[SOLVED] Should I return my 9700k and get a 9900k?

[gthomas1018]

So I recently got the 9700k and after further research found some articles reading that the 9900k will be more “future-proof” as it Has hyper threading while the 9700k does not. Dumb on my part for not researching that before hand but I have time to get a refund and get the 9900k instead.

My question is in the title. Any suggestions?

I do plan to upgrade my GPU as well just haven’t made up my mind on waiting for 3000 series gpus or going with a 2080ti.

My build below for reference:

I7-9700k
Asus ROG STRIX OC 1080ti
Trident Z 16 GB RAM 3600MHz C17
Maximus XI HERO WIFI Mobo

 

[Barty1884]

What do you do with the system?

For a gaming rig, a 9700K should have a long life. 8cores true, even without HT is still a top tier chip.

If you were weighing it up, new, then I'd probably lean towards a 9900K/9900KF, but since you've already bought the 9700K*, I'd stick with it.

*Unless you can return the CPU for a full refund and the 9900K/KF is only ~$100 more. It would be rare to be able to return an opened, fully functional CPU without taking some for of a hit in the purchase price. Most retailers will charge you a restocking fee at the very least, and most will probably deny a return on the basis yuo changed your mind.

 

[gthomas1018]

I bought it from amazon and somehow I talked them into refunding the money I paid for my 9700k while letting me keep the 9700k as well lol. So now I have that money back and would need to spend an additional $160 to get the 9900k. I’m really tempted to do it just for the sake of making the system last a while. Outside of upgrading my GPU to a 2080ti or 3080ti when they release I don’t plan on any further upgrades for at least a few years.

all the system is used for is gaming. Lately I’ve been playing codmw and escape from tarkov but I play all kinds of different games just depends on what I’m feeling at the time so I like to have the CPU power in case I’m playing something CPU intensive.

 

[Barty1884]

Wow. If they're refunded and allowed you to keep, then it's a no-brainer.
You should be able to find a 9900K/KF for ~$490.... and should be able to sell the 9700K second-hand for ~$300 easy.... so a <$200 net spend on a top-tier CPU? No brainer to me.

 

[sizzling]

I don’t see an answer. You are basically betting that a 9900k will last you longer before you have to upgrade. It’s also possible that by the time the i9 has material benefits over the i7 the whole 9th gen platform is out of date. Ultimately you are gambling on money spent now verses money spent in the future.

 

[gthomas1018]

Well only downside is they refunded it to my amazon gift card balance so it can only be used to make purchase on amazon. Right now I can only get a 9900k for $570 and get it in a reasonable amount of time. If I felt like waiting a month I could get it for 499 to wait on more stock to get in.

What is the difference in the KF?

 

[Barty1884]

I don’t see an answer. You are basically betting that a 9900k will last you longer before you have to upgrade. It’s also possible that by the time the i9 has material benefits over the i7 the whole 9th gen platform is out of date. Ultimately you are gambling on money spent now verses money spent in the future.

With the prevelance of high core/thread counts, I fully expect the difference between 8core & 8core/16thread to be measurable within the viable lifespan of an i9.

Now, measurable & substantial are dramatically different things.

Considering the OP spent (I assume) the best part of $400 on the 9700K, I'd personally view it as a cheap 9900K (refund + $X + whatever you can sell the 'used' 9700K for), but you could consider that you have a free 9700K at this point....

Well only downside is they refunded it to my amazon gift card balance so it can only be used to make purchase on amazon. Right now I can only get a 9900k for $570 and get it in a reasonable amount of time. If I felt like waiting a month I could get it for 499 to wait on more stock to get in.

I would not spend $570 on one. A 9700K is a very solid chip, and will last a long time. If you could get a K/KF for MSRP (or less), then I could see the justification and would personally do it...

But at $570, it doesn't make much sense to me.

What is the difference in the KF?

K has integrated graphics, KF does not.
Typically, the KF is marginally cheaper.
The iGP isn't 'needed' if you have a discrete GPU, outside of some editing/rendering work..... but it sure is helpful in the event you need to troubleshoot.

 

[sizzling]

With the prevelance of high core/thread counts, I fully expect the difference between 8core & 8core/16thread to be measurable within the viable lifespan of an i9.

Now, measurable & substantial are dramatically different things.

Considering the OP spent (I assume) the best part of $400 on the 9700K, I'd personally view it as a cheap 9900K (refund + $X + whatever you can sell the 'used' 9700K for), but you could consider that you have a free 9700K at this point....



