[SOLVED] Upgrading from a i5-9600K for gaming purposes

[Lokari]

I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

I recently got my hands on a 6900 XT and my 9600K is at its limits even though I'm on 1440p. So I have more or less decided to upgrade, but don't really know where to go.

I'm not really keen on the idea of going AM4 now with its life cycle being basically at the end, but then again AM5 seems to be a year away. If AM5 was already out with I would definitely just buy an AM5 chip. With AMD I would also have the benefit of SAM.

A 9900K(F) is also an option but would getting one just postpone the inevitable motherboard and ram upgrade by a year or two?

Should I just wait out until Alder Lake and see what it has to offer?

 

[Hellfire13]

9900k has 16 thread compared to your 6 threads. It should give you another 2-3 yrs easily apart from supporting that card fully. It should be a good upgrade if you are thinking of utilizing that card fully right now.

 

[Zerk2012]

I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

I recently got my hands on a 6900 XT and my 9600K is at its limits even though I'm on 1440p. So I have more or less decided to upgrade, but don't really know where to go.

I'm not really keen on the idea of going AM4 now with its life cycle being basically at the end, but then again AM5 seems to be a year away. If AM5 was already out with I would definitely just buy an AM5 chip. With AMD I would also have the benefit of SAM.

A 9900K(F) is also an option but would getting one just postpone the inevitable motherboard and ram upgrade by a year or two?

Should I just wait out until Alder Lake and see what it has to offer?

In most games you would see very little FPS increase the few games that can actually use more than 6 cores you would see more of a increase.

Edit that chip has a all core clock speed of 4.3 if you have a decent board and good cooling I would probably overclock it to the 4.8 / 4.9 area and see how that works.

 

[Bob.B]

I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

I recently got my hands on a 6900 XT and my 9600K is at its limits even though I'm on 1440p. So I have more or less decided to upgrade, but don't really know where to go.

I'm not really keen on the idea of going AM4 now with its life cycle being basically at the end, but then again AM5 seems to be a year away. If AM5 was already out with I would definitely just buy an AM5 chip. With AMD I would also have the benefit of SAM.

A 9900K(F) is also an option but would getting one just postpone the inevitable motherboard and ram upgrade by a year or two?

Should I just wait out until Alder Lake and see what it has to offer?

It's a personal pref thing.
Perhaps look into stopping unneeded background stuff.
Might free up the cpu a little.
It's free.

 

[rickypicky5]

I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

I recently got my hands on a 6900 XT and my 9600K is at its limits even though I'm on 1440p. So I have more or less decided to upgrade, but don't really know where to go.

I'm not really keen on the idea of going AM4 now with its life cycle being basically at the end, but then again AM5 seems to be a year away. If AM5 was already out with I would definitely just buy an AM5 chip. With AMD I would also have the benefit of SAM.

A 9900K(F) is also an option but would getting one just postpone the inevitable motherboard and ram upgrade by a year or two?

Should I just wait out until Alder Lake and see what it has to offer?

If you go with the 9900K(F) make sure you motherboard and CPU cooler can handle it. 9900K(F) runs HOT and requires a motherboard with decent VRM.

I upgraded my 9600K to the 9900K about a year ago and I'm quite happy I did. I play BF5 which uses quite a few threads and have definitely noticed a difference. As far as I'm concerned, 8 cores and 16 threads with all core boost of 4.7Ghz will do me just fine for the next several years.

 

[Lokari]

I have fiddled around with overclocking the 9600K, mine is a pretty good overclocker going to 4.8GHz - 5.0GHz with very reasonable voltage. Z390-F Gaming and X63 are plenty enough for it too.

BUT at least to my eye it seems like the threads have been my biggest obstacle so far, especially in Battlefield V like @rickypicky5 mentioned.

The 9900K(F) is a very tempting option. Especially since I could just swap out the chip and be done with it. Maybe I should go with it and settle for a few years, then look again at the situation with DDR5 and new platforms (LGA 1700 and AM5)...

 

[logainofhades]

The 9900k/f is definitely the best option, for the money, look at current pricing.

 

[rickypicky5]

The 9900K(F) is a very tempting option. Especially since I could just swap out the chip and be done with it. Maybe I should go with it and settle for a few years, then look again at the situation with DDR5 and new platforms (LGA 1700 and AM5)...

That was my reasoning as well. Amazon has the 9900K for about $350. I bought mine about a year ago for that price at Microcenter.

 

[Lokari]

Yeah I'm gonna go with the 9900KF. Any recommendations on RAM? I'm going to upgrade to 32GB while I am at it and my current ram sticks aren't sold anymore, so I'll just buy a new set of 32GB.

 

[Hellfire13]

Yeah I'm gonna go with the 9900KF. Any recommendations on RAM? I'm going to upgrade to 32GB while I am at it and my current ram sticks aren't sold anymore, so I'll just buy a new set of 32GB.

You can go about it however you want. If you buy another set of same specs you always have the Return Window if it doesn't work. It does tend to work more often than not, but not guaranteed. Or you can buy new set to avoid the hassle.

Edit: What are your current RAM specs?

 

[Lokari]

You can go about it however you want. If you buy another set of same specs you always have the Return Window if it doesn't work. It does tend to work more often than not, but not guaranteed. Or you can buy new set to avoid the hassle.

Edit: What are your current RAM specs?

I currently have 2 x 8GB HyperX Fury 3200MHz CL18 1.2V.

The new version of the set that is being sold is CL16 1.35V. Sure I could match the newer set to the lower ones specs in BIOS, but is it worth the hassle?

 

[Hellfire13]

I currently have 2 x 8GB HyperX Fury 3200MHz CL18 1.2V.

The new version of the set that is being sold is CL16 1.35V. Sure I could match the newer set to the lower ones specs in BIOS, but is it worth the hassle?

It is a bit of a hassle, yes. Doable if you have patience and follow some good guide. Could be tricky if you mess up. I would say research yourself, watch some video guides and then take a call.

 

[Lokari]

It is a bit of a hassle, yes. Doable if you have patience and follow some good guide. Could be tricky if you mess up. I would say research yourself, watch some video guides and then take a call.

Yeah I'll just straight up pass on the hassle and sell my current ram.

 

[logainofhades]

That's probably for the best. Mix matching ram can be quite problematic.

 

[mdd1963]

9900K makes sense ....if your mainboard will sustain it...

(they are not known for 72C at load temps, so, bring a good cooler to the table, think Noctua NH-D15 minimum...)

 

[Lokari]

Will be getting a 9900KF next week.

Any recommendations on the ram? Will "basic" CL16 3200MHz ram do fine or should I invest in something better?

 

[Hellfire13]

Will be getting a 9900KF next week.

Any recommendations on the ram? Will "basic" CL16 3200MHz ram do fine or should I invest in something better?

On Intel 3200 CL16 is the sweet spot as you go up diminishing return kicks in. If you can go higher within your budget then good.

 

[Lokari]

On Intel 3200 CL16 is the sweet spot as you go up diminishing return kicks in. If you can go higher within your budget then good.

Not that much on a budget now, but diminishing returns are always diminishing returns. Guess I'll go for a set of CL16 3200MHz and go over the top in a few years when I'll likely swap again to DDR5.

 

[Hellfire13]

Not that much on a budget now, but diminishing returns are always diminishing returns. Guess I'll go for a set of CL16 3200MHz and go over the top in a few years when I'll likely swap again to DDR5.

Sounds good.