Hey everyone! I have an MSI H270 TOMAHAWK ARCTIC motherboard paired with an Intel Core i7-7700 processor. Lately, my CPU has been hitting 100% usage, especially when I'm gaming or have multiple tabs open, causing slowdowns. I've read that upgrading to the i7-7700K could be a potential solution, but it doesn't seem like a huge performance boost for the effort. I've heard about newer CPUs like the i9-9900KS that fit the LGA1151 socket, but I'm unsure if they would even work with my motherboard. Any advice on whether I should go for that upgrade or if the 7700K is my best bet without getting a new motherboard?
2 Answers
Just a heads-up: the LGA1151 socket has two versions. To use a V2 CPU on a V1 board, you would need a modified BIOS and some additional tweaks, such as taping specific pins. However, the upgrade path seems pretty limited here. You could find a used i5-12400 with a B660 board for roughly the same price as a 9900K, and it might give you better performance overall.
Unfortunately, 8th and 9th Gen CPUs aren’t compatible with your 6th/7th Gen motherboard. Your i7-7700 is about as good as it gets for your current setup. If you want to upgrade significantly, you’ll need a new motherboard. But honestly, I'd recommend looking for something even newer than the 9900K if you're making that jump!
I suspected that might be the case but wasn't certain. Thanks for clarifying!
I didn’t realize there were two versions of the socket! Modifying the board and BIOS sounds tricky for me, but it’s good to know there's a possibility. Thanks for the heads-up!