# Future-proof CPU to buy



## Leoplate25 (Feb 2, 2019)

Hello! I'm planning on upgrade my PC and i have a question: right now; which is the best future-proof cpu to buy for, at least, the next 5 years?

Now i have the following setup (for gaming and general use):

-Intel i7-6700k
-ASUS Z170 Sabertooth S
-2x8gb 3000mhz Corsair Vengeance White LED
-EVGA GTX 1070ti SC Black
-Corsair H100i v2
-BitFenix Whisper M 750w
-SSD Samsung EVO 840 250gb
-SSD Samsung EVO 860 1tb
-Thermaltake Versa H34
-3x Thermaltake Riing White

P.D.: I want (do i need to?) to update my CPU and motherboard. I live in Argentina.

Thanks in advance!


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## 95Viper (Feb 2, 2019)

It would help members to assist you, if you would list your budget, your system specs, what you are willing to upgrade, any platforms you prefer, and what you use/plan to use your system for.

And, welcome to the forums.


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## Leoplate25 (Feb 2, 2019)

95Viper said:


> It would help members to assist you, if you would list your budget, your system specs, what you are willing to upgrade, any platforms you prefer, and what you use/plan to use your system for.
> 
> And, welcome to the forums.



Hi! Done! Thanks!!!


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 2, 2019)

Either a Ryzen 2700X or core i7 8700K, or Ryzen Threadripper 2950X, or core i9 9700K.

You could always look at a Ryzen Threadripper 1900X-1950X or Core i9 7700 series.


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## qubit (Feb 2, 2019)

Probably the 9900K if you’re willing to pay the price.


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## Vya Domus (Feb 2, 2019)

Leoplate25 said:


> do i need to?



Not really but if you do it may be worth waiting for Ryzen 3000.


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 2, 2019)

Vya Domus said:


> Not really but if you do it may be worth waiting for Ryzen 3000.


Yeah this is true he does have an i7 so eight threads you know it will last him quite a while


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## FordGT90Concept (Feb 2, 2019)

You're going to want to wait for Ryzen 3###/Zen 2 because it's 7nm and 8-cores per package.


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## Jetster (Feb 3, 2019)

Future proof? No  your PC is fine


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## Leoplate25 (Feb 3, 2019)

Thank you all for your answers! I think i'll wait for Zen 2 or Intel's next-gen by the end of the year (i suppose).


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## 64K (Feb 3, 2019)

There is no such thing as future-proofing.

I see that you are using a GTX 1070 Ti so obviously one of the uses of your rig is for gaming. You have more than enough of everything for gaming.  Just overclock that 6700k if you even need to.


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## Komshija (Feb 3, 2019)

Your PC is still a powerful machine. There's literally no need for upgrade if you play on 1080p or 1440p and use the PC for general purpose. 

But... if you won the lottery or print high-quality money , the real upgrade from i7 6700K would be at least Intel i9 9900K, i9 9900X, Ryzen TR 2950X and so on. Still, no reason for upgrade, because i7 6700K as a gaming CPU will rock for at least next 3-4 years.


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## cucker tarlson (Feb 3, 2019)

as far as gaming 2700x/TR 2nd gen would be no upgrade over his 6700K and slower if he's overclocking it to 4.5GHz or higher. 1st gen Threadripper as an upgrade for a gaming rig with 6700k in it must be some sort of a prank from amd's fanbase.



eidairaman1 said:


> You could always look at a Ryzen Threadripper 1900X-1950X



Are you Jimmy Kimmel ?

All depends on the prices in your country,8700k/9700k would be a chood choice. That is if you don't have to pay some crazy amounts of money for them cause you're fine with what you have atm.
I'd advise you to stay on your 6700k,see how far you can push it and overclock your ram too. With your cooling you shouldn't really be afraid to push that 6700k to 1.35v-1.4v,plus Skylake are reasonably cool and power efficient processors. Wait for 9700K prices to come down,they're too damn high atm,same as the whole 9th gen.


