i7 9700K, i9 9900 Non K, or i9 9900K
i7 9700K, i9 9900 Non K, or i9 9900K
You're considering three options for upgrading your system. The i7 9700 non-K is a solid choice, and you're open to overclocking. The i9 9900 non-K offers a quicker path, while the i9 9900K is available at a discount. Your PSU is an 850 80+ Gold, which should handle the upgrades well.
Your mainboard plays a big role. Unless you own a "Z" series board (Z370, Z390), overclocking isn't possible. If you do have one of those, the best upgrade is the 9900K. Otherwise, consider a Ryzen 3rd generation CPU if you need extra cores. For gaming, the 9700 should suffice. What motivated your upgrade?
Here are some alternative system specifications:
- Other specs available
- Different configuration options
- Explore other features and settings
Gaming: 8C8T already covers everything, even better than 8C16T. This means a 9900KS without hyperthreading is the top seed, followed by HT off 9900K, then 9700K, and finally 9700. However, the real performance gap between 9700K and 9900KS is only about 1%. Productivity: Moving from 8C8T to 8C16T isn’t enough. I didn’t notice a compelling reason to switch to AMD’s popular 3950x 3900x or the cheaper threadripper. Unless you can get a good price on your 9700 or need another CPU use, upgrading it to any 9th generation desktop chip won’t make much difference.
Intel's tenth generation may not be compatible with the same motherboards. For those who don't require the latest, sticking with the 9700 is a good choice. If you still want something updated, consider the 3700x or 3900x models.