Hey everyone! I've got an i5-8500, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 3070. Lately, I'm struggling to multitask while gaming—YouTube videos lagging and my CPU peaking at 100%. With budget constraints in mind, would it make sense to upgrade to a 9900K? I found one for about $250-300 here in Canada. Thanks in advance!
2 Answers
The 9900K is a solid CPU, but honestly, it's overpriced and runs really hot, which means you'll need a better cooler to go along with it—your budget will balloon over $350. Instead, think about grabbing a Ryzen 5600X and a B550 motherboard. You can likely get both for about the same price as the 9900K, and the 5600X will give you comparable power usage with better overall performance. Plus, you can keep all your existing components as long as you have AM4 mounting for your cooler.
Thanks, I'll consider it!
Your i5-8500 is still a solid CPU, and it shouldn't be maxing out like that while you're multitasking. Honestly, there’s probably a problematic driver or some malware at play. I recommend backing up your data and doing a fresh operating system install to see if that resolves the issue. Your build has more life left in it, so don’t rush into an upgrade just yet!
I'll investigate! My son probably installed something weird...
8500 is old as dirt and OP definitely needs to upgrade CPU, that is the issue.
This is probably the best path since OP already has 32GB of DDR4. You could go for a 5800XT too, but the 5600X will do the job just fine.