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## dorsetknob (Feb 3, 2019)

If you feel the need to spend money on upgrades (and we all do )
a monitor upgrade at this time (you do not list what you have) would probably be your best bet
your PC seems to be very capable atm  
A monitor Upgrade should last you for 5+ years and will work with other eventual upgrades


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## Wavetrex (Feb 3, 2019)

Same. Keep your current CPU and save your money for a faster videocard (eg: RTX 2080, when/if it drops in price a bit, or the upcoming Radeon 7). It will be almost twice as fast than 1070 Ti.
Very few games actually use more than 4 cores efficiently, and your 6700K has hyperthreading, meaning even games that use 8 threads can run very well.

@others
Recommending Threadripper today for gaming PC is ... well, trolling.


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## Tomgang (Feb 3, 2019)

For future profing. At least a i9 9900k. I saw this youtube video and to my surprice some of the games gives even a i7 9700k a good workout with loads at up 100 %.










And you dont want to bay a cpu games al ready know can max out before even getting it if you want some future proofing. So at least i9 9900k or better.


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## Splinterdog (Feb 3, 2019)

Leoplate25 said:


> Hello! I'm planning on upgrade my PC and i have a question: right now; which is the best future-proof cpu to buy for, at least, the next 5 years?
> 
> Now i have the following setup (for gaming and general use):
> 
> ...


That's a very nice setup already, but if you intend to upgrade and are looking for ideas, a ball park budget in US$ would be useful for us to guide you.
I also live in Argentina and so I know that many component prices here are at least double of what you'd find on Amazon or Newegg, north of the equator. Mercadolibre prices are a joke.
Anyway, I did a major upgrade last year and bought all the components in the UK during a visit. Do you have access to components outside Argentina? Friends that could bring the parts back for you? You know the situation as well as I do.
I'm hoping that my new setup will last me three or maybe four years, but it's certainly not future proof.


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## Readlight (Feb 3, 2019)

No need for new just need good os, apps and games who now how to use these limited resources.


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## Leoplate25 (Feb 3, 2019)

@*Splinterdog *Hi, I have a friend in Poland. I think i'll ask him to bring me a new processor when he comes to Argentina next december. He already brought me the 1tb SSD, the PSU, the graphics card, the RAM and the coolers, haha! Thanks for your answer!

Thanks everyone for your answers! They're very helpful!


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## cucker tarlson (Feb 3, 2019)

Polish prices for cpus kinda suck atm,though psus and ssds have never been that cheap. I got myself a 500gb 860 evo and xpg950su 480gb recently just cause the prices were so nice.

If you're getting a cpu now,at Polish prices, I suggest a 9900K.

9600k is 1150pln
9700k is 1900pln
9900k is 2300pln

tbh 9900k is the best value now  it costs 2x 9600k but you're getting an 8c/16t cpu in favor of a 6c/6t one.
shout out to @EarthDog to recommend a good board for this monstrous cpu. I know he was positive about z390 a pro in my upgrade thread

here's a z390 vrm tier list for some clarity

https://www.overclock.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=250662&d=1548963030


this is the best selling z390 board here and given the value/price I can see why.
https://www.morele.net/plyta-glowna-gigabyte-z390-gaming-x-4142417/


this is basically the same thing but with alc1220 and two reinforced slots

https://proline.pl/gigabyte-z390-gaming-sli-ddr4-1151-p1296622

imo it's worth the price for the audio alone, alc8xx are pretty old and I noticed a difference upgrading to alc1150 instantly. the difference is 90pln and there's no way you can get a 1220 equivalent for that.although you can probably buy the 530pln z390 ud and then get a xonar/soudblaster fx at 150pln.the ud board is further downgraded when it comes to its features-one m.2 32gb/s only.


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## Leoplate25 (Feb 3, 2019)

cucker tarlson said:


> Polish prices for cpus kinda suck atm,though psus and ssds have never been that cheap. I got myself a 500gb 860 evo and xpg950su 480gb recently just cause the prices were so nice.
> 
> If you're getting a cpu now,at Polish prices, I suggest a 9900K.
> 
> ...



Hey, man! Thanks very much for your detailed answer. I really like the vrm tier list. The thing is my friend will come to Argentina next december. I think i will wait or buy the parts here.
Thanks again, really appreciate it!


