[SOLVED] To Upgrade Or Not To Upgrade?

[Mischaman]

I am currently running an i7-8700 (non-K) that is on a MSI Z370 Gaming Plus mother board. I have money set aside to upgrade to the best Nvidia 3000 series card (3080 ti?) and was wondering if I need to look into ramping up my CPU.

I see that thenew i7-10700 is getting great reviews, but I will need to upgrade my motherboard as well.

Would upgrading to the i7 9700k be worth it considering I will not need to upgrade my motherboard?

I'm just trying to reasonably future proof for the new GPU's that are coming out. I also recently upgraded to a 1440p 144hz monitor.

Your opinion is appreciated.!

 

[nmb255]

isn't the right way around to get the new GPU and then see if you need a CPU upgrade to play the games you play at the resolution and detail you want.

 

[DeanTH23]

If your 8700 performs as expected then just stick with it for a couple of years.
Maybe if you can find a good deal for the 9700k go for it,but going 10th gen isn't worth at all.

 

[maxamillionfeettall]

At 1440p, a 9700k will net you 5-10 more fps with a 2080ti(more often 5 than 10). Stick with the 8700, you'll be fine.

 

[geofelt]

Today, nobody knows what the 3000 series cards will do or how much they will cost.
I have no doubt that the top card will be VERY expensive.
And, it will become oversold immediately.
Be prepared for that.
Your motherboard will support processors as strong as the 9900K.
That is approximately the performance of the i7-10700K
Here is a list of supported processors:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/Z370-GAMING-PLUS#support-cpu
It is unlikely that you would ever need more for gaming.
You would first need a current bios update for support.

Try this test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

 

[Mischaman]

Is there a big difference between the 8700 (turbo boosted to 4.4ghz) and the 8700k? Coincidentally, a popular Youtuber released a video today comparing the 8700K to the modern CPU's, and it looks like it is still very much relevant.

 

[HardStroke]

Is there a big difference between the 8700 (turbo boosted to 4.4ghz) and the 8700k? Coincidentally, a popular Youtuber released a video today comparing the 8700K to the modern CPU's, and it looks like it is still very much relevant.

I have a 10600k and from what i see online its basically a little bit better then the 8700k
Personally, i do not regret my upgrade, not even a bit.
Going from an i5 3550 that i overclocked to 4ghz just because of gaming performance is not something i would do but since im also editing...this upgrade was needed.
You have an i7 8700 and you want to upgrade to what???
9700k? 10700k? Bruh
Not worth it
Maybe try to sell your 8700 and get a good deal on the 8700k. If you actually do that, your next cpu upgraded should be when intels 14th gen and amd 7 or 8th gen will launch😋
And if your motherboard supports a 9900k, you can actually get one in 3 or 4 years and you have a beast with a 9900k and your planned 3080 ti or 3090, whatever the top model is

 

[maxamillionfeettall]

Is there a big difference between the 8700 (turbo boosted to 4.4ghz) and the 8700k? Coincidentally, a popular Youtuber released a video today comparing the 8700K to the modern CPU's, and it looks like it is still very much relevant.

No, not really, a few fps. The 8700k will have a higher base clock and higher all core boost, otherwise it's pretty minimal.

 

[geofelt]

Much depends on the kinds of games you play.
Fast action games at high resolutions need a very good graphics card.
Games like sims, mmo and strategy are more cpu centric and like fast single thread performance.
The value of a 8700K is that it can be overclocked.
as of 3/22/2018
What % of I7-8700k chips can oc
at a aggressive vcore near 1.4 or so and delidded
4.9 99%
5.0 88%
5.1 54%
5.2 22%

Note the delidded caveat. At high overclocks, it generates lots of heat.
A professional delid will cost you $50.
a 8700K delidded will cost you about $250 on ebay.

With 8 threads, that is all most games can usefully use.
If you play multiplayer games with many participants, then more than 8 threads can be useful.

A 9th or 10th gen K suffix processor can usually run at least some cores at 5.0 or better.

Test your games to see how sensitive they are to cpu speed and thread count.

In windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

You could also experiment with removing one or more cores/threads. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option.
You will need to reboot for the change to take effect. Set the number of threads to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many threads.
If you see little difference, your game does not need all the threads you have.