CPU CPU upgrade advice requested

annasoh323

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Apr 4, 2018
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I have an i5-7600K on a Gigabyte Z270N-Wifi board delidded cooled by a fan-swapped Cryorig C7 and paired with a reference GTX 1080 and 16GB 2666 RAM default XMP profile. I recently saw an i7-6700K pop up on CL. If I factor in cost of having it delidded, I'd be looking at a ~$240 cost to swap. I'm sure I could find a use for the i5 in another build or resell potentially. I mostly use the computer for easy work (browsing, word processing and the like) and gaming but I have been considering a dive into more intensive work (video and VM).

In the opinions of the forum folks, would upgrading to a last-gen i7 keep me in the game through the next few generations of platforms or am I better off holding off for a total platform upgrade now? Put another way, if you were in my shoes, would you pull the trigger? Follow-up questions welcome as well.
 

blubblob

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jul 26, 2016
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I'm not sure if you mistyped the cpu names, but it seems like you want to invest a lot of money for Hyperthreading and 200Mhz of non-boost clock. If that is an accurate assessment my answer to your question would be HELL NO.
The i5-7600k will keep you "in the game" just fine for the coming years.
 

annasoh323

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Apr 4, 2018
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Thanks for the input, guys. I think that some of my problem is saltiness that I bought in right at the transition point from "an i5 is all you need!" to "six cores is the new normal." Also, at the time I bought and built everything, my use case was strictly gaming. Finally, I was considering that a new 7700K still goes for > $250 and that, clock-for-clock, it's the same as the 6700K. I suppose that I will further experiment with my system settings and programs and see how well things work together.
 

annasoh323

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Apr 4, 2018
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i5 is 6 core now so technically the first statement is still valid :D



Got me there, @IntoxicatedPuma. I'll see myself out now...
 

IntoxicatedPuma

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Feb 26, 2016
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I can see where the frustration comes from though, because an i3 8350k is every bit an i5 7600k, so it should be reasonable to say it's "enough".
 
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annasoh323

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Apr 4, 2018
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...an i3 8350k is every bit an i5 7600k, so it should be reasonable to say it's "enough".

It seems like we've crossed beyond a point-of-no-return where more and more applications will start leaving pure 4 cores behind and I was on the tail-end of that. Folks that are on much older platforms (IMO) are able to watch it unfold with an eye on a total platform upgrade knowing they are able to get their full money's worth. Since I am "late to the game" with the 7600K on Z270, I was questioning if the i7 of my generation would be a meaningful way to stretch the life of my existing platform. Maybe I just need to adjust my wallet-alert calibration.
 

metropath27

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Apr 22, 2018
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So true

Amd and Intel both make stupid names for there processors coffee lake really?
 
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jØrd

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Amd and Intel both make stupid names for there processors coffee lake really?
Its actually a code name used internally to reference the project, not a marketing name. That enthusiasts and tech media choose to use this terminology is a separate issue. Or to put it another way, Intel didnt call it "Coffe Lake" when they released it, we all did.
 
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jtd871

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Jun 22, 2015
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I feel your pain, I jumped on i5-7500 and H270 just before Ryzen on ITX landed (I had to replace a dying lappie or wait a few more months for Ryzen, I chose to buy).

Well, AMD has said they will support AM4 thru 2020, Intel will change sockets to drive new sales whenever they feel like it. I would personally go Zen next time, as I'm seeing freezing in some games (don't know if that's the 7500 or the 1060), but in Q2 2018, the value proposition is disappearing, or at least feels like it is.

To switch, I'd need to change my CPU and mobo, and reinstall Win10 (I keep most of my important documents on a NAS thankfully), and since Zen responds so well to memory speed, I'd be tempted to upgrade from my current 2400 sticks.
 

metropath27

Average Stuffer
Apr 22, 2018
77
4
I feel your pain, I jumped on i5-7500 and H270 just before Ryzen on ITX landed (I had to replace a dying lappie or wait a few more months for Ryzen, I chose to buy).

Well, AMD has said they will support AM4 thru 2020, Intel will change sockets to drive new sales whenever they feel like it. I would personally go Zen next time, as I'm seeing freezing in some games (don't know if that's the 7500 or the 1060), but in Q2 2018, the value proposition is disappearing, or at least feels like it is.

To switch, I'd need to change my CPU and mobo, and reinstall Win10 (I keep most of my important documents on a NAS thankfully), and since Zen responds so well to memory speed, I'd be tempted to upgrade from my current 2400 sticks.
its not just that they want sales they cant physiclly put a high clock 8 core cpu on the z370 motherboards to much power they designed z370 as a placeholder which is pretty dumb tbh
 

annasoh323

Master of Cramming
Original poster
Apr 4, 2018
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I feel your pain, I jumped on i5-7500 and H270 just before Ryzen on ITX landed (I had to replace a dying lappie or wait a few more months for Ryzen, I chose to buy).

Well, AMD has said they will support AM4 thru 2020, Intel will change sockets to drive new sales whenever they feel like it. I would personally go Zen next time, as I'm seeing freezing in some games (don't know if that's the 7500 or the 1060), but in Q2 2018, the value proposition is disappearing, or at least feels like it is.

To switch, I'd need to change my CPU and mobo, and reinstall Win10 (I keep most of my important documents on a NAS thankfully), and since Zen responds so well to memory speed, I'd be tempted to upgrade from my current 2400 sticks.

That's very nearly my exact problem. I went on vacation and came back and poof! laptop was DOA. That was at the beginning of 2017 so Kaby Lake had just launched, Ryzen was a few months away (mITX Ryzen even farther out as I would discover). Did I need a computer right then? Probably not. But, I had a fever, and so moving my fever from my forehead to my CPU was the only cure :p

its not just that they want sales they cant physiclly put a high clock 8 core cpu on the z370 motherboards to much power they designed z370 as a placeholder which is pretty dumb tbh

Oh, the mysteries of electrical design. How intricate the dance of the R&D department and the marketing and sales departments.
That's my pseudo-poetic way of saying that while I wish things were different, here we are.<shrug> I'm not smart enough to say what's what, which is why I'm here asking the questions.