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## Space Lynx (Feb 3, 2019)

i would get ryzen 3700x and x570 mobo over 9900k, which is going to overheat and downclock like crazy unless you are running water on it. and since your waiting until december... you might as well wait since 3700x comes out in summer... so...


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## delshay (Feb 3, 2019)

Is there such a think as "future proof CPU"? I can bet in 50-70 years time it will be considered not to be environmental friendly.


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## cucker tarlson (Feb 3, 2019)

lynx29 said:


> i would get ryzen 3700x and x570 mobo over* 9900k, which is going to overheat and downclock like crazy unless you are running water on it.* and since your waiting until december... you might as well wait since 3700x comes out in summer... so...


this is aggressively stupid - no other way to put it. there's been reviews for months yet you play the ignorant game.








this is 9900k at 5ghz oc running occt with dark rock 4


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## Prince Valiant (Feb 3, 2019)

Your current system should last you a while longer. With that in mind you may as well wait to see what Ryzen 3000 and Ice Lake have to offer.


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## XXL_AI (Feb 3, 2019)

it seems amd is going to stuck to the same socket for at least 2 more generations. it might be a safe bet if you don't want to pay extra money for chipzilla crap


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## HTC (Feb 3, 2019)

Prince Valiant said:


> Your current system should last you a while longer. With that in mind *you may as well wait to see what Ryzen 3000 and Ice Lake have to offer.*



Agreed.

If for no other reason then for prices of current CPU gens to decrease to give way to the newer CPUs.


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## lZKoce (Feb 3, 2019)

Future-proofing is a hoax in PC building IMO. It's synonyms to either not understanding your needs or lying to yourself about this hobby  Looking at your usage in the first post, you are pretty well off now: gaming and general use. It's your money I guess, but I'd wait for now. Is there a scenario where your PC right now is not doing it's job ? A particular game? 50 tabs open in the browser and you are out of RAM ? Anything that's bothering currently? Anything? I don't want to sound preachy, but CPUs are expensive, why spend the bucks if not necessary.


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## c2DDragon (Feb 3, 2019)

I see no reason to upgrade the CPU right now.
6700k + GTX 1070Ti combo for 1080p gaming is fine.
1080Ti or + for 1080p is overkill so for GPU no need to invest now neither if you really wanted to spend money.
If you play in 1440p then go for newer GPU or a 1080Ti but again, no need to change the CPU.
Another CPU for now is not needed at all if it is for gaming and price of the 9900k is meh !
Wait for Volta (nVidia) and then change the whole rig (2020 ? 2021 ?  )


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## Space Lynx (Feb 3, 2019)

c2DDragon said:


> I see no reason to upgrade the CPU right now.
> 6700k + GTX 1070Ti combo for 1080p gaming is fine.
> 1080Ti or + for 1080p is overkill so for GPU no need to invest now neither if you really wanted to spend money.
> If you play in 1440p then go for newer GPU or a 1080Ti but again, no need to change the CPU.
> ...



yeah honestly his system can't get any better for 1080p gaming. kinda dumb to upgrade anything unless he plans to game at a higher resolution, which in my experience, just is not worth the hassle.


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## c2DDragon (Feb 3, 2019)

lynx29 said:


> yeah honestly his system can't get any better for 1080p gaming. kinda dumb to upgrade anything unless he plans to game at a higher resolution, which in my experience, just is not worth the hassle.


Switching from 1080p to 1440p 144Hz or more "insert any res @ any Hz but no 60Hz " would be painful :
_Higher GPU (500€+)
_THE screen you want (500€+)
I personnaly switched from an old 17" 1050p @ 60Hz (which I OCed to 70Hz) and I wanted 24" minimum. 4k was stuck at 60Hz at this time and no GPU could handle a recent game at more than 30Fps so it was 1440p @ 144Hz and for real it did cost a lot but I cannot enjoy lesser resolutions now.
I tried 10+ screens to find my pearl, many 24", 27", 32", curved, IPS, so many returns ahah, many backlight problems, dead pixels, bad colors and so on.
A real pain to get the good pick which meets your requirements !


