Wait for 9th Gen ?

[sethc.dorris]

Hi Everyone, I am wanting to build a new gaming PC, haven't built one since 2004, and want to get back into PC Gaming. 8th Gen CPUs just came out, but the Intel schedule has 9th Gen 10nm lithography chip coming early 2018, should I wait for that chip or build now? What is everyone's thoughts?

 

[Obakasama]

With technology the way it is, there's always something better soon after. Which means the decision can be delayed indefinitely until it's decided enough's enough and you end up getting what you can afford at the time.

That said, the 8th gen Intels do look really good. But stock shortages don't help and it seems to be early 2018 before that situation is rectified. How soon after will the 9th gen be released? No idea (rumours suggest late 2018), but it does make the 8th gen feel shortsighted and limited in a sense.

Generally, I would consider how dissatisfied you are with your current PC and whether it's enough to make you think you can't tolerate the performance anymore and need an upgrade. (I built my new one a week before the 8th gen reviews were out.)

 

[sethc.dorris]

With technology the way it is, there's always something better soon after. Which means the decision can be delayed indefinitely until it's decided enough's enough and you end up getting what you can afford at the time.

That said, the 8th gen Intels do look really good. But stock shortages don't help and it seems to be early 2018 before that situation is rectified. How soon after will the 9th gen be released? No idea (rumours suggest late 2018), but it does make the 8th gen feel shortsighted and limited in a sense.

Generally, I would consider how dissatisfied you are with your current PC and whether it's enough to make you think you can't tolerate the performance anymore and need an upgrade. (I built my new one a week before the 8th gen reviews were out.)

Makes sense; I was holding out for 9th gen because I was under the impression spring 18 .. as far as how dissastisfied I am with my current PC... I have no PC to game on atm.. right now I have my macbook pro which is phenomenal machine for everything but gaming considering I bought it a year or two ago.

 

[Obakasama]

That's a difficult decision then. You'd have to evaluate how much gaming you want to do and the quality/performance you're looking for.

As the situation stands, 8th gen CPU availability is still an issue. If it's your preferred choice then it would be the new year you'd be looking at with any certainty. Check often to see if there is stock available; might get lucky.

The i7-7700k is still one of the most impressive CPUs for gaming as far as I'm concerned and should still last for a while (if longevity is a consideration).

An alternative consideration is what games can you run adequately now, and how long you can remain satisfied with them until you can build a new PC.