Question Almost 10 years since my last upgrade...

[Wobblz]

So, I just checked that I've been asking you guys, in 2013, about a configuration I was eyeing. It's high time I bought a new PC.

I'm a graphic designer mostly but I'm also doing a bit of 3D and video montage, and of course, I'd want a system capable of running some games. Haven't been tracking news or the market for years now, so mostly my research was done on the site, just reading the "best of" and picking mid-to-high tier components. I'm wondering if such a configuration makes sense in the current market, or whether something could be optimized/swapped. I also got an offer from a local dealer, for about $2500 for those components and he had some recommendations. Keep in mind that I live in Europe, Bulgaria, so prices are a bit higher for us. Here's what I've come up with:

CPU	Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz	~475$
Fan	be quiet! Dark Rock 4	~$85	Not a fan of water cooling, so I'm mostly looking for a solid air cooler. Was looking at Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black but the guy at the hardware store told me it won't do the job.
GPU	Inno3D GeForce RTX 3070 8GB	~$640	I was looking at the 3060 Ti from Asus, but this is only $50 more, as things stand. Hope prices drop further with the announcement of the 4000 series.
RAM	Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 5200 2x16GB	~$195
SSD	Seagate FireCuda 530, 1TB	~$133	Have a couple of 500GB SATA drives as well.
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Ultra	~$420
PSU	EVGA B5 850W Bronze	~$95	The last component I bought, after my old PSU got toast, it's an Antec 550W supply, so sadly it won't be sufficient
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P500A	~$150	Just looking for a minimalistic-looking and well-built case. No RGB shenanigans.
Display	Dell S3222DGM 32"	~$390 (Max budget $500-600)	There are so many options. I was eyeing the Dell but then again it's curved and I'll be doing precise design work, so I'm open to suggestions. I'm ideally looking for a budget 27-32" IPS panel, around 144Hz refresh rate and decent response time that has a great color gamut coverage as well. My other options are MSI Optix G273QF, Gigabyte G27Q-EK, and LG 27GN880-B, which is also almost double the price. So that'd be around $550-600 in Bulgarian Leva. I have two other 27" Dell monitors that I'm planning on using in portrait on the sides of this new main monitor.

Here is this configuration set in the local dealer's configurator app.

Thanks for your input!

 

[Hellfire13]

Intel and AMD are both releasing their new generation processors in a few days. Irrespective of its availability and pricing at your location, there is a slim chance that you can get your hands on one of them or the local prices of current generation can get impacted. The new generations chips are touted to be potentially better, and since your investment is for long term, you don't want to get caught in buyers remorse this close to a launch.

I would invest in a better quality PSU for long term. The EVGA G2/P2/T2 are far better units. So are Corsair RMx/RMi/HX/HXi and Seasonic Focus lineup.

Rest looks fine.

 

[Wobblz]

Thanks, both great points. 🙏

 

[Nighthawk117]

be quiet! Dark Rock 4

I would step up to the Dark Rock Pro 4 or Noctua NHD15 instead.

 

[Why_Me]

I would look at these changes.

CPU
Intel Core i7-12700F
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-25m-cache-up-to-4-90-ghz/specifications.html

CPU Cooler
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
https://www.bequiet.com/en/cpucooler/1378

Motherboard
MSI MAG Z690 TORPEDO
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-Z690-TORPEDO

Intel Core i7-12700 + Intel B660 Review

Today we have a combo review of all-new Intel hardware, our first look at the affordable Intel B660 platform, the non-K Core i7-12700 and Intel's latest box...

www.techspot.com

i7 12700 / 12700F gaming benchmarks.

 

[Wobblz]

Thanks to both of you, Why_Me, could you elaborate on why the MSI motherboard is better? It's cheaper so I welcome that, just wondered why would you pick it over the other one.

And about the CPU, I read here on TH, that the K version is better suited for both productivity and gaming. Also not sure about the clock speed, there are a couple of different Ks and Fs...

 

[Hellfire13]

And about the CPU, I read here on TH, that the K version is better suited for both productivity and gaming. Also not sure about the clock speed, there are a couple of different Ks and Fs...

Here's how it works. There are four variants of the processor...

12700 - Locked with iGPU
12700K - Unlocked with iGPU
12700F - Locked without iGPU
12700KF - Unlocked without iGPU

What TH says is technically correct. The K CPUs are indeed better as they give you higher clock speeds. But with modern generation processors, the boost clock is so robust with every SKU that the OC margin is insignificant, which is technically it's selling point and makes it bad value unless you have no budget constraints. So, a 12700 non K is not that far away to the 12700K in terms of performance. However, I am not a proponent of the 12700F/KF SKUs as the iGPU is a very useful tool for a few bucks more. It not only helps you with diagnostics if/when your GPU fails, but also comes with a handy Quick Sync feature for video editing, if required.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks to both of you, Why_Me, could you elaborate on why the MSI motherboard is better? It's cheaper so I welcome that, just wondered why would you pick it over the other one.

And about the CPU, I read here on TH, that the K version is better suited for both productivity and gaming. Also not sure about the clock speed, there are a couple of different Ks and Fs...

The MSI board is less expensive yet is comparable to the board you chose minus WiFi.