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## dirtyferret (Feb 3, 2019)

Intel 10900k or AMD zen 4 would be excellent future proof CPUs...


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## shk021051 (Feb 3, 2019)

wait next year


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## somethinggeneric (Feb 3, 2019)

I would avoid Intel in general when it comes to "future proofing" since their CPUs seem to require a different socket every week. Personally since AMDs been sticking to the AM4 platform you could get Zen 2, 2+ and possibly 3 since AMD has confirmed they are supporting the AM4 socket through 2020 which means if you buy a Zen2 CPU and in 2020 (only 10 months away holy shit) or beyond you could still quite possibly upgrade to zen 3 and beyond without needing to purchase a new motherboard.

Source: https://hothardware.com/news/amd-confirms-am4-socket-support-future-ryzen-processors-2020


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## c2DDragon (Feb 3, 2019)

somethinggeneric said:


> I would avoid Intel in general when it comes to "future proofing" since their CPUs seem to require a different socket every week. Personally since AMDs been sticking to the AM4 platform you could get Zen 2, 2+ and possibly 3 since AMD has confirmed they are supporting the AM4 socket through 2020 which means if you buy a Zen2 CPU and in 2020 (only 10 months away holy shit) or beyond you could still quite possibly upgrade to zen 3 and beyond without needing to purchase a new motherboard.
> 
> Source: https://hothardware.com/news/amd-confirms-am4-socket-support-future-ryzen-processors-2020


You are right but if you get a powerful future brand new intel CPU, you won't upgrade before the next 3-5 years, same for AMD and then if the next gen AMD requires DDR5 or PCI-e 4.0 or anything that's shinny marketing bullshit we all enthusiasts want...well we will have to change the MB too 
Your point is clearly logic and valid.
I'm not a fanboy or anything, I just get what delivers the best when my rig tend to be slow at a point where I can have clearly better. For now it was intel since 1995. Maybe AMD will do something exciting for gamers before I feel the need to upgrade. Time will tell.


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## notb (Feb 3, 2019)

somethinggeneric said:


> I would avoid Intel in general when it comes to "future proofing" since their CPUs seem to require a different socket every week. Personally since AMDs been sticking to the AM4 platform you could get Zen 2, 2+ and possibly 3 since AMD has confirmed they are supporting the AM4 socket through 2020 which means if you buy a Zen2 CPU and in 2020 (only 10 months away holy shit) or beyond you could still quite possibly upgrade to zen 3 and beyond without needing to purchase a new motherboard.
> 
> Source: https://hothardware.com/news/amd-confirms-am4-socket-support-future-ryzen-processors-2020


I though the whole point of buying a "future proof" PC part is not to replace it for a long time.

You've just suggested buying a CPU that will be easier to replace next year. O-M-G


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## c2DDragon (Feb 3, 2019)

notb said:


> You've just suggested buying a CPU that will be easier to replace next year. O-M-G


That's not really what his point was, I mean :


somethinggeneric said:


> if you buy a Zen2 CPU and in 2020 (only 10 months away holy shit) or beyond you could still quite possibly upgrade to zen 3 and beyond without needing to purchase a new motherboard.


Leading to think AMD sockets will last longer than Intel who multiply the sockets. So what I've understood is if he wants to buy a Zen 2 CPU he could just upgrade the CPU (only) later in few years when he would feel the need, by a Zen 3 powerful one I think. Btw we don't know if Zen 3 will use AM4. 
That's what I understood, I mean, no violence please


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## Leoplate25 (Feb 3, 2019)

Thank you all for your help!!!


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## notb (Feb 4, 2019)

Leoplate25 said:


> Hello! I'm planning on upgrade my PC and i have a question: right now; which is the best future-proof cpu to buy for, at least, the next 5 years?


As many here, I'd suggest sticking with what you have until it's clearly not fast enough. That's because, obviously, for gaming it'll be fine for another 2-3 years.

To know what CPU is "future proof", you would have to forecast the future. And can you? What will you expect from this PC 3 years from now?
Will it still be just for gaming? Or maybe you'll take on rendering or molecular biology? Or maybe you'll decide you want a smaller case and will convert to mITX?

