CPU Upgrade

[SkimmyMcG]

Hello all!

 

I've been out of the loop for tech for quite some time now and frankly these new CPU names scare the bejeebus out of me!

 

I'm looking to upgrade my i7-3770k as it just cannot keep up when playing Planetside 2 with the performance I'd like. Willing to spend up to $1,000 CAD for this, but wouldn't mind it being cheaper, it would have to include the CPU, RAM, and motherboard. Would prefer an unlocked processor and a board that can handle overclocking also.

 

This is the part list I have come up with, though as I stated before, it has been some time since checking out hardware so that's why I'd like your guy's input!

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor	$499.00 @ Canada Computers
Motherboard	ASRock - Z390 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$142.02 @ Vuugo
Memory	G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory	$129.99 @ Powertop
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$791.01
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$771.01
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-14 01:30 EDT-0400

 

[Manderis]

What gpu do you own? Do you already have a ssd? Country is the US I assume? 

 

If you don't need hyperthreading a 9700k might also be a great choice. Also you could get a bit faster ram. Maybe 2666 MHz but that is no must have 

[SkimmyMcG]

4 hours ago, Manderis said:

What gpu do you own? Do you already have a ssd? Country is the US I assume? 

 

If you don't need hyperthreading a 9700k might also be a great choice. Also you could get a bit faster ram. Maybe 2666 MHz but that is no must have 

My GPU is a GTX 1070 and yes I have an SSD. My full specs are listed in my signature. I also specifically said the currency as CAD so I assumed including I'm Canadian wasn't necessary. Will look at the 9700k, thanks!

[Manderis]

Well, you are completely right. It is called lazy reading on my part. Sorry. 

If you have a 1070 a 9700k is a great match. 

 

Comparing the 8700k with 6c/12t with the 9700k 8c/8t. 

The 8700k is slightly faster in multi threaded workloads and the 9700k has slightly higher single core performance but no hyper threading (first i7 without it). For just gaming I would recommend the 9700k if the 8700k is not significantly cheaper to buy (sometimes you get a nice sale offer). 

 

If you want to OC maybe consider a slightly higher tier Motherboard. The Pro4 is a great value but considering you have a d14 you might want a decent amount of overclocking and a board with better vrms. Someone else in the forum might be better suited to say more about vrm quality / power design of the current z390 generation. 

 

[SkimmyMcG]

3 hours ago, Manderis said:

Well, you are completely right. It is called lazy reading on my part. Sorry. 

If you have a 1070 a 9700k is a great match. 

 

Comparing the 8700k with 6c/12t with the 9700k 8c/8t. 

The 8700k is slightly faster in multi threaded workloads and the 9700k has slightly higher single core performance but no hyper threading (first i7 without it). For just gaming I would recommend the 9700k if the 8700k is not significantly cheaper to buy (sometimes you get a nice sale offer). 

 

If you want to OC maybe consider a slightly higher tier Motherboard. The Pro4 is a great value but considering you have a d14 you might want a decent amount of overclocking and a board with better vrms. Someone else in the forum might be better suited to say more about vrm quality / power design of the current z390 generation. 

 

Makes sense, it's the difference of about $40 CAD so looks like the 9700k will be my choice along with a Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X board, looks like it has some good VRMs. I was interested in the i5-9600k for the price difference at $340 vs $540 for the 9700k but I see the performance of it is a bit inconsistent in some games. In some titles it appears to match the 9700k and in others barely misses it, but in some misses by up to 25 FPS.

[MohitRK]

I'd recommend getting the 9700K over the 8700K (if it fits in your budget), especially since you're regardless going to go for a Z390 chipset motherboard.

Also, about the cooler, your old one isn't going to work with your motherboard because it's an entirely different socket. I think you should look into compatible mounting brackets or getting a new one altogether.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, your cooler is compatible with your motherboard's socket, my bad.

[SkimmyMcG]

28 minutes ago, MohitRK said:

I'd recommend getting the 9700K over the 8700K (if it fits in your budget), especially since you're regardless going to go for a Z390 chipset motherboard.

Also, about the cooler, your old one isn't going to work with your motherboard because it's an entirely different socket. I think you should look into compatible mounting brackets or getting a new one altogether.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, your cooler is compatible with your motherboard's socket, my bad.

