Upgrading from I7-6700K to I7-7700K for my 5-year-old PC
Upgrading from I7-6700K to I7-7700K for my 5-year-old PC
Hey everyone, overall I’m quite satisfied with my setup. It’s roughly five to six years old. I’m running an Intel i5-6600K clocked at 4.2GHz, cooled with a Corsair H80i V2. Temperatures stay nicely controlled. I’ve noticed that since my system was designed for gaming and video editing, I’m spending more time on editing than I initially thought. Rendering times with tools like Handbrake and Wondershare Filmora are becoming quite long. Because of this, I’m considering upgrading my CPU to something faster—either an i7 or a newer model. I’m leaning toward the i7 6700K or the i7 7700K, but I’m unsure which one to choose. Overclocking both might be necessary to squeeze out the best performance, especially with good cooling available. The price gap between them is around £150-200, so I’m hesitant to pay a premium unless the performance gain justifies it. My current configuration includes an Asus Maximus VIII Hero Alpha i5-6600K CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, a water-cooled NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 FE, and two 500GB Samsung Evo SSDs in RAID 0. The PSU is a 650W G2.
You're interested in budget-friendly options for rendering. It's hard to find a 6700K for reasonable costs, usually priced over $200. At that point, upgrading to a new board and CPU can significantly boost performance. For rendering tasks, affordable Ryzen processors offer better value compared to older i7 models.
For more editing tasks, consider adding more RAM. However, it’s not advised to buy anything right now due to the pandemic, as prices have risen significantly. According to the comparison on cpu.userbenchmark.com, the i7-7700K is only slightly faster than the i7-6700K. If you prefer the 6700K and want a single CPU, it’s better to choose it only if it’s more affordable than the 7700K.
That's a valid observation. The pricing in the UK remains stable despite the pandemic.
You could repurpose your DDR4 setup onto a fresh Ryzen board. Ryzen performs well with quick RAM, making it a good upgrade if your current model is under 3000. A kit with solid expansion options might fit your needs—check what features matter most to you. PCPartPicker lists various parts with pricing and details.
It's great to hear! You're already using a 16GB RAM module with the VENGEANCE® LPX. The new board should work with it, and the Corsair H80i V2 supports a 3600 MHz CPU. It should cover the lid and have the necessary brackets for the new setup.