Also, how will your financial situation change?
Maybe you'll get a huge raise and will be able to afford something much better.
Or maybe you'll be fired and will have to get a poorly paid job, so you'll wish to not have spent so much on a computer?

Any way you look at this, changing a PC before you actually need it makes no sense. 


somethinggeneric said:


> I would avoid Intel in general when it comes to "future proofing" since their CPUs seem to require a different socket every week.


How often do you replace the CPU? Honestly.
I've never had more than 1 CPU on a socket. If you get a large enough performance margin (part of the "future proof" idea), you shouldn't need to upgrade before 3-4 years, unless your use scenario hasn't changed significantly. And at that point there's usually a new socket available.
Also, keep in mind motherboard is not just the socket. You regularly get new features and connectors.

Lets look at the AM4 socket.
First of all: calling it "future proof" today is just weird. New one is coming next year (yes, it's 2019 already!). It will bring some interesting upgrades, mostly because of PCIe 4.0.
Second: let's say you got into AM4 early and now want to replace your Ryzen 1700 with a shiny 7nm 3000-series. Won't you be tempted by the new chipset (with PCIe 4.0)?
Even if you're determined to replace just the CPU... you'll think twice for sure. Your 1700 is still fast. Does it make sense to spend $300-500 on a new CPU now? Next year you'll be able to replace the whole platform and get a lot of new stuff.


> Personally since AMDs been sticking to the AM4 platform you could get Zen 2, 2+ and possibly 3 since AMD has confirmed they are supporting the AM4 socket through 2020 which means if you buy a Zen2 CPU and in 2020 (only 10 months away holy shit) or beyond you could still quite possibly upgrade to zen 3 and beyond without needing to purchase a new motherboard.


I don't get the math behind this.
AM4 being "supported until 2020" most likely means a new socket is coming next year. This means the 3000-series (Zen 2) will be the last generation on AM4.


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## Leoplate25 (Feb 4, 2019)

notb said:


> As many here, I'd suggest sticking with what you have until it's clearly not fast enough. That's because, obviously, for gaming it'll be fine for another 2-3 years.
> 
> To know what CPU is "future proof", you would have to forecast the future. And can you? What will you expect from this PC 3 years from now?
> Will it still be just for gaming? Or maybe you'll take on rendering or molecular biology? Or maybe you'll decide you want a smaller case and will convert to mITX?
> ...



Thanks for your answer! I'll wait then!


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## somethinggeneric (Feb 4, 2019)

notb said:


> I don't get the math behind this.
> AM4 being "supported until 2020" most likely means a new socket is coming next year. This means the 3000-series (Zen 2) will be the last generation on AM4.



Yeah hes picking a bad time to really do a "future proof" build. Intels going to change their socket, thats what they do. AMD will probably change their socket come 2021 because if Zen2 (3k series) supports AM4, theres no reason Zen2+  (4k series) won't.


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## E-Bear (Feb 4, 2019)

In technology there is no future proof. Everything change so quick if it's not big changes the compagnies make sure the older model is not 100% compatible with the new one. They call it Planned obsolescence ... and it wont change anytime soon. So dont try to find the perfect future thing because it wont be.


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## R-T-B (Feb 4, 2019)

cucker tarlson said:


> this is aggressively stupid - no other way to put it. there's been reviews for months yet you play the ignorant game.



Depends on what you mean by "aggresively stupid," on a subpar chip it certainly can be true if you are expecting it to do allcore (but it will certainly do stock, no question).  

Without water my chip can't hold it's 5.0Ghz allcore.  I need to use an AVX offset of -2 just to get there on very agressive air.


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## delshay (Feb 4, 2019)

c2DDragon said:


> You are right but if you get a powerful future brand new intel CPU, you won't upgrade before the next 3-5 years, same for AMD and then if the next gen AMD requires DDR5 or PCI-e 4.0 or anything that's shinny marketing bullshit we all enthusiasts want...well we will have to change the MB too
> Your point is clearly logic and valid.
> I'm not a fanboy or anything, I just get what delivers the best when my rig tend to be slow at a point where I can have clearly better. For now it was intel since 1995. Maybe AMD will do something exciting for gamers before I feel the need to upgrade. Time will tell.



