Upgrading from fx8350 to 7700K for gaming, any suggestions?

[fusseli]

Here's a cost-focused upgrade I'm about to do. Any suggestions before I pull the trigger?

I'm coming from an fx8350 on 8gb of ddr3-1866, keeping the same 840 evo SSD and my 2x SLI gtx670. I game at 1080p and might go to 1440p in the future.


Intel 7th Gen Intel Core Desktop Processor i7-7700K (BX80677I77700K)
Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz (PC4-24000) C15
ASUS ROG STRIX Z270H GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 HDMI DVI M.2 ATX Motherboard with USB 3.1

• I don't need wifi so I picked the cheaper z270h over the z270e.
• I have read faster ram helps in some games, but worth it if the cost is minimal. ddr4-3000 seemed like a good compromise over low latency ddr2400. I have never had ram issues with 8gb and have read it's usually adequate. Cost savings vs. 16gb.
• I decided no on Ryzen because I hoped the argument would be true that games in the future will use more thread back when I got the fx8350. Low and behold, it's 2017 and that never came true.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

Here's a cost-focused upgrade I'm about to do. Any suggestions before I pull the trigger?

I'm coming from an fx8350 on 8gb of ddr3-1866, keeping the same 840 evo SSD and my 2x SLI gtx670. I game at 1080p and might go to 1440p in the future.


Intel 7th Gen Intel Core Desktop Processor i7-7700K (BX80677I77700K)
Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz (PC4-24000) C15
ASUS ROG STRIX Z270H GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 HDMI DVI M.2 ATX Motherboard with USB 3.1

• I don't need wifi so I picked the cheaper z270h over the z270e.
• I have read faster ram helps in some games, but worth it if the cost is minimal. ddr4-3000 seemed like a good compromise over low latency ddr2400. I have never had ram issues with 8gb and have read it's usually adequate. Cost savings vs. 16gb.
• I decided no on Ryzen because I hoped the argument would be true that games in the future will use more thread back when I got the fx8350. Low and behold, it's 2017 and that never came true.

This is a tough one cause on one hand the 8350 isnt great at gaming but on the other hand you have 670 sli so just upgrading your CPU wont give you a massive boost in FPS as good as the 670's were they are dated now so you really should consider a new GPU also, why not go i5 or Ryzen 1500x instead of the i7 and sell your 670's and buy a new GPU at the same time, that would be the most beneficial upgrade imo if your primary goal is gaming performance.

 

[fusseli]

I have considered that, but I don't think the 670 SLI is quite far enough behind to be a huge bottleneck. Assuming it's about as fast as a gtx690, I think I'd need a gtx1080 to do better to be worth the money. Figured I'd wait another year or two on that, and aim for a 144Hz monitor and m.2 around black friday.

Right now I shred through Overwatch, but Battlefront for example gives me trouble and I have to turn down settings a lot. BF4 is somewhere in the middle but more or less runs on ultra.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

I have considered that, but I don't think the 670 SLI is quite far enough behind to be a huge bottleneck. Assuming it's about as fast as a gtx690, I think I'd need a gtx1080 to do better to be worth the money. Figured I'd wait another year or two on that, and aim for a 144Hz monitor and m.2 around black friday.

I think you're overestimating your gpus mate, a 980/ti would be a good upgrade, a 1070 would be a huge upgrade and that's not even taking into consideration games where sli doesn't work and your small frame buffer

 

[fusseli]

I hear you, but cpu/mobo/ram would upgrade everything for the same price as a 1080, or about $550 USD. I could sell my 8350 stuff for maybe $200, so net price of less than a gtx1070 ($350 range).

 

[NdMk2o1o]

I hear you, but cpu/mobo/ram would upgrade everything for the same price as a 1080, or about $550 USD. I could sell my 8350 stuff for maybe $200, so net price of less than a gtx1070 ($350 range).

It wouldnt upgrade everything it would give you a better CPU with the same limited GPU performance.... if your primary concern is gaming then get a new GPU, you'll hardly gain any FPS with a CPU upgrade, granted the 7700k is a LOT better than the 8350 but it still wont give you the results you want from gaming, your 8350 is not much if any of a bottleneck to those 670's, a GTX 1070/1080 would give you a hell of a bigger improvement in games and especially if you do decide to go 1440p, do you have the 2GB or 4GB? you're essentially spending a lot of money for (I'm assuming) the same amount of RAM and a better CPU, what makes you think your CPU is holding you back in games and not your 670's?

 

[64K]

As said above those 670s will still hold you back with your proposed upgrades. 2GB VRAM is an issue these days. Maybe you could look at a i5 7600 and a better GPU. Just a thought.

 

[alucasa]

Like others, angry monkey and confused viking cat, said, GPU should be your primary concern. 670 and sli? No to both.

 

[fusseli]

This is just the first step in upgrading my rig. I know the 670s are dated and slow.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

As said above those 670s will still hold you back with your proposed upgrades. 2GB VRAM is an issue these days. Maybe you could look at a i5 7600 and a better GPU. Just a thought.

