CPU Recommendations

[CW2 (Ret) J. Edwards]

Looking to upgrade my CPU.  Currently I'm running an Intel i5-8400 @ 2.8 GHz.  I've been considering this or this.  Looking to get much better frames in Arma.  Can anyone give me a recommendations on these chip, or recommend something else?  Also, with these chips, would I be looking at needing liquid cooling or will my fan be good enough?  Price range is important.  I don't want to hit the 500-600 range.  Thanks for any help!

[CPT L. McCoy]

I can't speak on that one, but I have this one https://www.newegg.com/core-i7-8th-gen-intel-core-i7-8700k/p/N82E16819117827

And I get consistently good frames in official ops, and I've never even overclocked it.  Of course, there are some in-game graphic settings that you'll need to tweak for consistency.  But for not a whole lot more $, this is a good step up imo.

[CW2 (Ret) J. Edwards]

I can't speak on that one, but I have this one https://www.newegg.com/core-i7-8th-gen-intel-core-i7-8700k/p/N82E16819117827

And I get consistently good frames in official ops, and I've never even overclocked it.  Of course, there are some in-game graphic settings that you'll need to tweak for consistency.  But for not a whole lot more $, this is a good step up imo.

I literally had just updated my post with that chip also. lol.  Thanks for the recommendation.  49ish dollars more isn't a big deal.  Plus the 1st was Quad Core and the 8700 is 6 core.  Not sure how much of an advantage that is, but I'm sure it helps.  Do you run a fan or liquid cooling with this?

[SPC (Ret) A. Hawkins]

6 cores is nice for streaming. Since you record/stream I would go for the six core one, easily. An AIO cooler is nice, but liquid cooling is no longer as useful as it once was with how energy efficient these high end chipsets have become. I like my AIO since I can redirect the heat right to the exhaust of my PC, so my GPU can get a little bit cooler ambient air temperature. But these days you can definitely get by with an air cooler, as long as you make sure it is rated for the TDP of your CPU.

[1LT J. W. Sullivan]

I have a 9700k and it did wonders for my FPS in Arma.  Used to get like 12-15 FPS (during large official events) with a shitty AMD processor and jumped to 40-50 after the upgrade.  Like previously stated, an 8700k would also improve your performance.  Honestly, liquid cooling isn't really necessary if you don't plan on overclocking the CPU.  Yes, stock fans for CPU coolers aren't the greatest, however they are rated to provide enough cooling for the CPU out of the box.

When I purchased my 9700k, it didn't even come with a cooler.  I did however overclock mine to 4.9 GHz, so I went with a Corsair liquid cooler.  Basically it comes down to your budget and whether or not you intend to OC it or not.

[CPT L. McCoy]

I run a fan. Works totally fine. Although, I don't overclock it. But I also haven't had a need to.

I can't speak on that one, but I have this one https://www.newegg.com/core-i7-8th-gen-intel-core-i7-8700k/p/N82E16819117827

And I get consistently good frames in official ops, and I've never even overclocked it.  Of course, there are some in-game graphic settings that you'll need to tweak for consistency.  But for not a whole lot more $, this is a good step up imo.

I literally had just updated my post with that chip also. lol.  Thanks for the recommendation.  49ish dollars more isn't a big deal.  Plus the 1st was Quad Core and the 8700 is 6 core.  Not sure how much of an advantage that is, but I'm sure it helps.  Do you run a fan or liquid cooling with this?

[1LT J. N. Lee]

In case you're deciding between air coolers vs water coolers <a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=23vjWtUpItk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23vjWtUpItk</a>

[A. Grayson]

I just got the Ryzen 7 3800x it has 8 cores and 16 threads and it has done wonders for streaming. I am able to play around 40-50 fps w/o streaming and around 25-30 while streaming. it is about $50 higher then the previous 350 of the 17-8700. The fan that comes with it is able to handle the heat all the way to its boosted speed of 4.5 GHz (standard speed is 3.9 GHz), and for anyone who likes color the stock fan comes standard with RGB lights.

[SPC Price]

Given the technology we have available and the prices, I recommend you go for 8 cores starting at 4Ghz (the more the merrier). Intel, no doubt. You have many options under 500$.

[CW2 (Ret) J. Edwards]

Thanks all for the recommendations.  Will definitely go 8 core.  Appreciate it!!