What Can I Upgrade my son's R7 CPU to?

Question

I've read some of the older posts but I'm just decently tech savvy so based on the below current specs, what's the best CPU I can upgrade to do without having to do something highly technical/expert level? Thanks

Intel Core i7 8086K (6-Core/12-Thread, 12MB Cache, up to 5GHz w/ Intel Turbo Boost Technology)

300 Series Chipset Family LPV Controller (Z370) - A2C9

Bios Version/Date: Alienware 1.0.16, 8/28/2018

Baseboard Product: 0VDT73

Baseboard Version: A00

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti with 11GB GDDR5X

Rabbitdude · Accepted Answer

Your son is already at the highest CPU the R7 supports as the 8700k and 8086k are effectively the same

JOcean · Answer

This forum post has much more information on compatible CPUs.

redxps630 · Answer

Based on link provided by JOcean, without a Dell bios update this motherboard with Z370 chipset can support Intel 8th gen cpu up to 8700k. Your current cpu 8086k compared to 8700k shows that there is no need to side grade cpu. UserBenchmark: Intel Core i7-8086K vs i7-8700K

you would be better served to upgrade gpu in this system for better gaming performance.

Mooondog · Answer

Thank you for a clear answer.   So I guess the only way to upgrade the CPU is upgrade the entire system.   Disappointing as it sounds like Dell is making it difficult to upgrade without buying a new PC based on other comments I read in my research.  Last time I'll be buying Dell for him then.

mako64 · Answer

Maybe just update the hard drive to a Samsung SSD Evo Pro 1 TB or maybe if possible an M.2NVMe drive. Does it have a spinner in there? can’t the 8700K be overclocked to 5.0GHz.

Mooondog · Answer

The drives installed right now:    512GB M.2 PCIe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage) So would installing the SSD you mention improve gaming performance? Thanks

mako64 · Answer

Well keep the games on the M.2 NVMe drive and run them at high performance mode for sure. That’s not bad of a gaming setup really. Also if you have a NVidia gpu make sure the gpu is running at high performance power mode and also high performance in the texture settings in NVidia Control Panel.

Just a thought … the newer Alienware Aurora gaming machines are fantastic with the newer hardware just in case you change your mind. I have a R9 and a R11 and it’s worth every penny if he’s a serious gamer. Would last him many years with the newer demanding games.

Mooondog · Answer

Great info and thanks for sharing !!!

redxps630 · Answer

Re: Disappointing as it sounds like Dell is making it difficult to upgrade without buying a new PC. Last time I'll be buying Dell for him then.

Upgrading gpu will give you better gaming performance than upgrading cpu when you already have a 8700k equivalent. One way to get hold of a newer gpu such as RTX 2000 or 3000 series is to buy a complete prebuilt PC such as R11-12. Some people do that, swap out the gpu, then try to resell the rest of PC. But is this a good idea?

But beware that the newer Aurora case (R9,10,11,12) is notorious of poor air flow due to its cramped chassis space leaving very little air space for gpu to breathe. AIO liquid cooling of cpu in the case does not solve the problem. Many users bought the model only to swap out the components to other cases in order to circumvent the cooling issue. In a short summary, the newer Dell Aurora case will significantly thwart gaming performance due to overheating of cpu and gpu.

Vanadiel · Answer

I have an R10, liquid cooling, and while I agree with the poor air flow, if you make some minor tweaks to the fan settings and install a few aftermarket fans in the front, you can get perfectly fine gaming experiences without loss of performance.

It will be a bit louder than you would expect during gaming sections, but temperature wise it is perfectly workable without performance loss.

But out of the box, yes, they need some setup to increase the airflow.

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What Can I Upgrade my son's R7 CPU to?

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