I'm considering upgrading my 8700K to a 9900K because I feel my system's potential is being limited. I have a Maximus X Hero motherboard and a 3080 Ti GPU, but I'm worried about the power and thermal requirements. I currently use an H100i V2 cooler and can't fit a larger AIO cooler because of my case's limitations. My power supply is an EVGA 850W G+ which should be sufficient, but I have five drives connected, including two 7200RPM HDDs, two NVMe SSDs, and one 2.5" SATA SSD. I also want to enable resizable BAR with the new CPU but would like to stick with DDR4 since RAM prices are high right now. What do you all think? I might find a decent deal on a 9900K through Facebook Marketplace.
6 Answers
A 240mm AIO should be alright, especially if you undervolt the 9900K. But keep in mind you’re only looking at around a 6% gain in per-core performance. Consider going for something like a 12600KF with a B760 board for better value—30% more per-core performance and better power efficiency.
I did the switch from 8700K to 9900K a while back, and honestly, it wasn’t worth it. The performance difference is minimal, so I wouldn’t recommend it unless it's a crazy good deal.
Technically, the upgrade should work fine. However, if you’re not getting a super low price, it might not be worth the trouble. The performance increase won’t be that substantial.
Yeah, I agree. Small performance boost for the hassle involved.
Honestly, finding a good deal on a 9900K might be tough, and I doubt it’ll give you a significant upgrade for gaming. You might be better off looking at 11th or 12th-gen processors where you can reuse your DDR4 RAM. I went for a Ryzen 7 9700X instead, and it's treating me well—lower TDP and similar or better performance.
When I upgraded from the 8700K to the 9900K, it was a solid boost. My 240mm AIO managed just fine, but don't expect to push it past 5.0GHz if you plan on overclocking.
Considering the price, I think you'd be happier with a more modern setup. Upgrading to something like a 12400 or 13400 would be more beneficial in the long run. You can always repurpose your other components easily too.
Exactly the impression I got too. Maybe skip the upgrade?