[SOLVED] Can anyone recommend a good gaming motherboard + processor that aren't likely to bottleneck near-future GPU upgrades for a while?

[WaywardSun]

Issue
I'm having some hardware issues with my current motherboard and feel like it's time to upgrade. I'd like to get a replacement that will last a while, and it seems likely I'll need to upgrade my processor along with it.

System
I'm currently running an i7 8700K with an EVGA 2080 with a 750W PSU off of this site's recommended list. My OS is on a 1TM Samsung NVME and I have 2 16-GB DDR4 RAM sticks.

Notes

• I'd like to find a motherboard that doesn't use Nahimic in its audio drivers. I've had some significant issues with that before and I'm tired of having to work around it.
• I'd like to have at least 8 USB ports b/c I tend to use a lot of peripherals.
• I run a large Noctua air cooler for my CPU.
• I don't need a processor for doing anything fancy, just running the latest generation of games at something like 120-144 fps.
• I may upgrade to a 30-series sometime relatively soon, but as expensive as they are, I'm not looking to do it immediately.
• I don't mind spending enough to get a good quality motherboard or processor, but I also don't need a bunch of features I'm likely never going to use.

I always end up on the Tom's forums before computer upgrades. Thanks in advance!

 

[tennis2]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($255.25 @ Amazon)
Total: $635.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-06 17:57 EDT-0400


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor ($286.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($197.45 @ Amazon)
Total: $484.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-06 17:59 EDT-0400

 

[Deleted member 362816]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($255.25 @ Amazon)
Total: $635.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-06 17:57 EDT-0400


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor ($286.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($197.45 @ Amazon)
Total: $484.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-06 17:59 EDT-0400

Beat me to it +1 to this users information.

 

[geofelt]

What is your budget?

What kinds of games do you play?

I ask because multiplayer with many participants needs a different processor than single player games. Those games benefit most from many processing threads.

Fast action games and high resolution settings will be limited mostly by your graphics card.

If you play cpu centric games like sims, mmo and strategy games, they do best with fast single thread optimized processors. Today, intel 12th gen is hard to beat.
For example, run the cpu-Z bench and look at your single thread rating.
For a 8700K you will get a rating of about 468.
Here are some other single thread performance ratings:
http://valid.x86.fr/bench/0gt9vb/1
A good value is the 12 thread i5-12400F at $170 or $25 more if you want integrated graphics
(I recommend such)
Here is a review:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i5-12400-review
Next step up would be the 16 thread I5-12600K at about $280.
here is a review:
https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/core_i5_12600k_processor_review,21.html

Today, DDR4 performs on a par with ddr5
Buy a B660 or Z690 based motherboard that uses your current DDR4 ram.
$200 should buy you one.

 

[WaywardSun]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($255.25 @ Amazon)
Total: $635.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-06 17:57 EDT-0400


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor ($286.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($197.45 @ Amazon)
Total: $484.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-06 17:59 EDT-0400

Thanks for this! Took me a while to shop around, but pretty sure this is the setup I'm going for.