Upgrade Conundrum

[JimmyN-UK]

I need your support.   I built my own PC back in 2016 (first time builder)  with the following Specs:

• ASUS Maximus VIII Hero/Alpha Intel Z170 DDR4 S-ATA 600 ATX Motherboard
• ASUS STRIX-GTX1070-O8G-Gaming Nvidia Geforce GTX 1070 Graphics Card
• Corsair CMU16GX4M2C3200C16B Vengeance 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 3200 MHz
• Intel Core I5-6600K Processor

 

The issue I face is I could really do with updating my CPU, as Xplane 11 is not that great and battlefield 4 fine BF5 however 5 is too bad to even play.  I originally wanted to go for the I7 9700k, however, discovered that my motherboard will only accept the i7 7700k.  I don't really want to have to replace my motherboard if I don't have to as I want to keep the costs down.   All I do on my PC is play FPS such as Battlefield 4, and  Fifa and Xplane 11(possibly with VR in the future)

 

Therefore my question is, 

• do I just opt for the 7700k and live with that for the next year or so? ( i.e  the 7700k  will it improve vastly the performance in the games I currently have and be capable of supporting future updates in the next year or so)

 

Or 

 

• Do I bite the bullet and invest in both a new ATX motherboard?
  • if so which is the best value (that includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, m.2?)
  • which is the best processor that will give me the right performance for my limited use that will also have a reasonable longevity?

 

Regards

James

[Meganter]

The 7700k is a good CPU but old and pricy (same price as the 3700x or 9700k).

 

Going AMD or 9700k will cost around 600€/$ if you are ready for it.

[Bombastinator]

The difference between the i5 and the i7 is hyperthreading.  You get more threads but they’re slower.  It’s actually the same chip but with a hard coded bit flipped.  Iirc a used 7700k is in the 200-300$ range.  Maybe Half of what you would need for a new mobo/cpu depending on the deal you get.  Good news is your ram is still fast enough.

 

Im not sure what specter/meltdown did to the 7700k.  My understanding is the problem was never really actually fixed even with brand new chips.  It was just mitigated by abandoning some functions.  Some of the older CPUs actually had to turn their hyperthreading off.  
 

This one may come down to cash availability.  Can you find the money to do the new board upgrade?  The price of updating the CPU is high and it may not remain viable for all that long.