I would not spend $570 on one. A 9700K is a very solid chip, and will last a long time. If you could get a K/KF for MSRP (or less), then I could see the justification and would personally do it...

But at $570, it doesn't make much sense to me.



K has integrated graphics, KF does not.
Typically, the KF is marginally cheaper.
The iGP isn't 'needed' if you have a discrete GPU, outside of some editing/rendering work..... but it sure is helpful in the event you need to troubleshoot.

I am not disagreeing, no idea who will be right or wrong. However alternatively by the time an i9 has significant benefits it’s possible mid range cpu/motherboard combo’s beat it. Just look at a B450 & 3700X comes close today, a couple of years time the equivalent could be far better and cheaper than a 9900k today. All speculation I know, the point being we don’t know the future and any decision is speculative based on best guess today.

 

[Barty1884]

That's what I meant by measurable & substantial being different.
I'm sure it'll be measurable within the lifespan of a 9700K/9900K, but if that measurement is ~2FPS across the board (as an example), does it matter? Probably not.

If the OP was going to sell the 9700K used and buy a 9900K, it's a real tough one to justify. A ~$200 net spend.
BUT since the OP has been refunded (<$400) and can sell the 9700K (~$300).... you could consider that a ~$200 savings when it's all said and done.

Of course, you could consider it a free 9700K as it stands, and the OP has <$400 in their pocket (well, Amazon wallet).


But, you could look at it a multitude of ways.

Just as an example/rambling, an 'extra' ~$150(ish) today Vs:

5 years from now, a entry/mid-range new CPU will probably rival/beat it. It's certainly not going to be on the same socket, so let's say $100-$150 for the CPU based on past trends... motherboard, say another $80 easy..... We'll certainly be on DDR5 by then, so, another $80. So $260+, but a modern platform and should last X number of years.

There's no 'right' answer - and if the OP just wants the latest and greatest, then there's no better time, given the refund etc, IMO.

 

[rickypicky5]

So I recently got the 9700k and after further research found some articles reading that the 9900k will be more “future-proof” as it Has hyper threading while the 9700k does not. Dumb on my part for not researching that before hand but I have time to get a refund and get the 9900k instead.

My question is in the title. Any suggestions?

I do plan to upgrade my GPU as well just haven’t made up my mind on waiting for 3000 series gpus or going with a 2080ti.

My build below for reference:

I7-9700k
Asus ROG STRIX OC 1080ti
Trident Z 16 GB RAM 3600MHz C17
Maximus XI HERO WIFI Mobo

Yes. If you can still return it, I would if I were you, and then purchase the 9900k. Although, $570 is not a good price. Use the 9700k until the price on the 9900k is more reasonable.

 

[Zizo007]

I bought it from amazon and somehow I talked them into refunding the money I paid for my 9700k while letting me keep the 9700k as well lol. So now I have that money back and would need to spend an additional $160 to get the 9900k. I’m really tempted to do it just for the sake of making the system last a while. Outside of upgrading my GPU to a 2080ti or 3080ti when they release I don’t plan on any further upgrades for at least a few years.

all the system is used for is gaming. Lately I’ve been playing codmw and escape from tarkov but I play all kinds of different games just depends on what I’m feeling at the time so I like to have the CPU power in case I’m playing something CPU intensive.

What did you tell them to keep the 9700K for free?
I don't think its true and you will probably be recharged.

Its not a dollarstore item, its an expensive CPU that they could easily resell as an open box.

 

[Deleted member 1560910]

Yes return. If you cant then sell and take the loss buy a 9900k at micro center

 

[Zizo007]

For gaming tgere is 0 difference between 9700K and 9900K. Only difference is if you encode videos or model.

 

[gthomas1018]

What did you tell them to keep the 9700K for free?
I don't think its true and you will probably be recharged.

Its not a dollarstore item, its an expensive CPU that they could easily resell as an open box.

I actually was reaching out to amazon to ask about returning as I purchased the 9700k and a mobo and ram using special financing so I was concerned on whether I could or not and how this would affect it. By the end of the conversation the rep was telling me it was non returnable. So I questioned this and said “can an exception not be made since I’ve been a prime customer for quite awhile.” They came back and said let me check and out of nowhere they said we will refund the full amount to gift card balance and you can keep or dispose of the item as well.

I know it sounds like I’m making this up but I have no charge on my account nor any of my credit cards on my amazon account either. I was really surprised and I already have the amount for the 9700k on my gift card balance.

