs perform quite similar, and there isn't much to talk about...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc08ZPc30Zs

 

[Karadjgne]

Ppl had this exact same debate 6 years ago with 3rd gen i5-3570k vrs i7-3770K. 4 cores or 4 cores with HT. At the time, the i5-3570k was value king, games had no real usage of more than 4 threads. So at $100 more, the i7 was touted as a useless over expenditure. 6 years later whole different story, the quad i5 is bunk, the 8 thread capable i7 is still ok(ish). Exactly no different than what's happening here. The i7 9700k is the exact same cpu as the i9-9900k. Just missing hyperthreading and the other voltage changes required for that.

So now your question is really are you going for the i7 probably over the i9, because it's cheaper and good now? Or go with the i9 banking on the possibility that in 6 years time there'll be gaming and technological advances making that 8 core cpu obsolete. I don't know anyone with a fully functional crystal ball....

And the price will be considerably more than that $130 cpu difference. You'll also need the largest capable cooler possible and a good sized case to house it, the i9 does not run anywhere close to what's considered 'cool'.

 

[Kkkk1]

I really appreciate all the comments guys. I have decided and bought an overclocked bundle i7 9700k @ 5 ghz watercooled, mobo Asus Z390-F Strix and 16Gb DDR4 3000Mhz. It might not be everyone's choice but I play games such as Anno series and Planet Coaster, BeamNG all very CPU intensive, so 8 cores running at 5Ghz should sort me out for a number of years. I was very close to buying the Ryzen 2700X but the fastest chip i could find was OC at 4.1Ghz. No brainer for me.

Thanks again.