i5 7600k to i7 7700k 'upgrade'

aFlabbyPanda

I have an i5 7600k and find some games are unplayable as my CPU is pegged to 100%. My buddy has an i7 7700k going cheap ~170euro(200usd) and I was wondering if its a worthwhile purchase. Its the only other CPU my board will take.

My plan long term was to get a new AMD CPU & board but funds don't allow right now.

Will the 7700k give me a bit of breathing room or should I just wait?

dotsman

If the CPU is the bottleneck, You should definitely notice a difference between the 2, as per this video when they both first came out:

https://youtu.be/CLlyVaCpbwQ?t=38

However, I'm surprised you are hitting a brick wall with 7600K. What games are you playing. I have the 7700K (with 16GB RAM & 2070 Super) and haven't noticed any issues playing in 4K 60FPS at top/close-to-top settings depending on the game. Haven't noticed the CPU topping out, assuming any bottlenecks are with the graphics card. MS Flight simulator (haven't played yet) is the only game I've heard of that would need better than 7700K for high settings.

That being said, while the 7700K might give you the necessary boost; 170 for a second hand, 5 year old CPU is a bit much when you are going to replace again in a year's time, although, the way things are going, you might be able to resell it for a similar price! From looking at eBay ~€200 appears to be a rough price for it, which is shocking given its age. I'm guessing with the global chip shortage, a lot of people are making do with what they have with some minor upgrades rather than build/buy a whole new state-of-the-art rig. I certainly see myself keeping my 7700K until at least next year as I wait for the current madness to end.

K.O.Kiki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058231714/i5-7600k-to-i7-7700k-upgrade

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/QL8PBc

CPU: Intel Core i5-10400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor (€132.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Motherboard: MSI H510M-A PRO Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard (€74.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL15 Memory (€51.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Total: €259.79

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-02-07 03:54 CET+0100

Tell your mate to lower price closer to 100 (i.e. the CEX trade-in value) or spend the extra and buy new.

Homelander

The 7600K is a huge bottleneck in many modern games. It's because it's 4 core 4 thread which is obsolete.

The 7700K has 8 threads which helps immensely though it's fairly past its sell by date as well, still being a quad core, and right now is only on par with a new €120 i3.

Try playing Call of Duty: Warzone or Battlefield online, or the likes of something like newer Assassins Creed or Cyberpunk, and the difference is night and day though between the 7600K and 7700K.

€170 however for a 7700K is a terrible price. You would get a brand new processor + board that's as fast for that price.

Here is an i7-6700 for €90. This would give you some breathing room but realistically for today's latest AAA games you need a new platform like Kiki has outlined above.

https://ie.webuy.com/product-detail?id=scpuinti76700&categoryName=processors-intel&superCatName=computing&title=intel-core-i7-6700-%283.40ghz%29-lga1151&referredFrom=category

Coyler

I'd be with Homelander. Bring the 7600k down to CEX and trade it for a 6700 if you really wanted more cores. It would cost you around €40 right now if cash was tight. And to be honest I spend as little as you can on the platform you you have. €170 on a 7700k is crazy when you can pick a i3-12100f plus mobo for nearly the same. You can reuse the DDR4 RAM and have a far better machine for about the same money.

For contrast, I'm still on a i5-7400. It's fine for what I need it to do. It creaks a little under Doom Eternal but it's grand. If you really want to upgrade do the CEX trade but I'd save your cash for now unless you really needed it. Is there some day-to-day experience you think a 7700k is going to change that radically? What about your monitor, headset, desk or chair? I think you'd find a better place for that money if you really thought about it.

Jon Doe

cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-7700K-vs-Intel-Core-i5-7600K/3647vs3885

says no... :)