 

[Zizo007]

I actually was reaching out to amazon to ask about returning as I purchased the 9700k and a mobo and ram using special financing so I was concerned on whether I could or not and how this would affect it. By the end of the conversation the rep was telling me it was non returnable. So I questioned this and said “can an exception not be made since I’ve been a prime customer for quite awhile.” They came back and said let me check and out of nowhere they said we will refund the full amount to gift card balance and you can keep or dispose of the item as well.

I know it sounds like I’m making this up but I have no charge on my account nor any of my credit cards on my amazon account either. I was really surprised and I already have the amount for the 9700k on my gift card balance.

Well you surely won the lottery and I hope they don't charge you in the future!

 

[gthomas1018]

Well you surely won the lottery and I hope they don't charge you in the future!

i was thinking the same thing. I may end up buying a 9900k and selling the 9700k cause why not, but I think I’m going to wait at least a week or two to make sure they don’t try to charge me again.

 

[maikutech]

So I recently got the 9700k and after further research found some articles reading that the 9900k will be more “future-proof” as it Has hyper threading while the 9700k does not. Dumb on my part for not researching that before hand but I have time to get a refund and get the 9900k instead.

My question is in the title. Any suggestions?

I do plan to upgrade my GPU as well just haven’t made up my mind on waiting for 3000 series gpus or going with a 2080ti.

My build below for reference:

I7-9700k
Asus ROG STRIX OC 1080ti
Trident Z 16 GB RAM 3600MHz C17
Maximus XI HERO WIFI Mobo

Well if you take a quick look at this, you may as well buy it.
The only problem with that is some apps and games are missing the margin between 5-15 seconds.
https://www.techspot.com/review/1730-intel-core-i9-9900k-core-i7-9700k/

5% 10% increase for 9900k, to be honest seems like a huge waste of money on updating to that chip. :/
If I were you, I would wait some more for the lga 1200 to release, that way you will have much more reason to upgrade.

 

[Deleted member 1560910]

Well if you take a quick look at this, you may as well buy it.
The only problem with that is some apps and games are missing the margin between 5-15 seconds.
https://www.techspot.com/review/1730-intel-core-i9-9900k-core-i7-9700k/

5% 10% increase for 9900k, to be honest seems like a huge waste of money on updating to that chip. :/
If I were you, I would wait some more for the lga 1200 to release, that way you will have much more reason to upgrade.

I wonder what all those i5 users are saying now who listened to guys saying stuff like you dont need more then 4 threads for gaming. 4790k users are still in the game while 4690k/6600k users are out of luck

 

[Zizo007]

I wonder what all those i5 users are saying now who listened to guys saying stuff like you dont need more then 4 threads for gaming. 4790k users are still in the game while 4690k/6600k users are out of luck

Online games need 12+ threads. Ex. BFV 64 player. I had an 8 thread Ryzen and it was a slideshow, unplayable, until I upgraded to 1800X.

 

[Deleted member 1560910]

Do people That buy Lambos and Ferrari really need all those horses ? Are they ever going to full utilize this car ?

 

[Deleted member 1560910]

Well you surely won the lottery and I hope they don't charge you in the future!

Not really last year i returned and Board and cpu 100% refund no questions asked

 

[mdd1963]

9700K is plenty fast enough for all games now, and would likely be so for 3-4 years, minimum.

Were the parts equally priced, however, I'd take the 9900K, especially if a fan of streaming...; just not sure it is worth the exchange trouble and added expense of ~$125+ at current prices....(9700K vs. 9900KF)

 

[speedster202]

If you can return the 9700K and get all your money back, then sure, why not.

Otherwise, I don't see much sense in getting the 9900K when you already have a top-tier CPU.

 

[Zizo007]

If you can return the 9700K and get all your money back, then sure, why not.

Otherwise, I don't see much sense in getting the 9900K when you already have a top-tier CPU.

He got a 9700K for free lol They returned the money and told him to keep the 9700K.
I think that's why he wants a 9900K.

Personally, I would use the 9700K and keep the money and buy an RTX 3080 Ti when it comes out.

I wouldn't buy a 2080ti now, I would wait for 3080ti. I bought my 2080Ti 5 months ago used for a good price.

 

[gameoverman2016]

Hi

I have a I7 9700K(upgraded from a i7 6700k(resold that for 150) I utterly LOVE my I7 9700K.

I play all my pc games on epic(I have a gtx 1080ti) and on ultrawide and they run great. I can use StreamLab OBS to stream to Twitch with no noticebale performance loss while games games like Ark Survival, with Epic launcher, Battlenet Launcher and 4 Chrome tabs open and a 2nd monitor connected watching my stream.

The i7 9700K is all I could have hoped for and more. But my PC is 98% gaming