Is it worth upgrading my CPU?
Is it worth upgrading my CPU?
You're considering upgrading from your i7-13700f to a higher-end i9-14900k. It could be worthwhile depending on your needs, especially for demanding games like War Thunder at high resolutions and settings. Your friend's experience shows he achieves solid performance—150 fps with max settings—so it's achievable. However, maintaining 100 fps even with low ray tracing might depend on other factors like cooling and workload.
It hinges on cost and personal value. Upgrading between generations rarely justifies itself, even with minor performance gains. Intel largely shut down the used market for the 13th and 14th, especially high-end overclocked models like the 14900K. Purchasing a used unit would almost guarantee lower performance, making it a poor investment. Although Intel addressed the problem, it doesn’t fully recover lost speed. Recent reports suggest they might not be able to fix it completely, so you’ll likely need an upgrade soon again. Better to hold off on Intel or consider switching to AMD.
Primarily GPU-dependent, not just 1440p resolution or ray tracing.
Your motherboard might allow the 13700F to bypass certain power restrictions, but upgrading to the 14900K won’t make much difference. The main changes are a slightly larger L3 cache and four additional E-Cores, which don’t significantly boost gaming performance for most titles. On average, the 14900K is only about 5% faster than the 13700K in games. Your 13700F could gain more from removing those power limits to handle load better, but it’s unlikely to justify the cost of a CPU upgrade. If you’re serious about improving FPS, disabling RT settings would be far more effective than buying a new CPU.
I understand you're looking for ways to boost performance and want clarity on GPU specs. You're trying to compare FPS gains between your setup and someone else's, wondering if reducing ray tracing helps. The 9800x3d is reportedly faster than the 14900k in some tests. For CPU power limits, check the BIOS under the system settings or performance options.
In various titles, the 9800X3D shows roughly a 18% boost over the 14900K. The difference is noticeable. War Thunder isn’t unique in this regard. Each BIOS behaves differently—likely tied to the OC settings section. You should check for Long Duration Power Limit or PL2 options. Which motherboard are you using?
These discussions indicate the options are found under the Extreme Tweaker section. https://rog-forum.asus.com/t5/intel-700-...d-p/996000
I’ll take a closer look. I’m a bit worried about handling those settings since I don’t want anything to go wrong. Also, your advice about upgrading to the 9800x3d is solid—my main worry is it’s twice as powerful. First, I replaced my old motherboard two weeks ago because it was having problems, and the new one still has an Intel socket. That makes me think it might be cheaper just to swap in another Intel CPU instead of buying a Ryzen one, since that would mean replacing both the CPU and the board again, which would cost more.
It would be more affordable, though it wouldn't make a big difference. You'd be paying a lot to see only a 5-10% boost versus an unlimited 13700F. I wouldn't suggest the 9800X3D really, as a 30% improvement isn't worth it either. But if you need to upgrade, it seems like the top choice in my view. In short, although the cost is higher, it still offers better value compared to just increasing performance, since it provides 3-5 times more gains without doubling the price. Still, first check if your CPU's power limits are the issue—just lowering them won't raise voltages beyond what the chip supports or push clocks faster. Your CPU is already capped; you can't really overclock it. If you care about its lifespan, consider undervolting, which is the usual advice for Intel 13th and 14th generation chips due to stability concerns.