Question Building a new rig, but I need help...

[ukLz]

Hi folks, just a few weeks ago I've started building my new gaming rig and so far it's been going fine but I'm having trouble choosing the right RAM (and CPU as well). I know it may sound weird getting stuck on RAM lol but my build is 90% finished, I just want to make sure everything is right before I submit a shipping order.

As things stand right now, my PC build looks like this:

Yes, besides RAM, I'm currently having a dilemma whether I should go for i5-12400F or i5-12600KF for this particular build. Is 12600KF really worth it over 12400F paired with RTX 3060 Ti + assuming I'll be using a B660 motherboard? The 12400F price ranges between 120 and 130EUR , while 12600KF goes around 190EUR in my country. The reason I did not opt for any 13th gen CPU is because prices go beyond 200EUR in my country and 200 is the very max I can pay for a CPU at this moment.

Regardless which CPU i go for, i still have an issue choosing the right RAM modules kit.
If I chose 12400F, my top choice would be 32GB (4x8GB) G.Skills Ripjaws V 3200MHz CL14 B-die

Speaking of B-die, does it really make any sense for an Intel machine? Or it's just an AMD performance boosting thing?

However, if I was goin for an 12600KF instead, I'd consider Ripjaws as well but 32GB (4x8GB) 3600MHz CL16 RAM with tight timings (perhaps not B-die necessarily but something close to it, depending on the availability at that given moment)...
I've seen a few comparison videos which deem that maxed out DIMM slots provide a couple of percent performance advantage opposed to only 2/4 DIMMs occupied. Myth or truth?

Oh I forgot to mention one thing right from the start - everything from the list has been already ordered except for the RAM and CPU. The rest of the PC components are already sitting at my home waiting to get assembled once the RAM and CPU arrive.

Any recommendations, piece of an advice? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[ilukey77]

AMD performs better with tighter timings where as Intel performs better with speed but being as DDR4 is becoming obsolete i would say 3600 cl 16 4x8gb is decent enough your not going to find 4000mhz ddr4 ram easy now ..
Ive always used Gkill rgb neo or corsair and both have worked fine ..

I also dont think we a talking huge gains anyway between 3600 and 4000

 

[ukLz]

AMD performs better with tighter timings where as Intel performs better with speed but being as DDR4 is becoming obsolete i would say 3600 cl 16 4x8gb is decent enough your not going to find 4000mhz ddr4 ram easy now ..
Ive always used Gkill rgb neo or corsair and both have worked fine ..

I also dont think we a talking huge gains anyway between 3600 and 4000

Got it, thanks

Anyway I see on Intel's official page that the RAM on i5-12400F is not recommended to go beyond 3200MHz. So incase I opt for an i5-12400F chip, should I be going then for 3200MHz CL14 modules?

Or say I choose 12600KF instead, then I suppose 3600MHz modules will supposedly make more sense, assuming that 12600KF's IMC will not be limiting RAM's speeds greater than 3200MHz, unlike the 12400F chip, right?

 

[strelok49]

I will assume this is PC to run games.

All memory tests create a scenario where memory is the bottleneck. Not CPU. Not GPU.

This ends up being a very common mistake. People paying too much on memories than they really need. Budget that could be spent on a more efficient PSU or some other better peripheral like mouse, monitor, keyboard, headset, etc.

So, in general, the gains are not the same as what you will have if you don't have that exact system; Generally the best processor and the best video card.

In your case, with a 3060TI, the videocard will be the bottleneck in 99% of games. Only CSGO, Valorant and these really light games will not.

Once GPU is the bottleneck and reaches its maximum performance (100% GPU usage), faster CPU/memories will help nothing. Basically not a single FPS anymore.

So don't be too impressed by the gains seen in memory tests. These earnings will not be the same as yours. Not even close.

That said, you will be fine with any 3200Mhz CL16 memory. But, of course, due the prices right now, you can easily buy a 3600Mhz CL14 without spent much more money.

So that's what I would do. But I wouldn't buy anything above that.

And you can run it at that speed with a 12400F, Just need to tweak BIOS for it. Mine is running at 3600Mhz right now and I have a 11400F.

 

[logainofhades]

Yes, the 12600k is worth it. The E cores can handle background/windows tasks while the P cores focus on gaming, plus higher clocks. Regular DDR4 3200 CL16 is plenty for an Intel CPU. No need for that low latency stuff. That is better suited for Ryzen CPU's.

 

[ukLz]

Yes, the 12600k is worth it. The E cores can handle background/windows tasks while the P cores focus on gaming, plus higher clocks. Regular DDR4 3200 CL16 is plenty for an Intel CPU. No need for that low latency stuff. That is better suited for Ryzen CPU's.

And when it comes to P and E cores, is there any difference in utilization of either types of cores at Windows 10 versus Windows 11 ?

I've seen a dozen of different articles online claiming e.g. Windows 10 does not recognize E cores so well and then you have impacted performance in certain games/tasks or vice-versa...

Therefore which Windows would you recommend for 12600KF? I personally love 10 and I wanna stick to it until its support is ceased, but if 11 is better for gaming then I would not hesitate any further.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

go for 2 x 16gb instead of 4 x 8gb.

 

[logainofhades]

And when it comes to P and E cores, is there any difference in utilization of either types of cores at Windows 10 versus Windows 11 ?

I've seen a dozen of different articles online claiming e.g. Windows 10 does not recognize E cores so well and then you have impacted performance in certain games/tasks or vice-versa...

Therefore which Windows would you recommend for 12600KF? I personally love 10 and I wanna stick to it until its support is ceased, but if 11 is better for gaming then I would not hesitate any further.

Windows 11 is better suited to 12th-14th gen Intel cpu's that have E-Cores.

 

[geofelt]

Do not go cheap and buy a F suffix processor.
The $25 or so you save is a nit in the whole build.
If you ever have a gpu issue, it is a lifesaver and integrated graphics makes testing easier.
As to 12400 vs. 12600K the main difference will be the single thread performance capability.
That is what most games need most.
The 12400 has a single thread passmark rating of 3531.
Quite decent.
The 12600K is 3975.
Anything you look at in this price range will have more than enough processing threads.
There may be some interesting compromise processors like the 12500 at 3714.
The non K processors will come with a stock cooler that will likely do the job.
One can always add another cooler later if needed.

Intel performance is not sensitive to ram speeds.
Buy a 2 x 16gb kit if you want 32gb.
The g.skil link above shows a 2 x 8gb kit. Do not buy two of them, ram must be matched to work properly.
4 stick kits will cost more because of the cost of matching.
And, motherboards may not be able to run 4 sticks to the same speed as two.