[SOLVED] Difference between Intel 4790k and 9900k?

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Darlok9

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Hi guys.. I have a standard system setup of a Intel 4790k running at 4400 MHZ in turbo mode. 16GB ram and a GTX 960 2GB Video Card (1080P monitor)... The system is still great but when I originally built it I went a little cheap on the GPU thinking i will upgrade to 4k GPU + Monitor down the line. 4 years have passed and we're still not there (in terms of Video & 4K Monitor tech at affordable prices)

My question is.. If i were to build a sub $1500 Intel 9900k system right now, how much better would it be than my 4790k in games like World of Warcraft and Tera Online or Secondlife at 1080p or 2k gaming?

The 4790k runs very smooth and i'm happy with it but it's been 4 yrs and I am thinking of a possible upgrade. If the 9900k wont make that much difference in gaming over my 4790k, then I'll just upgrade the Video Card to like a 1070 TI.

What do u guys think? Please help.. I'm in a dilemma. I can get $700 for my 4790k system from my brother since he wants it for everyday light use.
 
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If you plan on gaming at 4k Id say splurge on the gpu and monitor and keep the rest of your system the way it is for now as gaming at 4k is demanding and your gpu will almost always be the bottleneck. If you can, I would try to get a beefier card than the 1070ti because at 4k ultra, it would probably hover in the upper 30s lower 40s for fps.

With that said, your cpu being 4 cores 8 threads should hold up well until more and more games start moving on to 6 cores and eventually 8 cores. Then your cpu will begin to bottleneck the rest of your system, maybe 2-3 years down the road. With ddr5 and pcie 4 on the way in the next year or two, I would hold off on upgrading anything besides your your gpu and monitor.

I just got my 9900k last...
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dvo

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A new GPU would help you in games far more than a CPU upgrade at this point. a 4790k is still a great CPU for gaming, while a 960 2GB was relatively lower end even when it was new.

Side note: a 9900k, in my own opinion, would be a complete waste of money in a gaming environment. No game is going to use up all those threads. Games don't really utilize hyperthreading anyways. A 9700k would be a more logical CPU for a gaming machine, and even that I'd say is still a bit overkill, although it would still be good for a number of years to come.
 
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as1985

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If you plan on gaming at 4k Id say splurge on the gpu and monitor and keep the rest of your system the way it is for now as gaming at 4k is demanding and your gpu will almost always be the bottleneck. If you can, I would try to get a beefier card than the 1070ti because at 4k ultra, it would probably hover in the upper 30s lower 40s for fps.

With that said, your cpu being 4 cores 8 threads should hold up well until more and more games start moving on to 6 cores and eventually 8 cores. Then your cpu will begin to bottleneck the rest of your system, maybe 2-3 years down the road. With ddr5 and pcie 4 on the way in the next year or two, I would hold off on upgrading anything besides your your gpu and monitor.

I just got my 9900k last week and I love it but if used solely for gaming it just isn't being fully utilized right now to really stretch its legs. If you purchased one you would definitely see an fps increase at 1080p and games would run smoother but that improvement would only show up on 144hz or 240hz monitors as your 4790k is no slouch.

If you really want to jump to 4k, put money towards a monitor and a beefy gpu like a 1080ti or if you can, a 2080. Just keep in mind you may need to rebuild your system in 2-3 years to prevent bottle necking.
 
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Dragos Manea

Dragos Manea

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Right now your cpu is plenty for games now and 3 years down the road (this is for ultra settings 60+fps, not 144fps). Regarding resolution you would be great with a 1080ti or 1070ti and 1440p monitor. 4k is out of reach for most people due to high budget required to run ultra at 4k (2x1080ti or 2x2080, or single 2080ti with a few settings lowered to medium).
My advice in your case, keep your monitor or get a 1440p one and get a 1080ti or 1070ti.
 
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Darlok9

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Okay thanks guys... I'll stay with my 4790k I guess and just upgrade the GPU.. I am not planning on gaming at 4k... If anything 2560x1440 at most with a better GPU + Monitor. I am content right now running 1080p anyway.. But my video card is a bit weak for games like TERA due to the 2GB VRAM limitation, even at 1080p.

Thanks for your help guys.. Always knew I could rely on folks from this site for great advice! :)
 
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Darlok9

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bmockeg.. I will stay 1080p on my 27 inch monitor. However roughly 2 yrs from now, if the 4K tech is still overpriced, I'd like to upgrade to a 32 inch 2560x1440 Monitor with 144hz refresh rate+. ... I'm not sure how the MSI Gaming 1070 TI which I just bought from Microcenter will fend on a 2k display. Who knows.

Right now though, I hope the 1070 TI will outlast me the 20 series video cards. It should be better than my 960 GTX 2GB Card. I think i just needed the extra VRAM because some games lower my texture quality automatically by default.
 
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Darlok9

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Guys.. so i bought the MSI Gaming 1070 TI.. Popped it into my system.. Installed New Video Card drivers (fresh install) and for some reason I'm getting 8-10 seconds white screen in certain games on startup.. While the game is loading into the character screen. Getting a 10 second white screen after I hit PLAY in the TERA Launcher, while the game launches.... and a 8 second black screen in WOW.. It's as if the game is hanging up somewhere.. I didn't have this problem with my old card.

Is the card seated improperly? Now that I think about it I dont think i heard a click noise when i popped it in.. But everything works.. The games play and WORK, just that delay is annoying...... And on my old card was was using a HDMI to DVI Cable. I am now using HDMI to HDMI. Could that be the issue? Please help
 
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qataqo

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"The 4790k runs very smooth and i'm happy with it but it's been 4 yrs and I am thinking of a possible upgrade."

Its just your brain that tells you that you need something new, when you just dont; at this moment you could only maybe buy a RTX 2060 and wait for the new AMD and Intel CPU´s because your 4790k is just fine.

i am running 4770k myself, and it is better then every AMD CPU (in the games i play).
 
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dbdarrough

dbdarrough

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Sorry for adding to this thread but I had the exact same setup he had in the first post. I bought an RTX 2060 and it is a night and day difference. Much faster and smoother and I ended up springing for a 3440x1440 Alienware monitor with GSync and it is AWESOME. I'll stick with my 4790k and 16GB of ram for a few more years.
 
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marnes

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I also have a 4790K with a GTX970, 32GB RAM. I bought a cheap 32" 4K Samsung -- 60Hz, and added a 2080 Ti to it. My old Dell monitor predates HDMI and DisplayPort (second monitor), so I ended up keeping the 970 and have two cards in my build... temporarily. I'm still waiting for a 32" 4K HDR Gsync monitor. Once something comes out, I'll ditch the old Dell monitor and the 970.

But yeah, overall I'm surprised that all the new CPUs now have slower core speeds but more of them. Definitely a tradeoff. The vast majority of games will take advantage of more cores, but that primary clock speed is also an important factor.
 
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