• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Thoughts for i5 9600K and MSI Z390-A PRO

Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
484 (0.13/day)
Processor Intel Core i5-11400F 2.6GHz
Motherboard H510M-A Pro
Cooling Hyper H410R RGB
Memory 32 GB
Video Card(s) ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge
Display(s) LG 27M47VQ 27 inches 2 ms FULL HD HDMI Gaming Monitor
Case Thermaltake Versa T27 TG 750W
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair CX750 ATX 80PLUS (750W)
Software Windows 11 Home Edition 64-bit
Hello,

I want to upgrade my current CPU and Motherboard with i5 9600K and MSI Z390-A PRO. Before doing that, I need some advice.

I read articles about i5 9600K. They are saying this is not a good CPU as it is seen. I'm currently using i7 4790 and this is working very well but in some games, especially in strategy games, its heat increasing too much. Even I tried to change the thermal paste.

Now, I really need pieces of advice from you to change my CPU with the new one. What do you think about this CPU and Motherboard?

Bests,
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
6,743 (1.68/day)
I read articles about i5 9600K. They are saying this is not a good CPU as it is seen.
Depends on which article you're referring to & the workload. It is just as good as it "seems" as far as I'm concerned.
I'm currently using i7 4790 and this is working very well but in some games, especially in strategy games, its heat increasing too much. Even I tried to change the thermal paste.
If it's a locked(?) chip it shouldn't be overheating that much, is the ambient temp fine?
Now, I really need pieces of advice from you to change my CPU with the new one. What do you think about this CPU and Motherboard?
Generally speaking the entire Intel (desktop) lineup is overpriced now when you look at the competition, from AMD. Now if you only want to do gaming, nothing else, then it makes more sense to get Intel. Otherwise I'd suggest 3600/x as a better alternative & VFM option.
 
Joined
Sep 20, 2018
Messages
1,444 (0.71/day)
They'll work fine, however how high are the temps your CPU's gets under heavy loads ?

If its overclocked revert it back to stock, even at stock it's still a capable gaming CPU
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
484 (0.13/day)
Processor Intel Core i5-11400F 2.6GHz
Motherboard H510M-A Pro
Cooling Hyper H410R RGB
Memory 32 GB
Video Card(s) ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge
Display(s) LG 27M47VQ 27 inches 2 ms FULL HD HDMI Gaming Monitor
Case Thermaltake Versa T27 TG 750W
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair CX750 ATX 80PLUS (750W)
Software Windows 11 Home Edition 64-bit
Depends on which article you're referring to & the workload. It is just as good as it "seems" as far as I'm concerned.
If it's a locked(?) chip it shouldn't be overheating that much, is the ambient temp fine?
Generally speaking the entire Intel (desktop) lineup is overpriced now when you look at the competition, from AMD. Now if you only want to do gaming, nothing else, then it makes more sense to get Intel. Otherwise I'd suggest 3600/x as a better alternative & VFM option.

They'll work fine, however how high are the temps your CPU's gets under heavy loads ?

If its overclocked revert it back to stock, even at stock it's still a capable gaming CPU

I'm really not sure if it is locked or not. The ambient temperature is not that fine. The room which PC is standing in is getting too much sunlight for almost 10 hours. But still, the temperature feels fine, just not much fine.

I want to use the CPU for all gaming.
 
Joined
Sep 20, 2018
Messages
1,444 (0.71/day)
I'm really not sure if it is locked or not. The ambient temperature is not that fine. The room which PC is standing in is getting too much sunlight for almost 10 hours. But still, the temperature feels fine, just not much fine.

I want to use the CPU for all gaming.
I have a CPU that have been running over 80c under load for over 7 years and still works perfectly today, unless its way above that, you shouldn't worry
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
If you are playing newer games Haswell has a tendency get bogged down a lot, especially with AVX instructions becoming more popular. In a lot of games my minimum FPS was way better just from sidegrading my 4790k (4.7GHz) to my 7700k.

That said, I would be inclined to side with the others in this thread in recommending Zen 2 over any of the intel parts, unless you can find the intel parts for cheap (most likely second hand).

