Should I Upgrade Now from i5-6600k or Wait?

LSimpleUsername on 20/06/2020 - 13:41

Hello Ozbargain,

This is my first post on the forums so if I’ve done anything wrong just say.

Basically, I’ve recently purchased a 144hz 1440p display (the LG one everyone on here is going mad about, hopefully it’s good!) and I was wondering if now is the time to upgrade from my i5-6600k, and if so, what to upgrade to? It’s solely for gaming for reference, not any video processing or the like.

Although the Ryzen 3600 is tempting at its price, I’m unsure whether it’s worth upgrading from 4 to 6 cores. It seems like 8 cores would be better for years to come. This is why I’ve been considering getting a 3700x with a b450 tomahawk. But, as the rumour mill has been turning, it appears Zen 3 is coming late 2020 or early 2021, so I’d like to hear all your thoughts on if it’s worth waiting for, or if the 3700x is still worth buying.

I know Intel’s chips appear to perform better on average with games, but the 3700x appears like the best value 8 core, since Intel’s equivalent with the i7 (either 9th or 10th gen), either lack hyper-threading or are just not worth the premium. The i5 10th gen seems decent as well, with its OC capability really attractive, but it’s still 6 core which I’m unsure about.

I hope to hear your thoughts on this all!

Current PC Build:

  • Gigabyte 2060 super
  • i5 6600k (With Cooler Master Hyper 212)
  • ASUS z170-p motherboard
  • 2x 8GB 3200mhz c16 Ram (Vengeance pro)
  • 750w Corsair Gold (or Platinum, can’t recall which)
Computing

Comments

  • Hybroid on 20/06/2020 - 13:44

    Why are you wanting to upgrade CPU? Is it currently bottlenecking your GPU or do you need CPU-intensive tasks done quicker or just because 'more cores'?

    • SimpleUsername on 20/06/2020 - 13:50

      Sorry, should have shared why I wanted to upgrade.

      It seems like my cpu is consistently bottlenecking, particularly when it comes to running discord or downloading something while gaming. It hits 100% pretty often, if not always. So I thought an upgrade would let me have a bit of flexibility with doing stuff concurrently to playing a game, as well as improve gaming performance. Additionally, next-gen consoles appear to be inviting more common use of 8 cores, leaving 4 cores a bit behind.

      • Heaps for Cheaps on 20/06/2020 - 16:46

        I wonder if you could run something like userbenchmark.com to see if your pc is performing as expected before you start looking for an upgrade. It may well be that CPU-cooler fins are clogged with dust and are throttling the performance… Once you check that you will know if you have got the most from your PC and need a upgrade.

    • arkie0 on 20/06/2020 - 13:55

      MOAR CORES!!!

    • swimmingtoad on 20/06/2020 - 19:22
      +1

      I had the same CPU and it was hitting 100% for me too.
      I went with a 3700X (First time with AMD/Ryzen) and it has been great.

  • arkie0 on 20/06/2020 - 14:00

    Bottleneck calculator - https://pc-builds.com/calculator/

    But I would start with what games you play. Work out what kind of graphics card you need to run the most intensive game to get 144 @ 1440p @ the graphics setting you would be happy with - usually Ultra. You might be upgrading to this gfx card or equivalent eventually.

    Throw that gfx card in the calcultor, then it will give you the needed cpu. Buy that CPU or better to future proof and improve multi tasking when gaming at that max.

    • SimpleUsername on 20/06/2020 - 14:06

      Thanks for that, that’s a pretty useful tool. Hadn’t heard of it before!
      Thus far it’s said a 50% bottleneck. That’s…pretty bad. Will definitely have to upgrade!

      • Kangal on 20/06/2020 - 19:00

        You should upgrade - but not now.
        There are shortages and price increases abound, not to mention that newer B550 mobos and Zen3 are coming soon, and to top it all off your current CPU is working okay.

        I would wait until maybe Feb 2021. By that time we would have more idea about the performance of the PS5/XBV and know what we're dealing with for the future of games. And you'll be able to identify which mobo and which cpu. Maybe you might even consider a whole system upgrade; we are getting RDNA2 and RTX-3000 dGPUs coming too.

    • holoz0r on 20/06/2020 - 14:13

      lol, that site suggests replacing my 1080ti … with a 1080ti!

      (Ryzen 9 3900x as cpu)

      • swimmingtoad on 22/06/2020 - 10:42

        Can't argue with that advice.

  • Skramit on 20/06/2020 - 14:23
    +1

    I own a 3700x and highly recommended it.

