Upgrade path from an i3 7100?

Hi all,

As my title states, I'm considering upgrading from my current i3 7100 and unsure of what would be the most wise choice now. Originally I had thought a simple swap to an i7 7700 would be the way to go, but from what I've been reading, it isn't really considered worth it now given the new options now available.

I have looked at the used market as well but haven't had much luck locally. I do live within 30minutes of a MicroCenter, so I prefer to get parts there. At this time, they only have the 7700K (priced at $280), but no standard 7700.

My current specs are:

I3 7100 16GB Crucial sport DDR4 2400mhz (4x4GB) Asus Strix RX480 8GB 1TB HDD 240GB SSD B250 Motherboard Corsair CX550M 550watt PSU

The system is used primarily for games at 1080P. My goal would be to have this upgrade last the life of the system, hopefully at least another 4-5 years. I may upgrade monitors later on, but no plans yet.

What would be the best route at this time? MicroCenter also has some solid deals on Ryzen, but I'm not sure how my RAM will hold up as I know fast memory is usually recommended. My budget for the upgrade overall I'd like to stay at $250-$300 or less.

What is the general consensus when upgrading from an i3 from the 7th Generation?