Is a i9-9900 (non-K) a worthwhile upgrade over a i7-9700K?

[Ade_B]

I current have a SFF PC with a RTX 3070 and a i7-9700K CPU (although not overclocked) on an Intel B360 based Mini ITX m/board, with 32GB RAM. Mainly the PC is used for gaming, and I'm looking for a relatively easy way to get a little more performance from it.

I've seen an offer for a cheap i9-9900 (non-K) CPU, and wondering if it is at all a worthwhile upgrade over what I already have? Since this is a SFF PC, I'm trying to keep it cool and quiet, hence thinking a CPU with a low TDP may be a good option.

Any advice on this path, or perhaps another upgrade path I should consider?

[Jonj1611]

Welcome to Hexus, I am sure somebody will be along soon who can help.

[kalniel]

Unless the game you're talking about is very threaded, going to a 9900 is probably a downgrade since the 9700K will likely run what cores it has faster, more of the time.

[Ade_B]

Thank for your input. I play a range of games, but I wouldn't have thought any were in much need of more threads. In which case, would be i9-9900K be a worthwhile upgrade - or are we are talking about single figure fps increases on average?

[kalniel]

Thank for your input. I play a range of games, but I wouldn't have thought any were in much need of more threads. In which case, would be i9-9900K be a worthwhile upgrade - or are we are talking about single figure fps increases on average?

No, you're still talking about losing FPS by going to the 9900K, so it's not any kind of upgrade for gaming except when highly threaded.

[Ade_B]

Thank you for the replies, okay looks like I'll hold onto the 9700K for now then and look towards a bigger CPU/Mboard upgrade down the line.