The suitable next step would be something around 10k or higher, offering a more responsive feel.
The suitable next step would be something around 10k or higher, offering a more responsive feel.
Honestly, if you're sticking with DDR4 and not planning to upgrade beyond the 6700XT, the 9700K is still a solid choice for now. Keep an eye on upcoming releases from AMD and Intel to see what comes next. The 9700K may feel outdated, but it performs well for gaming if that's your main focus. I doubt I would have chosen this specific i7 originally because of the missing hyperthreading, though it offers eight cores and can reach around 5GHz or more. With a mid-range card like the 6700XT, you should get a solid experience in most games. I’d wait until you’re ready to jump to DDR5-powered systems. Switching from LGA 1151 to AM4 doesn’t seem practical to me—it would be faster but not a huge leap. The X3D could boost performance in certain titles, but it’s a risky move, as you’d switch platforms again soon and likely end up in the same situation. Unless you’re thinking about moving to AM5 or DDR5 13th/14th generation, upgrading just for gaming isn’t worth the investment in my view.
Thanks for the thorough breakdown. I’ll likely postpone the action, attempt a reinstall of Windows, push performance limits as much as possible, and plan to upgrade to DDR5 systems eventually.