Seeking guidance on switching from Intel 7700k to AMD options.
Seeking guidance on switching from Intel 7700k to AMD options.
Hi everyone, New poster but I have a few questions and am looking for advice/opinions on which direction I should go. My current setup is actually still quite good, but a friend of mine is looking to get a usable gaming PC (and is on a budget). I am considering selling most of my current system (everything minus the GPU) and then buying some upgraded gear myself. My current specs are: i7 7700k, ASUS z20a mobo, 1080ti, 16gb ram I am a programmer who works from my home PC more now than I used to, but I primarily game on this PC (mostly FPSs). I play on a 1440p monitor and tend to favor playing on higher graphics settings as long as I can keep the framerate around 100. With my current setup, I have noticed that playing a stream/youtube/video on a second monitor (or having a bunch of browser tabs open) can max out my CPU usage and I will start to get some low frame rates/lower quality gaming. My question is: is it worth upgrading (would I see significant multitasking performance increases)? What should I go with? AMD or Intel and which chip/mobo should I get? I have done some research and know that AMD does handle multitasking much better than Intel these days but is not quite as good in single core processing (gaming) - my coworkers PC can compile code much faster than mine and hes running an older AMD chip so theres certainly some value there, but I'd also want to make sure I wouldn't be almost downgrading my gaming experience. Budget is not a huge concern. I have been looking at the 3700x, 3900x, 10900k, 10700k, 32GB ram and if I go the AMD route getting a x570 board. I am also aware that there are new AMD chips coming out this year. Is that worth waiting for? My friend is quite anxious to get gaming, and I admit I'd probably wait for sure if I wasn't trying to get them started sooner - but even if I did wait for the next gen AMD chips, is that (speculatively) the correct choice? Thanks!
The Intel Core i7 7700K remains a strong chip, but a RAM upgrade could boost performance further. It’s not advisable to upgrade the processor right now—just increase RAM to at least 32GB. Wait for the Ryzen 4th generation release; it offers significantly better single-threaded speed and will soon appear on desktops.
Your coworker has way more threads than your 4x8 7700k. Basic math shows you should hold off. Just think about how Ryzen beat Intel in laptops. Or consider buying a used, cheaper Ryzen and upgrade later.
Unless you have funds to invest, I agree with everyone: pause. There are only a couple of consumer graphics cards superior to your 1080Ti. You'd pay around a thousand dollars for just about 20 frames per second in most AAA games, and the card would be outdated in a few months. For the CPU, a 3700X or better might help with compiling code, but it's slower than your 7700K in single-threaded tasks. You'll need an X570 board, which is quite pricey. Plus, you'll need RAM clocked above 2666 MHz and enable DOCP (XMP for Ryzen), adding another thousand dollars or more.
I’ll mention something new here, sorry if it’s been said before. For someone buying a used 7700k, it might not be the best choice unless they’re willing to upgrade to a modern Ryzen 3 processor. If you really want to switch, consider selling your current setup instead of sticking with the old one. Unless you’re in the mood for a smart deal and enjoying the upgrade process, maybe hold onto the 7700k.