Upgrading from i7-6700K

[7zark7]

I’m finally ready to retire my i7-6700K system (built 2016). While it still handles Rocket League perfectly, it’s a bit of a bottleneck in BeamNG and other more demanding games.

I only plan on upgrading the CPU, motherboard and cooler. I intend to reuse everything else, including my 32GB (4x8GB) Corsair DDR4 3000MHz RAM, 650W PSU, and Fractal R5 case. I've also recently moved to an 9060XT 16GB which is running great.

Current Specs:
CPU: i7-6700K
RAM: 32GB (4x8GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX 3000MHz C15 DDR4
GPU: 9060XT 16GB
Case: Fractal Design R5
PSU: SuperFlower 650W 80 Plus Gold
OS: Windows 10 (will upgrade to 11) & Fedora 43

I'm leaning toward the i5-14600K as the 5700X3D is no longer a viable/sourceable option. This requires a new LGA1700 DDR4 board and cooler.

Is the i5-14600K truly the best route for simulation-heavy games like BeamNG while staying on DDR4, or is there an AMD AM4/Intel alternative I’m overlooking?

Can anyone recommend a solid DDR4 ATX motherboard that handles a 4-DIMM setup well? Ideally it would have an optical audio out for an old AV receiver I still use. I have little interest in overclocking so a simpler board would be fine.

Is the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE the right choice for the 14600K, or should I go with the Peerless Assassin?

Will my 650W SuperFlower handle the 14600K? The 9060 XT is efficient, but I know i5-14600k can be demanding.

Trying to keep this as lean as possible to maximise the budget for a 1440p/144Hz monitor upgrade later - I'm still running @60hz!

Cheers!

 

[mickyflinn]

Hi.

I think I would do the same especially for beamng.

The thermalright peerlessor phantom spirit is a great cooler and will handl the 14600k but do note there has been degradation issues with some of intel CPUs so mite wanna look further into that before buying.

Motherboard with spdif.

MSI PRO B760-P WIFI DDR4

 

[Tetras]

Is the i5-14600K truly the best route for simulation-heavy games like BeamNG while staying on DDR4, or is there an AMD AM4/Intel alternative I’m overlooking?

The best gaming CPUs on AM4 are the 5700X3D and 5800X3D, but these are both EOL and since they're the highest performing gaming CPUs on the socket still in high demand.

The main problem with the 14600K is the potential for degradation. The 14600K is believed to be much less impacted than the i7/i9, but I've still seen reports of i5-K CPUs suffering from the problems and would be very reluctant to buy one used (without the extended warranty from Intel).

Since you're coming from a 6700K, if it was me, I'd be more inclined to get a 12600K or 12700K, even if they're less performant.

Is the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE the right choice for the 14600K, or should I go with the Peerless Assassin?

Their design and performance is very similar, so it doesn't matter that much.

Will my 650W SuperFlower handle the 14600K?

In gaming it shouldn't be a problem, the 14600K can pull a lot of power when fully multithreaded, but average gaming draw is less than half of that. Though, I don't know just how demanding BeamNG is.