seeking suggestions for upgrading the 8700k/1080ti
seeking suggestions for upgrading the 8700k/1080ti
I wanted to start by thanking everyone! I didn’t know there was a forum until I heard Linus mention it. I’m hoping my first comment stays light on controversy since it leans more on opinion. I’m searching for ways to upgrade my current setup—I mainly play VR now and am switching from Rift to Primax 5K soon. The main reasons I’d consider upgrading are two: one, I’m pretty passionate about the hardware, and two, a friend is asking me to build him a more affordable 1440p rig. Over the past year, technology has advanced rapidly, so it feels right time for a fresh build. My system is nearly two years old now. The question is, what should we all choose? I plan to keep my motherboard and maybe my 1080 Ti, since it only needs a modest upgrade to reach the 2080 Ti. I also have another Founders Edition 1080 that could fit into the next build. I’m thinking a 9700K and possibly a 2080 Ti, or maybe we should all go with Team Red? Thanks for any thoughts! Here’s what I have: Asus Z370 Strix 8700K (clocked at 4.9), EVGA 1080 Ti ftw SC2 hybrid (liquid cooled), Corsair 2x8GB 3200, EVGA GQ Gold 1000W power supply, Samsung EVO 970 250+500GB NVMe, WD Blue 2TB SSD, Corsair H115I cooler. Probably missed something...
All clocks running at the same time, the gap between 8700k, 9700k and 9900k isn't really noticeable even with a 2080 Ti. For team red, the performance tends to be lower on any of these Ryzen models versus an overclocked 8700k. Consider your budget elsewhere.
I'm actually facing exactly what I've been dealing with, even though I've noticed many sheets from GN claiming the 8700k is about 10% slower than a 9700k and over 17% behind a 9900k. Still, it's real in practice.
Review the charts. Most entries mention a 8700k model. Even those labeled 5.x GHz show a gap of less than 5%. Despite this, we're using a 2080 ti spec (which isn't available) and the figures are usually beyond noticeable thresholds (230fps vs 250fps). The only real reason to upgrade would be limitations in core/thread count, which hasn't become an issue for gaming with 6/12 yet.
I manage to handle 5.1 stable at around 1.42v, though it doesn’t pay off. I didn’t win the lottery, but I didn’t lose either. There are some graphs comparing a 5GHz 8700k with a stock 9900k and a 5.2GHz 9900k. They match up at 5GHz versus the stock model, and the 5.2GHz version is just 4.5% quicker. The main part comes from the 200MHz frequency boost. In the worst case, the gap widens more, especially in low frequencies. Still, the big question is: is it worth $700? Also, when you hit GPU limits in the same game, the difference disappears almost completely. In reality, you’re not running any heavy games, so these numbers aren’t as clear in high detail modes. The 1080p medium settings do offer some insight, like hinting at future GPU improvements. But...that’s not a big deal here since you already have the 8700k. If your next GPU is slower than that, consider upgrading then.
I've had this computer for a year now. I never changed the BIOS except for Intel Turbo Boost and Multicore Enhancement, which gave it 4.9Ghz across all cores. Recently, I decided to overclock it to 5.1Ghz using auto settings without adjusting other parameters. My benchmarks show the Vcore staying below 1.280V. That seems normal? If I push it higher to around 1.3V, would I see any benefits? Also, during those tests, my temperatures never exceeded 72°C on any of the benchmarks.
I’d only upgrade if I was really disappointed with the silicon selection or the quality of the board and RAM. With a good RAM kit and an upgraded OC motherboard like the Apex XI, GENE XI, or EVGA Dark, you could get more value out of it. It would have required a lot of effort, but it’d be worth it compared to swapping from an 8700k to a 9900k on that subpar board and RAM. I also think replacing the 1080ti with a 2080ti would give a better performance boost. This model supports stable AVX 24/7 OC. If you have the budget, wait until January’s CES ends and consider upgrading to Intel’s next-gen CPUs—possibly even previewed there. All Z390 boards are already open-source. In a few months, you might find a slightly faster 8c or 16t Intel desktop CPU for less than today’s price.