Should I Upgrade to an i7-9700K or Save for an i9-9900K?
Asked by
GamerDude89
Hey everyone! I'm in a bit of a dilemma about upgrading my CPU. Currently, I have an Intel Core i5-9600K with an MSI H310M PRO-VDH PLUS motherboard, 16 GB of Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM, an RTX 3060 GPU, and a mix of a 1TB Seagate HDD and a Samsung 870 Evo SSD for storage. I primarily game, stream, and edit videos. I can find an i7-9700K for around €215, but the i9-9900K is priced at over €500. Given my tight budget and the fact that I'd rather not replace my motherboard at this moment, does it make sense to jump on the i7-9700K now for a decent boost, or should I hold out and save for the more powerful i9-9900K in the long run? Appreciate your insights!
Answers
Your motherboard could struggle to power the i7-9700K, and that would limit its performance. If it were me, I’d recommend saving up for a full upgrade to an AM5 platform or something newer. You’d end up with better performance overall and be ready for future gaming needs.
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Both options seem overpriced and not really worth the investment. If you’re willing to spend that kind of cash, you should be looking at a complete new setup instead. For less than €500, you can get a new AMD system that would blow those old CPUs out of the water!
NextGenNerd: Yeah, definitely worth looking into! New parts are where it's at these days.
BudgetTechie: What’s a good budget setup you’d recommend?
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Upgrading to these older CPUs isn't worth it. Just save for a complete rebuild. For around €500, you could get a decent new CPU and motherboard that would significantly outperform the i9-9900K. Spend wisely, don't throw money at tech that's already outdated!
SmartShopper99: Exactly! It's better to invest in something that will maintain relevance for a while.
OldTechNoMore: Couldn’t agree more! Modern hardware is just way better for gaming and productivity.
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Honestly, I wouldn't bother with either option right now. Upgrading to the i7-9700K will only give you about a 5% increase in performance for video editing compared to your current 9600K, and the i9-9900K isn't going to give you that much more either. You could overclock your 9600K and get similar performance without spending a dime. Plus, for that price range, consider saving for a newer platform like Ryzen or Intel's latest chips—it’d be a much better upgrade overall.
BudgetBuilder2024: That makes a lot of sense! I think I might just stick with my current CPU and see if I can manage an overclock for now.
FutureGamer77: Yeah, the prices for old parts are just outrageous. Definitely lean towards saving for a full system upgrade!
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PCFanatic88: Good point about the motherboard! What would you suggest for a proper upgrade? Any specific parts in mind?
TechieTom: Yeah, going AM5 sounds like a solid plan! Definitely look into those new CPUs.