I gave my old gaming PC to my girlfriend and want to improve it without spending more than necessary. The current system has an MSI Z270 motherboard, an Intel i5-7600K, an EVGA RTX 2080 Super, 16GB of DDR4-3200 memory, an EVGA 750W Gold power supply, and an NZXT S340 case. Its storage consists of an aging hard drive and an older SSD, so I would like to replace or supplement those with a modern SSD. The main problem is CPU-related stuttering in newer games. Gaming will be done at 2560×1440, and lower settings are acceptable as long as newer titles run smoothly. I am hoping to keep the RTX 2080 Super and avoid replacing the entire computer if possible. Since the Z270 platform only supports older LGA 1151 processors, is a used i7-7700K worthwhile, or should I replace the motherboard and CPU with a newer platform?
3 Answers
The i7-7700K is effectively the best drop-in upgrade for that motherboard, but it probably isn't worth paying much for one. The 7600K-to-7700K improvement is limited because both chips are old, and a used 7700K may still struggle in newer CPU-heavy games. A newer platform is the better long-term choice.
Replace the old hard drive with a 1TB NVMe SSD if the new motherboard supports it. If budget is tight, a 512GB NVMe drive can serve as the boot and main-game drive while the existing SSD remains as secondary storage. The RTX 2080 Super is still capable at 1440p, so the CPU and storage are the sensible areas to address first.
For a cost-conscious upgrade, keep the RTX 2080 Super, DDR4 memory, case, and power supply. Move to a reasonably priced AM4 setup with a B550 or A520 motherboard and a Ryzen 5 5600 or 5600X. That combination should substantially reduce CPU-related stutter and is a much better value than buying an expensive 7700K. Used motherboard-and-CPU bundles can make the switch even cheaper.
The 9600K is not compatible with this Z270 board without unusual modification. The practical maximum is the 7700K, so a platform change makes more sense.
So a 9600K would not work in the Z270 board even though both CPUs are associated with LGA 1151?