Is a cpu upgrade worth it?
Is a cpu upgrade worth it?
The setup involves a 9600k on a Giga Z390 Aurora Master. It usually meets my requirements, though sometimes it seems a bit short. A refurbishing shop recently offered a 9700k for about $160 (USD), with a 3-month warranty and a 14-day return policy. Adding $20 brings the warranty up to a year. Is this a solid offer? Could using K CPU pose any risks?
Buying a used CPU isn't risky—it's a solid option to snag a good one at a lower price. Upgrading from 9600k to 9700kf isn't worth the $160 difference in my view. You gain two more cores, but for gaming you'd notice almost no improvement.
It's generally safe to obtain a used K CPU, though it may not be the best value. You could purchase a brand new one from NewEgg for roughly the same price. After just a few minutes of searching, I located a functional 9700k for around $75 from a trustworthy eBay seller (though many were offering them near $120). Regardless, the upgrade you receive isn't justified by the cost.
Another query: a quick search shows the difference is about 35-40%. That seems to apply to stock. I've tried this before and my chip runs at 5GHz stable. I'll need to confirm that after more than an hour, but that's not the main point. I own a powerful tower, so storage isn't an issue. Is there a way to compare the performance of OC versus i7 whiteout when buying an i7?
160$ for a 9700k feels too steep. The current minimum for smooth performance is 8 threads, and we already have games running beyond that. I’d sell the existing chip and board and upgrade to a Ryzen 5000 series if budget allows. Otherwise, move to the 7000 series right away. A 9700k isn’t much faster than a 9600k single-core version, so a 35% gap seems questionable.
The issue comes from Ukraine, so platforms like eBay and Amazon aren't really relevant. A store with a good reputation is the best choice. Buying from Hend is cheap, but given how wild the scams can be, it's not worth it. I'm not complaining—just trying to get my thoughts together and see if the trouble is worth it.
Cinebench indicates a small margin of error in single-core results between the 9600k and 9700kf, with a multi-core performance gap around 20%. A web search revealed a Passmark benchmark suggesting up to 30% multi-core variation, though this was an exceptional case. No evidence supports a 35-40% difference.
Clear. I'm from Norway, where Ebay and Amazon don't exist and we face a 25% import tax on all purchases. With just 5.5 million people, the used market is quite small. Fortunately, Norwegians tend to upgrade parts regularly, offering decent deals on used items. However, buying something for $160 when you have a $9.6 million is unrealistic—don't go after this. Performance gains aren't as significant as claimed, so save your money here.
It makes sense to double verify that. The claim of a 30-40 difference seems odd, particularly given the other user's inability to locate it.