Should I get an i7-8700k?

[iamhaipa]

So I've been considering purchasing an Intel i7-8700k GPU, but I'm not sure if it's a good decision. My current PC holds an i7-7800x @ 3.5GHz (which I've heard people say isn't a good gaming GPU), and I've seen people saying great things about the 8700k. My goal is to play most games at 60fps at max settings at 1440p (and 4k for some).

My PC also has a GTX 1080 for the GPU and 16GB RAM.

So my goal is gaming, at a high quality. I want my PC to be a long-term PC without needing to upgrade too much/often. Would a 7800x be suitable for my long-term gaming goal or is the 8700k worth it? (money isn't an issue)

Edit: Would 600W PSU be enough for a GTX1080 with an i7-8700k@5GHz?

 

[mdd1963]

I'd be investigating overclocking your existing 7800X with a good cooler before replacing an X299 MB and CPU already paid for...

A 7800X and 8700K can't be too far apart when both are running at 4.3-4.5 GHz or so across all cores....

(If you are running at 1440P, any gain from more CPU would be 2-4 fps at most anyway....and at only 60 hz refresh, you'd likely see no gain...

Stand pat for 2021 or so...

 

[manlyman]

no definetly not, u do not need a 8700k, ur 7800x is fine

 

[Supernova1138]

I'd be investigating overclocking your existing 7800X with a good cooler before replacing an X299 MB and CPU already paid for...

A 7800X and 8700K can't be too far apart when both are running at 4.3-4.5 GHz or so across all cores....

(If you are running at 1440P, any gain from more CPU would be 2-4 fps at most anyway....and at only 60 hz refresh, you'd likely see no gain...

Stand pat for 2021 or so...

Even overclocked, the 7800x tends to get worse framerates than the 8700k due to the differences in how the cores communicate. The 7800x uses a mesh bus which creates more latency than the ring bus on the 8700k. Despite that, moving to an entirely different platform probably isn't worth it unless the OP desperately wants the highest framerates possible and can sell his existing CPU and motherboard for good prices to defray the cost.

 

[sizzling]

If your aiming for only 60fps there is zero point, your current cpu will do that in all games. If you are not getting 60fps at 4K then it’s going to be a gpu limitation.

 

[Eximo]

For 60FPS 1440p, most mid-range CPUs and up are fine since the GPU is doing most of the work. GTX1080 is good for 80-100 FPS in most AAA titles at 1440p, and for anything less demanding, a lot more.

Skylake-X isn't too far removed from Kabylake in all honesty, Coffeelake is essentially the same architecture refined slightly. So if you can get up to 4.5ish Ghz, it is effectively within 10% of a i7-8700k.

Your platform has a few advantages as well. Quad channel memory being the most obvious.

You should plan for roughly 200W from an i7-8700k at 5.0Ghz. And a typical 1080 can draw 250W. I would call it marginal unless it is a very good supply with an actual 12V rating of 600W. If it is like 520W, then I wouldn't want to run it for long periods that gaming requires.

Ideally you want your power supply to sit in a 50-80% load for maximum efficiency, and the closer to fifty the cooler and quieter the PSU will be. (Also should last longer before failure)

As a side point, first gen i7 are just now starting to show their age. They were released in 2009. You can expect that CPU to last far longer than you might expect if you keep replacing the GPU. And you have upward options, you can always get more cores for X299...

 

[lumineZ]

Buy a 1080Ti instead. You get far better performance than swapping out that CPU.

 

[mdd1963]

I'd be investigating overclocking your existing 7800X with a good cooler before replacing an X299 MB and CPU already paid for...

A 7800X and 8700K can't be too far apart when both are running at 4.3-4.5 GHz or so across all cores....

(If you are running at 1440P, any gain from more CPU would be 2-4 fps at most anyway....and at only 60 hz refresh, you'd likely see no gain...

Stand pat for 2021 or so...

Even overclocked, the 7800x tends to get worse framerates than the 8700k due to the differences in how the cores communicate. The 7800x uses a mesh bus which creates more latency than the ring bus on the 8700k. Despite that, moving to an entirely different platform probably isn't worth it unless the OP desperately wants the highest framerates possible and can sell his existing CPU and motherboard for good prices to defray the cost.

No one said a 7800X would top an 8700X at the same clock speed. But I don't see the 7900X, which uses the same architecture, exactly getting 'groin stomped' in gaming benchmarks at 4.5 GHz and above or so, either....

 

[10tacle]

No one said a 7800X would top an 8700X at the same clock speed. But I don't see the 7900X, which uses the same architecture, exactly getting 'groin stomped' in gaming benchmarks at 4.5 GHz and above or so, either....

Here's a review of stock vs. stock comparison of the 7800X and 7900X in Ashes. It's a significant gap at 103/114FPS (min-avg) vs. the 7900X's 120/134. But this test was done at 1080p and not 1440p. Note where Broadwell-E's i7 6900K sits too: https://static.techspot.com/articles-info/1433/bench/Ashes.png

But if you guys really want to check out something interesting, check out Guru3D's recent test of an old Sandy Bridge i7 2600K in games using a GTX 1080 (scroll to the bottom of the page to get the dropdown menu for other game benches). Pretty eye opening at 1440p and where importance of new-gen chips sit vs. old ones (read: not much in must games).

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/intel_sandy_bridge_core_i7_2600kthe_2018_review_time_for_an_upgrade,18.html

 

[tlalotoani]

Even the i7 4770 still holds up with most of the games, yes, you will see differences in FPS, but not day and night differences.