+1 or a Ryzen 1400 and a GPU

 

[fusseli]

Yeah, looked at the 1600X but it's only $100 cheaper than a 7700k or bigger Ryzen.

So is a 1070 the best bang for the buck in the $350 range? 1080 is a lot more money for only 15% performance, it looks like, and 1080ti is more than I will ever spend on a gpu.

Is AMD/ATI worth considering these days? I've gone back and forth over the years but have been happy with nvidia and these 670s. I remember the radeon being a better bargain though.

 

[alucasa]

Ryzen and its mobo are pretty cheap compared to Intel's higher end offerings.

So, 1070 and Ryzen 1400 as recommended by the angry monkey + mobo should get you going in the right direction.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

Yeah, looked at the 1600X but it's only $100 cheaper than a 7700k or bigger Ryzen.

So is a 1070 the best bang for the buck in the $350 range? 1080 is a lot more money for only 15% performance, it looks like, and 1080ti is more than I will ever spend on a gpu.

Is AMD/ATI worth considering these days? I've gone back and forth over the years but have been happy with nvidia and these 670s. I remember the radeon being a better bargain though.

You dont have to get the 1600x, 1600 is $40 cheaper and the performance difference even when overclocking is minimal, that said even a 1500x or 1400 both of which are 4c/8t will spank the 8350 leaving you more money to spend on a GPU. AMD havent got a top tier GPU out, their current is the Rx 580/480 which is on par with a GTX 1060

Ryzen and its mobo are pretty cheap compared to Intel's higher end offerings.

So, 1070 and Ryzen 1400 as recommended by the angry monkey + mobo should get you going in the right direction.

Thanks sexy jap manga girl

 

[biffzinker]

Until Vega shows up your choices are going to be either the Geforce GTX 1070 or 1080.

 

[fusseli]

Ah okay

Maybe I can find a 980ti on ebay.

 

[m1dg3t]

I'd go Ryzen X 4c/8t with a GPU upgrade, single card GFX. AMD has much better single core IPC now compared to construction cores and their MT is better than Intels, the software is coming this time.

 

[fusseli]

Let's say I find a used 980ti around $250 USD.

Any reason the 7700k wouldn't be somewhat future-proof for gaming versus the 4c, 6c, or 8c Ryzen? As in would kabylake be worth an extra ~$150 now instead of later (waiting until 2018). I see that coffeelake and the like will be more threads, not more IPC. Same with AMD, I assume the Ryzen refresh will be incremental IPC or patches to marginally improve it for games.

I did the leap frog upgrade thing with AMD for YEARS. AM3/6400X2 -> AM3+/975X4 -> AM3+/fx8350, and all the while was always behind.

In the end, I don't know if I accomplished anything I couldn't have done with a new gpu instead, which you are telling me now! FX8350 was a great upgrade for me but it rans its course in a short time. And Ryzen is still slightly behind in IPC. My gut tells me that games won't magically become massively multi-threaded anytime soon, if EVER.

Anyway, at this point I am considering a gpu upgrade and still 7700K. Am I crazy?

http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/3556794

I also see gtx970 for the $150 range on eBay, maybe I will get one now and go 7700k. And then a second 970 when the drop near $100. 970 SLI is faster than 1070!

 

[r9]

I did the leap frog upgrade thing with AMD for YEARS. AM3/6400X2 -> AM3+/975X4 -> AM3+/fx8350, and all the while was always behind.

In the end, I don't know if I accomplished anything I couldn't have done with a new gpu instead, which you are telling me now! FX8350 was a great upgrade for me but it rans its course in a short time. And Ryzen is still slightly behind in IPC. My gut tells me that games won't magically become massively multi-threaded anytime soon, if EVER.

Anyway, at this point I am considering a gpu upgrade and still 7700K. Am I crazy?

Yes you are.
Ryzen 1600 + B350 is what you want.

I keep reading about Ryzen having lower IPC.
How do people come to that conclusion.
i7 7700k 4.2GHz vs Ryzen 3.6GHz, Ryzen is clocked %16 lower and its behind only %7.
And its not an issue of multi-threading its more of an issue of the games not being optimized for Ryzen.
When all of those games were developed Ryzen wasn't around.
Not to mention that big part plays Nvidia unoptimized driver for Ryzen.
Because unlike AMD GPU NVidia relies on the CPU for distributing the load among the shaders.
So a lot of games where Ryzen is at a disadvantage paired with Fury or RX480 CFire matched 7700K.
Also terms like GPU being bottlenecked by Ryzen, while being utilized only 30%-40%.
Here what a simple optimization can do for Ryzen, 30% increase
And this is a quick fix it took them like week of work to put it out.

So when you upgrade if you are planning on just playing the games that are today 7700K is the way to go, but if you are looking into the future Ryzen is the way to go IMO.

 

[purplekaycee]

I still prefer Intel based processors

 

[NdMk2o1o]

Let's say I find a used 980ti around $250 USD.

Any reason the 7700k wouldn't be somewhat future-proof for gaming versus the 4c, 6c, or 8c Ryzen? As in would kabylake be worth an extra ~$150 now instead of later (waiting until 2018). I see that coffeelake and the like will be more threads, not more IPC. Same with AMD, I assume the Ryzen refresh will be incremental IPC or patches to marginally improve it for games.