As for those specific parts, I would be hesitant to recommend that motherboard if you are considering overclocking, and AFAIK the 9600k doesn't come with a cooler either.
 
Joined
Aug 12, 2019
Messages
1,718 (1.00/day)
Location
LV-426
System Name Custom
Processor i9 9900k
Motherboard Gigabyte Z390 arous master
Cooling corsair h150i
Memory 4x8 3200mhz corsair
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 3090 EX Gamer White OC
Storage 500gb Samsung 970 Evo PLus
Display(s) MSi MAG341CQ
Case Lian Li Pc-011 Dynamic
Audio Device(s) Arctis Pro Wireless
Power Supply 850w Seasonic Focus Platinum
Mouse Logitech G403
Keyboard Logitech G110
nothing wrong with i5 9600k :) its a good cpu but not the price its asking for new.
as for ryzen 5 3600 = $199 fantastic value and great gaming performance + u get 6 more threads than the i5 9600k.
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
1,521 (0.89/day)
Processor Ryzen 5600X@4.85 CO
Motherboard Gigabyte B550m S2H
Cooling BeQuiet Dark Rock Slim
Memory Patriot Viper 4400cl19 2x8@4000cl16 tight subs
Video Card(s) Asus 3060ti TUF OC
Storage WD blue 1TB nvme
Display(s) Lenovo G24-10 144Hz
Case Corsair D4000 Airflow
Power Supply EVGA GQ 650W
Software Windows 10 home 64
Benchmark Scores CB20 4710@4.7GHz Aida64 50.4ns 4.8GHz+4000cl15 tuned ram SOTTR 1080p low 263fps avg CPU game
I would rather get the i7 9700K if I were you. It costs slightly more, but performance in some games is way better, for instance AC:O. More futureproof.
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
9700k will lose a lot of its value in the next few years, you can expect to see cheap 9700ks and 9900ks on the used market by the time you really want to upgrade.
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
1,521 (0.89/day)
Processor Ryzen 5600X@4.85 CO
Motherboard Gigabyte B550m S2H
Cooling BeQuiet Dark Rock Slim
Memory Patriot Viper 4400cl19 2x8@4000cl16 tight subs
Video Card(s) Asus 3060ti TUF OC
Storage WD blue 1TB nvme
Display(s) Lenovo G24-10 144Hz
Case Corsair D4000 Airflow
Power Supply EVGA GQ 650W
Software Windows 10 home 64
Benchmark Scores CB20 4710@4.7GHz Aida64 50.4ns 4.8GHz+4000cl15 tuned ram SOTTR 1080p low 263fps avg CPU game
9700k will lose a lot of its value in the next few years, you can expect to see cheap 9700ks and 9900ks on the used market by the time you really want to upgrade.
Notc so sure about that. Look at the i7 6700K, 7700K etc used prices, they havnt dropped all that much. The 9600K is more of a sidegrade than upgrade from his current setup. Where I live 9700K cost about 400usd while the 9600K cost 270usd, I would pick the 9700K any day and it will outlive the 9600K with a couple of years minimum. Even now there are several games where 6c/6t gives quite a bit of penalty to both avg fps and 1% lows and it will become worse.
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
7700k has dropped from close to 300 to well under 200 in the last year or so, most of it in the last few months. Zen2 is really beginning to take a toll on the resale value of 1151 stuff, particularly the sky/kaby parts... In a lot of places you can find you will be able to work sellers down quite a lot, not nearly as many people are buying the i7 bait any more.

Then again I'm not really familiar with the Turkish market as far as used parts, so it might be harder to find stuff second hand.
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2019
Messages
632 (0.35/day)
9700k will lose a lot of its value in the next few years, you can expect to see cheap 9700ks and 9900ks on the used market by the time you really want to upgrade.
9700k maybe to a certain degree, but not before 2022 or so, 9900k as the best cpu on the socket (that will in gaming at least likely match even the 4000 series Ryzens and possibly even 5000) on the other hand will never be cheap, at least not untill it is completely obsolete (which will take more than 5 years for sure)
 
