Recommended Upgrade

zapmaster14 · January 11, 2019

Hello,

I am looking to upgrade my pc, I currently have a i7 6700k, 32GB DDR4 RAM and a GTX 1080, I am a web developer and avid gamer / content creator, I also alongside my web development use virtualization a lot.

I am hoping for advice in regards to what to upgrade, I have a budget of $1,500AUD. I am currently thinking of a new motherboard and a i9 9900k but I am concerned with the cost associated with performance.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

ch3w2oy · January 11, 2019

If you're not in a rush, AMD is releasing a new chip this year, hopefully the beginning of summer that should offer great performance for the price. If you need an upgrade relatively soon, I would still go Ryzen (AMD) and just get a cheaper CPU like the 2600/2600X/1700X/2700 and then upgrade to their new lineup this summer. It'll be worth it. I think Intel is way too overpriced compared to AMDs offerings, the performance just isn't worth the extra cost (a couple FPS in games). If work comes first and gaming second, then that's even more of a reason to go AMD.

Get a solid X470 motherboard (Gigabyte Gaming 7/Asrock Taichi/Asus Crosshair VII) and whichever Ryzen chip you want to hold you over and that should do. Just make sure you get good fast RAM for Ryzen. If you can wait a few months, then I would just wait as the next lineup of motherboards will also be a little better, hopefully.

Then again, you already have 32gb DDR4, so you could just get the 9900K, a nice Z390 motherboard with a nice cooler and be good to go. Either option will have you a great running PC. Intel is just to pricey, IMO, when you can literally get close/same performance with AMD. Maybe consider selling your system and increasing your budget for a badass Ryzen 3 system this summer

BobbyPdue · January 11, 2019

I wouldn't buy anything until the new CPU's from Intel and AMD are fully announced and benchmarked by third parties. It's way too early to pick a CPU.

22 minutes ago, zapmaster14 said:

I am currently thinking of a new motherboard and a i9 9900k but I am concerned with the cost associated with performance.

The cost is substantial, but the performance is quite good, but I think it was rushed by intel and isn't as good as it could have been. If you can wait I would it would suck to buy a $550 - $600 CPU that's overshadowed by a equally priced or cheaper priced CPU from AMD or intel. There is no telling is the wait will be worth it. I think there might be a CPU performance competition starting and hopefully the consumer will be the winner.