I did the leap frog upgrade thing with AMD for YEARS. AM3/6400X2 -> AM3+/975X4 -> AM3+/fx8350, and all the while was always behind.

In the end, I don't know if I accomplished anything I couldn't have done with a new gpu instead, which you are telling me now! FX8350 was a great upgrade for me but it rans its course in a short time. And Ryzen is still slightly behind in IPC. My gut tells me that games won't magically become massively multi-threaded anytime soon, if EVER.

Anyway, at this point I am considering a gpu upgrade and still 7700K. Am I crazy?

http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/3556794

I also see gtx970 for the $150 range on eBay, maybe I will get one now and go 7700k. And then a second 970 when the drop near $100. 970 SLI is faster than 1070!

Nice quadruple post btw.....

Just use the edit function as multi-posting is "frowned" upon

I still say Ryzen and GPU upgrade, even clocked lower the difference is minimal compared to the 7700k minus the $100+ difference for just the CPU, and that performance difference is even less/non-existent at 1440p and upwards

 

[fusseli]

Yes you are.
Ryzen 1600 + B350 is what you want.

I keep reading about Ryzen having lower IPC.
How do people come to that conclusion.
i7 7700k 4.2GHz vs Ryzen 3.6GHz, Ryzen is clocked %16 lower and its behind only %7.
And its not an issue of multi-threading its more of an issue of the games not being optimized for Ryzen.
When all of those games were developed Ryzen wasn't around.
Not to mention that big part plays Nvidia unoptimized driver for Ryzen.
Because unlike AMD GPU NVidia relies on the CPU for distributing the load among the shaders.
So a lot of games where Ryzen is at a disadvantage paired with Fury or RX480 CFire matched 7700K.
Also terms like GPU being bottlenecked by Ryzen, while being utilized only 30%-40%.
Here what a simple optimization can do for Ryzen, 30% increase
And this is a quick fix it took them like week of work to put it out.

So when you upgrade if you are planning on just playing the games that are today 7700K is the way to go, but if you are looking into the future Ryzen is the way to go IMO.

That game (ashes of singularity) is one of few that's dx12 and benefits from the many threads/cores.

The major let down that has me leaning towards intel and raw IPC is that my "beloved" fx8350 is STILL slower, by a good margin, in many-threaded apps than the present quadcore i7s due to the massively faster speed per core. The speed and comparison with the 6c 1600 is great, but what about a 7700k at 5.0 GHz? About 3 years ago I bought the 8c/8350 instead of going i7 under the flawed guise of "more threads will be useful later."

Nice quadruple post btw.....

Just use the edit function as multi-posting is "frowned" upon

I still say Ryzen and GPU upgrade, even clocked lower the difference is minimal compared to the 7700k minus the $100+ difference for just the CPU, and that performance difference is even less/non-existent at 1440p and upwards

Whoopsie. Didn't know multi posting mattered lol.

Thanks for the eye opener, you are totally right, my SLI 670 is a little behind the times! Been catching up on a few years of benchmarks. I think I will try and find a used gtx 970 or 980, and decide on the cpu/platform upgrade soon.

 

[TonybonJoby]

Go with ryzen 1500x and b350. you get better multi core. i say this because it has good single threaded performance for games that are mostly single thread based and awesome multi threaded performance. developers are only going to be using more threads in the future and the drivers are only going up from here. B350 and 1500x are the way to go. cheaper than i5 and more overall performance.

sell your old setup, get the new board and cpu. then upgrade the gpus. the 1070 should be going on sale now that nvidia is going to let manufactures put 11gps memory on them.

 

[toilet pepper]

I've used an fx8320 for several years now and have bewn using a 1070 for a few months as well. I only usually see a problem on older dx9 games. i've played overwatch and it was still dishing out high fps. The FX processors aren't the fastest in town but they still get the job done outaide of benchmarks.

As the others have said, get a ryzen processor and upgrade the gpu. I suggest getting a newer gen card as I heard rumors that nvidia gimps older gen cards or simply not optimize for it anymore.

 

[Melvis]

Find a second hand 980Ti, basically the same if not better at times then a 1070 and for less $$$. If you go to 1440P then your GPU's will get used alot more then the CPU, so you could go 980Ti and a 1440P Monitor for now then upgrade your CPU/RAM/Mobo later on. If you stay at 1080 then a CPU upgrade will be more noticeable but not as much as 1440P

 

[fusseli]

Well, call me crazy, pulled the trigger on a 7700k, Asus strix mobo, 8gb ddr3000.

Going to get a 970 or 980 vanilla and SLI them later. The 970 reference are crazy cheap, like $100 range on eBay, for a set of two it's half the price and only 10% slower than 980s. Even with the single gpu it will be miles ahead of my 8350 and sli 670 1.5gb rig.

Thanks for the help, all.

Aaaand I have no self control so I just got a 970 strix for $145 playing around on eBay. It's gonna be a fun weekend.