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Messages
3,850 (0.82/day)
Location
in a van down by the river
Processor faster at instructions than yours
Motherboard more nurturing than yours
Cooling frostier than yours
Memory superior scheduling & haphazardly entry than yours
Video Card(s) better rasterization than yours
Storage more ample than yours
Display(s) increased pixels than yours
Case fancier than yours
Audio Device(s) further audible than yours
Power Supply additional amps x volts than yours
Mouse without as much gnawing as yours
Keyboard less clicky than yours
VR HMD not as odd looking as yours
Software extra mushier than yours
Benchmark Scores up yours
I read articles about i5 9600K. They are saying this is not a good CPU as it is seen. I'm currently using i7 4790 and this is working very well but in some games, especially in strategy games, its heat increasing too much. Even I tried to change the thermal paste.

It's a great CPU, handles every game out there especially when you get to 4.7ghz+ on all cores. That said, an OC i-7 4790 should give you similar performance. If strategy games are your thing perhaps a non-K 8700 or 9700 CPU if you want to stay with intel.
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2019
Messages
632 (0.35/day)
True, even 9600k is great just for gaming (which if I understand correctly is exactly what it would/will be used for), but it isn't that much better than an OCed 4790k, however if he has the non-k version, than the upgrade is decent, otherwise I would look at no less than 8700/9700 for a proper bump in performance.
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
484 (0.13/day)
Processor Intel Core i5-11400F 2.6GHz
Motherboard H510M-A Pro
Cooling Hyper H410R RGB
Memory 32 GB
Video Card(s) ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge
Display(s) LG 27M47VQ 27 inches 2 ms FULL HD HDMI Gaming Monitor
Case Thermaltake Versa T27 TG 750W
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair CX750 ATX 80PLUS (750W)
Software Windows 11 Home Edition 64-bit
Hello,

There is a lot of good advice!

I will consider your advice, too, and in the meantime, I found some hardware that sold with good prices; I don't understand why MSI B250 Gaming M3 sold with cheap price than others, but how about using this with Intel Core i5 9600K?

I want to use i7 9600K, too, but it is a bit overprices in my country. So, I need to keep low the budget for this upgrade. And these are two good pieces of hardware I can buy. What do you think?

I found MSI B250 Gaming M3 for 103.837USD, Intel Core i5 9600K for 318.002USD. I think there is a discount. :D
 
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
1,663 (0.64/day)
Location
Tanagra
System Name Budget Box
Processor Xeon E5-2667v2
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro
Cooling Some cheap tower cooler, I dunno
Memory 32GB 1866-DDR3 ECC
Video Card(s) XFX RX 5600XT
Storage WD NVME 1GB
Display(s) ASUS Pro Art 27"
Case Antec P7 Neo
I just got a 9600K, and I’m quite happy with it. I’m not even running it on a z chipset so I can’t adjust the multi. Still, I can game at 1440p with an RX 570 and do RAW photo editing, so it does enough for me. I was coming from a W3690 though, so my frame of reference isn’t your normal one. I also have the pleasure of being near a Microcenter, so I got a $30 discount when paired with a motherboard.
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
484 (0.13/day)
Processor Intel Core i5-11400F 2.6GHz
Motherboard H510M-A Pro
Cooling Hyper H410R RGB
Memory 32 GB
Video Card(s) ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge
Display(s) LG 27M47VQ 27 inches 2 ms FULL HD HDMI Gaming Monitor
Case Thermaltake Versa T27 TG 750W
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair CX750 ATX 80PLUS (750W)
Software Windows 11 Home Edition 64-bit
I just got a 9600K, and I’m quite happy with it. I’m not even running it on a z chipset so I can’t adjust the multi. Still, I can game at 1440p with an RX 570 and do RAW photo editing, so it does enough for me. I was coming from a W3690 though, so my frame of reference isn’t your normal one. I also have the pleasure of being near a Microcenter, so I got a $30 discount when paired with a motherboard.