You forgotten HDMI 2.1. AFAIK there are no GFX card on the market that has this feature.


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## king of swag187 (Feb 4, 2019)

I mean, nothing is ever going to be "future proof"
I see the 6700K being fine for a another 2-2.5 years given how CPU driven games are becoming

If you really want to "future" proof yourself, best bet is honestly Ryzen given AM4 support until 2020
Best current CPU is a 9900K, non debatable, but given its been 4 gens on 1151, Intel is likely to get itchy with pulling the trigger finger soon and you'll be stuck with it.


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## cucker tarlson (Feb 4, 2019)

a 9900k would certainly hold for many years,only issue I see is it's pci-e 3.0 and we might see pci-e 4.0 cards in a year or two.I too support the option to upgrade when you need.how is that 6700k utilizied in games currently ? are you getting anywhere near maxing it out ? I'm in a similar position too,I've seen my 5775c get near max utilization in a game or two,I'm not in a hurry to buy but already started considering some options.I'll get the parts I've chosen when they are at the price I'd like them,not sooner though.


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## Aerpoweron (Feb 4, 2019)

Hi Leoplate25*. *I have to agree with many others here. Your setup is fine for gaming. I personally still game on a i7 4790k. And the higher the resolution in games the more the GPU is the bottleneck. And when you look at Benchmarks of current games, the differences in framerate are not that big, and all still within playable range.
You should be fine until games really start using 6 or more cores effectively. And that won't happen until the new game console generation gets released and is out for 1 to 2 years.


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## Melvis (Feb 4, 2019)

CPU or platform? If its platform then AMD hands down if its CPU well....if your just gaming and have no budget then the 9900K but even that CPU looks to be possibly beaten by AMD already so....


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## cucker tarlson (Feb 4, 2019)

Melvis said:


> CPU or platform? If its platform then AMD hands down if its CPU well....if your just gaming and have no budget then the 9900K but even that CPU looks to be possibly beaten by AMD already so....


how can a worse gaming cpu be a more future proof platform at the same time ? "looks to be possibly beaten",lol,that made my day.


R-T-B said:


> Depends on what you mean by "aggresively stupid," on a subpar chip it certainly can be true if you are expecting it to do allcore (but it will certainly do stock, no question).
> 
> Without water my chip can't hold it's 5.0Ghz allcore.  I need to use an AVX offset of -2 just to get there on very agressive air.


torture testing with avx on ain't much of an indication,how much do you get in games ? probably 40 degrees cooler than that.


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## Melvis (Feb 4, 2019)

cucker tarlson said:


> how can a worse gaming cpu be a more future proof platform at the same time ? "looks to be possibly beaten",lol,that made my day..



How do you know its a worse gaming CPU?  since you have that magical crystal ball can you please tell us where you got that from? and I guess you didnt watch any of the news at CES this year?


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## cucker tarlson (Feb 4, 2019)

Melvis said:


> How do you know its a worse gaming CPU? * since you have that magical crystal ball* can you please tell us where you got that from? and I guess you didnt watch any of the news at CES this year?


still not as hilarious as calling 3700x as the one that "looks to possibly beat 9900k"
tell me more about the ces news,please,this is gonna be good.


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## Melvis (Feb 4, 2019)

cucker tarlson said:


> still not as hilarious as calling 3700x as the one that "looks to possibly beat 9900k"
> tell me more about the ces news,please,this is gonna be good.



Well since your a bit behind on things maybe you should do some research before commenting and looking like an idiot? So off ya go you have a PC and internet go find out for your self kid.

*


cucker tarlson said:



			how can a worse gaming cpu be a more future proof platform at the same time ?
		
Click to expand...

*
I still find this hilarious! Please do tell me about this with your crystal ball? this is gonna be good.


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## 95Viper (Feb 4, 2019)

Leoplate25 said:


> Thanks for your answer! I'll wait then!



OP has decided to wait.
Thread closed


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