    But some obvious considerations:

    1) 8 cores is going to give you a touch more longevity than 6. But it’s not going to make a huge difference for the next few years.

    2) the 3600 at $270 vs the 3700x at $450…. that’s a big gap. It depends on how much you’re willing to spend.

    3) The 6600k is only 4 threads. So going to a 3600 with 12 threads will still be a massive jump for multitasking. And the newer cpu will be better in games.

    The 3700x would be worth it if you’re a once every 6-10 years upgrader. But if you like upgrading every 3 years or so then maybe grab a 3600 now and an 8 or 12 core in 3 years time when it’s more useful in games?

    • SimpleUsername on 20/06/2020 - 22:59

      Thank you for this. Even though it was “obvious” it was still very useful, and helped me decide in the end.

      • Skramit on 21/06/2020 - 08:00
        +1

        What did u decide?

        • SimpleUsername on 21/06/2020 - 08:27

          Decided to go with a 3600/b450 combo for the next little while, and upgrade further down the track when 8 cores is more mainstream. Thank you again!

          • Skramit on 21/06/2020 - 08:49
            +1

            @SimpleUsername: Nice one.

            I’m building a 3600 b550 system for a mate now too. It’s best bang for buck for sure.

  • tanksinatra on 20/06/2020 - 14:24
    +1

    As a general rule, I expect at least double the performance to consider upgrading.
    Cinebench R20 Multicore
    Intel 6600k - 1572
    AMD 3700x - 4834

    Roughly ~3x performance increase. Worth it. Also has a lower TDP.

    https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/cpu-intel_core_i5_6600k-521
    https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/cpu-amd_ryzen_7_3700x-929

  • hmac on 20/06/2020 - 14:50

    yes

  • plmko on 20/06/2020 - 15:15
    +2

    Overclock your CPU

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 20/06/2020 - 16:51
      -3

      Just be careful to avoid core damage from overheating, to avoid a core meltdown. I always worry about this in my water-cooled PC as the pump stops circulating water when the PC is switched off. I was reading about the heating element needing 5 years in coolant until it is safe to remove from active cooling and stored in the cask (manufacturers packaging?).

      • BBear53 on 20/06/2020 - 17:23
        +3

        There are safeties in place to prevent damage from heat. Once a preset temp is reached the PC will shut off.

  • BBear53 on 20/06/2020 - 17:22
    +1

    Tried overclocking yet? Could be a cheaper performance boost for the mean time.

  • MagicMushroom on 20/06/2020 - 17:28
    +2

    It may worth waiting for 4th gen ryzen then upgrade to 3700X if you are cost savvy. I'm hoping for 3700X price to plummet like when 2700x was for $199 when the 3rd gen ryzen launched.

  • NotAnAudiophile on 20/06/2020 - 18:56
    +1

    Problem is AMD promised 4th gen in 2020 yes, but due to COVID no guarantee we’ll will actually be able to buy the chips in 2020. I’ve gone from 3600 to 3700x as the price was just too good and the cores are worth it but I’m also anticipating switching to 4th gen Ryzen. Just don’t get Intel, the 10700k is just way too overpriced compared to the 3700x.

  • SimpleUsername on 20/06/2020 - 22:57
    +1

    Hey everyone, thank you for all your help. I decided to get a placeholder upgrade to the 3600/msi tomahawk max for the next 6-9 months, since apparently the b450 boards will still be usable for zen 3 CPUs. I have already been doing some overclocking on the i5 and its still been falling a bit short. I think what I’ve chosen to do, thanks to your guidance, is the best possible choice right now! Again thank you!

    • NotAnAudiophile on 21/06/2020 - 00:52
      +1

      The 3600 is an excellent choice if you don't need CPU intensive tasks or a chock load of threads, good pairing with the B450 as B550's are pretty overpriced right now.

    • Snortlepig on 21/06/2020 - 13:04
      +1

      Just as a warning, your not going to see much of a frame rate jump but you should see less frame rate dips. I did a similar upgrade and didn't notice that much change.

      • SimpleUsername on 21/06/2020 - 15:25
        +1

        Yeah that’s fine. The stuttering I was getting was just getting worse. Did you think it was worth it? Smoothness sounds appealing still!

        • Snortlepig on 21/06/2020 - 18:05
          +1

          I think it was worth it, but I'm definitely going to replace it once the 4600/4700's come out. I bought it to make sure Cyberpunk 2077 was going to run okay so I could have probably gone straight to the 4600/4700 now it's been delayed.

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