That's nice to read!
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2013
Messages
5,460 (1.42/day)
Location
Everywhere all the time all at once
System Name The Little One
Processor i5-11320H @4.4GHZ
Motherboard AZW SEI
Cooling Fan w/heat pipes + side & rear vents
Memory 64GB Crucial DDR4-3200 (2x 32GB)
Video Card(s) Iris XE
Storage WD Black SN850X 4TB m.2, Seagate 2TB SSD + SN850 4TB x2 in an external enclosure
Display(s) 2x Samsung 43" & 2x 32"
Case Practically identical to a mac mini, just purrtier in slate blue, & with 3x usb ports on the front !
Audio Device(s) Yamaha ATS-1060 Bluetooth Soundbar & Subwoofer
Power Supply 65w brick
Mouse Logitech MX Master 2
Keyboard Logitech G613 mechanical wireless
Software Windows 10 pro 64 bit, with all the unnecessary background shitzu turned OFF !
Benchmark Scores PDQ
If you're set on getting a Z390 mobo, don't waste it on an i5xxx...

I just built my son a gaming rig with a 9700k/Z390 and it rocks, especially compared to his previous 4790k/Z97 combo, in every way that is important to him anyways :)
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
484 (0.13/day)
Processor Intel Core i5-11400F 2.6GHz
Motherboard H510M-A Pro
Cooling Hyper H410R RGB
Memory 32 GB
Video Card(s) ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge
Display(s) LG 27M47VQ 27 inches 2 ms FULL HD HDMI Gaming Monitor
Case Thermaltake Versa T27 TG 750W
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair CX750 ATX 80PLUS (750W)
Software Windows 11 Home Edition 64-bit
i7 9700K is too expensive than i5 9600. There is too much gap between them, I understand why, but I guess, I can't give that much.
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
1,521 (0.89/day)
Processor Ryzen 5600X@4.85 CO
Motherboard Gigabyte B550m S2H
Cooling BeQuiet Dark Rock Slim
Memory Patriot Viper 4400cl19 2x8@4000cl16 tight subs
Video Card(s) Asus 3060ti TUF OC
Storage WD blue 1TB nvme
Display(s) Lenovo G24-10 144Hz
Case Corsair D4000 Airflow
Power Supply EVGA GQ 650W
Software Windows 10 home 64
Benchmark Scores CB20 4710@4.7GHz Aida64 50.4ns 4.8GHz+4000cl15 tuned ram SOTTR 1080p low 263fps avg CPU game
You cant use a B250 board with a 9600k. Only 3xx-boards work.

With your current cpu, the 9600k is barely an upgrade. It's not much faster. Only real upgrade would be an overclocked 8700k, 9700k or 9900k with a z370 or z390 board.
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
484 (0.13/day)
Processor Intel Core i5-11400F 2.6GHz
Motherboard H510M-A Pro
Cooling Hyper H410R RGB
Memory 32 GB
Video Card(s) ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge
Display(s) LG 27M47VQ 27 inches 2 ms FULL HD HDMI Gaming Monitor
Case Thermaltake Versa T27 TG 750W
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair CX750 ATX 80PLUS (750W)
Software Windows 11 Home Edition 64-bit
You cant use a B250 board with a 9600k. Only 3xx-boards work.

With your current cpu, the 9600k is barely an upgrade. It's not much faster. Only real upgrade would be an overclocked 8700k, 9700k or 9900k with a z370 or z390 board.

Why I can't use B250 with i5 9600K? Did I miss something? And what does 3xx-boards means? How about MSI B365M PRO-VDH?
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
1,521 (0.89/day)
Processor Ryzen 5600X@4.85 CO
Motherboard Gigabyte B550m S2H
Cooling BeQuiet Dark Rock Slim
Memory Patriot Viper 4400cl19 2x8@4000cl16 tight subs
Video Card(s) Asus 3060ti TUF OC
Storage WD blue 1TB nvme
Display(s) Lenovo G24-10 144Hz
Case Corsair D4000 Airflow
Power Supply EVGA GQ 650W
Software Windows 10 home 64
Benchmark Scores CB20 4710@4.7GHz Aida64 50.4ns 4.8GHz+4000cl15 tuned ram SOTTR 1080p low 263fps avg CPU game
B250 only works with the 7xxx-series CPUs. You can use B365, but ram speed is max 2666. If you want 9600K which I dont recommend since your current CPU is almost equally fast, the get a Z370 or Z390 board so you can overclock ram.
 
Top