[SOLVED] Should i get a Intel i7-8700K or a i7-9700K?

Feb 7, 2020
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Hello, I'm going to upgrade my pc and I can get a bit cheaper the 8700K, but the store told me later this year they'll have the 9700K version.
My Current Processor is an Intel i5-4440, my machine is mostly used for gaming.
Should I get the 8700K or wait and save a bit more for the 9700K?
 
Solution
Thanks! I don't plan to overclock it, my motherboard is a Z390, forgot to answer last post.
Even if you don't plan on overclocking it's a nice option to have later on when you want the extra performance. Also the 8700K doesn't come with a cooler so you'll need to buy a aftermarket cooler and you'll want something decent as that CPU does run quite warm.

If you could return the board/memory Ryzen 3rd gen would actually be a much better price to performance choice over Intel and comes with a good cooler so it saves you a bit of money.

Something like this would be massively cheaper and perform about the same as @ohio_buckeye stated.

PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor...
Feb 7, 2020
7
2
15
Price to performance your probably better off going with the AMD Ryzen CPU's.

FYI, your going to need to upgrade your motherboard and memory to use either 8700K or 9700K.
My new motherboard and memory are right here on my desk! I'm really at a loss if I should go for an 8700K because some people told me I wouldn't see much difference or if its a better idea to go for a newer model so it lasts longer.
 

Endre

Honorable
Hello, I'm going to upgrade my pc and I can get a bit cheaper the 8700K, but the store told me later this year they'll have the 9700K version.
My Current Processor is an Intel i5-4440, my machine is mostly used for gaming.
Should I get the 8700K or wait and save a bit more for the 9700K?

I’ve been dealing with the same decision a year ago.
I chose i7-9700K. Which is considered the best gaming desktop CPU (besides i9-9900KS).

i7-9700k vs i7-8700k:
It’s 9th gen vs 8th gen.
8 cores vs 6 cores.

The only advantages of i7-8700k are: 12 threads vs 8 threads of i7-9700k; and the lower price of it.
 
Feb 7, 2020
7
2
15
I’ve been dealing with the same decision a year ago.
I chose i7-9700K. Which is considered the best gaming desktop CPU (besides i9-9900KS).

i7-9700k vs i7-8700k:
It’s 9th gen vs 8th gen.
8 cores vs 6 cores.

The only advantages of i7-8700k are: 12 threads vs 8 threads of i7-9700k; and the lower price of it.
Thanks!
 
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If you didn't have the motherboard already, I too would suggest AMD Ryzen. I just got a new Ryzen 3600. The Ryzen 5 3600 is just 20-30 dollars more and trades blows with the 8700k.

In fact though, benchmarks on this site show the 3600 trading blows with the 8700k.

https://respawnfirst.com/amd-ryzen-5-3600-vs-i7-8700k-benchmarks/

In USD, I paid right around $180 for the 3600. But just saw it on sale for $150 and the 3600x for $180. To put it in perspective, the i7 8700k would cost over $300 if I were to attempt to purchase. Whereas I can have a motherboard and Ryzen for less than that.

If you look here, this gives an idea of the 9700k vs the 3600 and other chips.

https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3489-amd-ryzen-5-3600-cpu-review-benchmarks-vs-intel

What I would say is this. For gaming today, i7 8700k in my opinion is done. Good performer, but to expensive vs what is available.

The 9700k is faster and I'll give you that for sure. But the issue the 9700k has is AMD's Ryzen 7 3700x. The Ryzen has hyperthreading whereas the 9700k does not.

For gaming, the 9700k is faster. Full stop. The issue the 9700k will have might be staying power. As more games come out that use more cores and more threads, I think the 9700k is going to age faster than the 3700x will.

But in either event, if you already have the motherboard, the i7 9700k is faster, it just depends really on how much you are spending on it.
 

WildCard999

Titan
Moderator
Thanks! I don't plan to overclock it, my motherboard is a Z390, forgot to answer last post.
Even if you don't plan on overclocking it's a nice option to have later on when you want the extra performance. Also the 8700K doesn't come with a cooler so you'll need to buy a aftermarket cooler and you'll want something decent as that CPU does run quite warm.

If you could return the board/memory Ryzen 3rd gen would actually be a much better price to performance choice over Intel and comes with a good cooler so it saves you a bit of money.

Something like this would be massively cheaper and perform about the same as @ohio_buckeye stated.

PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M/AC Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $324.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-07 13:59 EST-0500


(Disregard error message, the board ships with a updated BIOS to support the 3600)
 
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Solution
9700K is a gaming monster!

Just built one so equipped for a friend with an Asus Z390 Prime with a Noctua HN-D15 for a cooler, and got only 64C temps under 4.6 GHz all core loads such as CPU-Z/CPU stress test...; as he does not game much, I left his clock speeds stock, and, via Intel's XTU set him up for 4.9 GHz under 1,2 core loads, 4.8 GHz for 3 and 4 core loads, etc...; I did notice the Asus Z390, even with MCE enabled, seemed to only want to go to 3.8 GHz all core, which was way too low,
 
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To put it in perspective at least in the usa, the price of the i7 8700k is this.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/sxDzK8/intel-core-i7-8700k-37ghz-6-core-processor-bx80684i78700k

plus when you factor 30-40 or more for a good cooler. That's over 400. Even without returning the board, it's a good cost savings. But if you can return your board/ram, you would save money for similar performance.

Edit *the other post went up just before mine did. But yes the intel chips are good chips, not going to dispute that. But you are just paying more for similar performance is all. If you can save that money, then you've got a start on a new graphics card etc.
 
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