I have an ASUS TUF Z690 DDR4 motherboard available and want to turn it into a living-room PC and VR gaming system. I'm planning to use an RTX 5070 12GB with a wired Quest 3 at 120Hz, mainly playing heavily modded VR games such as Blade and Sorcery: Outer Rim, where large numbers of NPCs can put significant load on the CPU.
I'm considering an i9-14900K for £320 or an i9-13900KS for £255, both with a five-year warranty. The CPUs would come from CeX, and I'll be cooling the system with a Noctua NH-D15 and three Noctua case fans. I know an i9 is probably excessive for a living-room PC, but I'd like to make the most of this platform rather than replace the motherboard.
Which CPU would be the better choice for VR performance and value? I'm particularly interested in whether the 14900K offers any meaningful advantage over the 13900KS in demanding games, and whether either chip has thermal or reliability concerns with this cooler. I'll also update the motherboard BIOS before using the CPU.
4 Answers
Make sure the BIOS is fully updated and that Intel’s recommended power and voltage settings are enabled. Both of these generations had reports of instability and degradation when motherboards ran aggressive default settings. A current BIOS is especially important with a used CPU, even if it comes with a warranty.
Between those two, the 14900K is the safer pick if you really want an i9, but the performance difference is small. In normal gaming and VR use, they’re very close, so the £65 saving on the 13900KS could be more worthwhile than the extra performance from the 14900K. A 14700K would also be more than capable for this setup.
The extra efficiency cores on the i9 don’t usually translate into a major VR gaming benefit. They can help with background tasks and heavy multitasking, but the GPU and the game’s main-thread performance will matter more. Also, an NH-D15 can run these chips, but you may need sensible power limits because neither i9 is especially easy to cool at unrestricted settings.
Be cautious with used CPUs from a trade-in store. The warranty helps, but it doesn’t guarantee that the chip hasn’t already developed problems. Test it thoroughly as soon as you receive it, and keep the receipt and packaging in case you need to return it.
A 14700K is only about £45 less than the 13900KS for me, so I’m tempted to spend the extra and go with the i9 anyway.