5820k equals approximately £68.
5820k equals approximately £68.
The 7700(K) costs around £160–£240 depending on the seller, and most listings are above that. The K version should be comparable. If the 1600 is £5 less, it might make sense to opt for that model and then upgrade with a good air cooler for overclocking. You’d still need an air cooler for the X model.
Since the 8400 was acceptable, I thought the 7700 could work too. I’d likely choose a 2600 or 5820K unless you have a good deal on a priced board.
Without checking the specifics, I’d assume the 5820k would perform better than the 1600 in both clock speed and "IPC" at stock prices. Gaming trends are shifting with Zen 2, and the 2600’s higher clock might help balance that. By the way, I’ve owned all of these models—1600, 2600, 5820k, though I never directly compared them for gaming. You can still sense how each generation behaves using clocks and IPC. Since they’re all six cores, it removes one variable from the equation. That’s not something I’d think about on my own, but adding details to the build section will help. I’d suggest going a bit lower since budgets usually run high. Good luck with the build—those chips still hold value and are the top choice for that socket. I think a newer 3600 would be even better in this case.
The 5820k is a solid CPU. It handles overclocking quite well—it was capable of stable speeds up to 4.4ghz across all cores. While some users report even better results online, it’s still a great option for its price. If you can find a decent motherboard at a low cost, this one definitely makes a strong case.