Choosing between two improvements.
Choosing between two improvements.
The 1700x setup would improve if you locate a reasonably priced 3700x. The 8600k offers better performance than the current 1700, but if you manage to get an affordable 3700x later, the X370 becomes more appealing since locating a decent 8700+ remains challenging. On the B360 platform, you can't upgrade to higher tiers. Overall, the experience leans toward mediocrity. The 8600k should sustain longer single-player sessions compared to the 1700, but discovering a budget-friendly 3700x would make the X370 a stronger choice. If you're deciding between MSI X370 Carbon Pro and ASUS B360M-K, the AMD option is significantly superior—it supports all officially listed CPUs, includes more features, offers more M.2 slots, more DIMMs, and tends to be more reliable—while the Intel board may already be underperforming at 8600k.
Expect some strain on the CPU. A 8600k can handle 100% load even with a 1050ti in those titles. The 1700 model is clearly the better option, though its average FPS might drop a bit while gaming, but it will still maintain 60fps or more—no worries at all.
You'd face significant challenges maintaining 60fps with such a powerful CPU in either Warzone or Battlefield. The performance wouldn't be exceptional even with top-tier graphics cards. The main strain comes from the CPU handling frame delivery to the GPU. If the GPU struggles, the CPU will have more capacity. Watching YouTube clips shows high utilization without hitting 100%, especially when paired with more capable cards. While the 6c/6t Intel models can sometimes lag in multiplayer titles, they usually perform better than older Ryzen parts except in certain games. If you're focused on large online multiplayer games, upgrading to a better GPU becomes crucial. For older or single-core games, the 8600K will likely outperform the 1700 due to its weaker single-threaded performance. Improvements like Zen+ make the 2700 vs 8600K comparison different. Overall, with this kind of upgrade, adding more RAM would be a major boost, though it might not always be necessary depending on your game selection.
I believe taking into account various factors—such as the suggested upgrade route by @YoungBlade and @Mister Woof, my reduced gaming frequency, and the fact that most of my play involves non-computational tasks—I can leverage the 1700s strengths (programming, working with Linux VMs, using DAWs and 3D modeling tools). This makes the 1700s a more suitable option for me at the moment. I’m hoping to acquire a good used CPU later so I can upgrade in the future.