Thanks for the input and especially for double checking my cooler! I thought I'd have to get different mounting hardware at first also but it appears it'll be fine.

[Jurrunio]

how could you even make Planetside 2 run without the performance you want?

[SkimmyMcG]

36 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

how could you even make Planetside 2 run without the performance you want?

My frame rate is pretty unstable. Sometimes I can get an alright 50-60 FPS in larger battles but it usually fluctuates between the high 30's and mid 40's so much it makes it unbearable, especially in close quarters. I do realize the game has bad optimization on top of the massive battles which brings down performance but I'd still like to be able to run it with the absolute best performance possible regardless.

[Jurrunio]

2 minutes ago, SkimmyMcG said:

My frame rate is pretty unstable. Sometimes I can get an alright 50-60 FPS in larger battles but it usually fluctuates between the high 30's and mid 40's so much it makes it unbearable, especially in close quarters. I do realize the game has bad optimization on top of the massive battles which brings down performance but I'd still like to be able to run it with the absolute best performance possible regardless.

Have you overclocked your current CPU and memory yet?

[SkimmyMcG]

1 minute ago, Jurrunio said:

Have you overclocked your current CPU and memory yet?

Just my CPU, I was only able to get up to 4.3GHz if I recall correctly. Ended up losing the OC when I had to clear my BIOS due to a RAM issue and for whatever reason since then I cannot get the OC stable so I abandoned it some time ago.

[Jurrunio]

2 minutes ago, SkimmyMcG said:

Just my CPU, I was only able to get up to 4.3GHz if I recall correctly. Ended up losing the OC when I had to clear my BIOS due to a RAM issue and for whatever reason since then I cannot get the OC stable so I abandoned it some time ago.

even 4.3 is quite low considering these 1155 CPUs reach 4.5GHz easy (including my silicon lottery loser). Maybe you haven't raised the voltages? Up to 1.4V is fine.

[SkimmyMcG]

9 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

even 4.3 is quite low considering these 1155 CPUs reach 4.5GHz easy (including my silicon lottery loser). Maybe you haven't raised the voltages? Up to 1.4V is fine.

Yeah, I know my friend I got it from had it running at 4.5GHz without issue for the time he had it, even with a stock cooler at times! Still, considering the performance I had with the 4.3GHz I just don't have the motivation to push it for a few more FPS. Would rather just bite the bullet and take the upgrade, can always sell this CPU setup afterwards to offset the cost too.

[Jurrunio]

3 minutes ago, SkimmyMcG said:

Yeah, I know my friend I got it from had it running at 4.5GHz without issue for the time he had it, even with a stock cooler at times! Still, considering the performance I had with the 4.3GHz I just don't have the motivation to push it for a few more FPS. Would rather just bite the bullet and take the upgrade, can always sell this CPU setup afterwards to offset the cost too.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$529.99 @ Memory Express
Motherboard	Gigabyte - Z390 AORUS ELITE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$219.00 @ Canada Computers
Memory	Team - Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$109.99 @ Newegg Canada
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$858.98
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-14 13:37 EDT-0400

Improved the board for overclocking's sake 9700k for soldered IHS, cheaper memory with more performance.

 

Thought about Ryzen at first but I dont know its compatibility with old games.

[SkimmyMcG]

5 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$529.99 @ Memory Express
Motherboard	Gigabyte - Z390 AORUS ELITE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$219.00 @ Canada Computers
Memory	Team - Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$109.99 @ Newegg Canada
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$858.98
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-14 13:37 EDT-0400

Improved the board for overclocking's sake 9700k for soldered IHS, cheaper memory with more performance.

  

Thought about Ryzen at first but I dont know its compatibility with old games.

Thanks! The RAM I had on there originally is actually $108 from Newegg but for an extra buck why not improve the speed! It doesn't look that aesthetic, but I think I gave up on those when I bought a 1070 with a freaking yellow and silver backplate in a red and black build, ehe.

[SkimmyMcG]

Really appreciate the help everyone! Based off everyone's suggestions I have gone ahead and ordered the partlist that @Jurrunio posted for OCing purposes.