I'm currently using an Intel i7-8700, but I'm looking to upgrade and noticed my motherboard can support an i9-9900K. I've checked out some benchmarking sites that suggest my current CPU is bottlenecking my system. However, I'm not sure if upgrading is worth it considering the performance difference. I'm running a 3080 and have 32GB of RAM, and I'm particularly interested in gaming with ARK: Survival Ascended, despite its reputation.
3 Answers
Honestly, for gaming, the performance boost you'll see is pretty minimal. The i9-9900K is considered one of the best CPUs for the LGA 1151 socket, but it also tends to be quite pricey. If you're mainly gaming, you might not notice that much of a difference over your current i7-8700.
I've had both CPUs, and I wouldn't recommend the upgrade to the i9-9900K. Instead, consider getting a 14th Gen i5 along with a compatible motherboard. You'll be able to keep your RAM, and it should land you in a much better position for gaming.
Before you decide, what's your RAM speed? Also, how is your current ARK experience? Your CPU falls between the minimum and recommended specs for the game, so it might perform differently based on your settings.
My RAM is clocked at 1066.4 MHz. I can play ARK, but I usually run it on low to medium settings, and it takes forever to load while staying around 40-50 fps.
That's true! One benchmark I saw estimated jumps from 87% to 97% usage on the CPU, but it's not a huge leap.