News Great CPU Deals for Budget Builds: Intel Core i7-12700KF is now just $199, Core i5-12600KF a mere $149

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Avro Arrow said:
For the same reason that I would not recommend an AM4 CPU for a new build, I wouldn't recommend either of these.

It's a dead platform which means you'd have to buy a new motherboard to upgrade it.
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Unless somebody is upgrade addicted these CPUs will last them close to 10 years, at which point keeping the mobo will be irrelevant.
Anything above 5 years really and you shouldn't trust the old mobo with a new CPU anyway.
Goes for high end zen 3 as well.
These aren't quad cores anymore where you presumably would need a new CPU pretty soon.
 
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I mean, its hard to argue the value...

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700KF 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 69 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z690 PG Riptide ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Acer Predator GM7000 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE V2 GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER 16 GB Video Card ($1019.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1767.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-03-21 19:55 EDT-0400
 
This platform it's not dead yet. It's very good perform...
That's good entry gaming machine with out break the bank.

You can use cheap b660 motherboard and put the 12600kf with a 7800xt or better graphics without any hiccups
 
The 12700kf is still pretty good in most things, and with the console refreshes apparently sticking with underclocked Zen2s it will still perform decently in most uses for a long time.

relative-performance-games-1280-720.png
 
Compared to these, I find it amusing just how overpriced the i5-12600 (non-K) is. It has 6P + 0E (full die), the same 32 EU iGPU as the other desktop models, and is still selling above its launch price. Currently, it's going for about $254 on Newegg. Something doesn't add up...
 
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bit_user said:
Compared to these, I find it amusing just how overpriced the i5-12600 (non-K) is. It has 6P + 0E (full die), the same 32 EU iGPU as the other desktop models, and is still selling above its launch price. Currently, it's going for about $254 on Newegg. Something doesn't add up...
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I wonder if it has more to do with availability of the chip vs its demand. There is probably a very low amount of those chips.
 
The 12700KF is a pretty good deal, but I think I'd spend the extra $25 to get the IGP.
bit_user said:
Compared to these, I find it amusing just how overpriced the i5-12600 (non-K) is. It has 6P + 0E (full die), the same 32 EU iGPU as the other desktop models, and is still selling above its launch price. Currently, it's going for about $254 on Newegg. Something doesn't add up...
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Probably something with the deal they have going on so you probably saw a third party seller it's currently $187.99 with an $18 off code.

edit: I see what you mean the non-K have mostly kept their retail price for some reason. Probably stock numbers.
 
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Amdlova said:
You can use cheap b660 motherboard and put the 12600kf with a 7800xt or better graphics without any hiccups
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I use a 12600K and a 7800XT and it runs great. Up until just recently I was using a b660 board also. I was and still am able to play even newest games with no problems.
The worst part about my current build is that I don't NEED to upgrade anything!!! :fearscream:
 
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helper800 said:
I wonder if it has more to do with availability of the chip vs its demand. There is probably a very low amount of those chips.
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There seems to be plenty enough for them to sell H0 dies as various flavors of the following models:
  • i5-12600
  • i5-12500
  • i5-12400
  • i3-14100
  • i3-13100
  • i3-12300
  • i3-12100
  • Intel 300
  • Celeron G7400
  • Celeron G6900
(Gen 14 models in bold)
 
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Sure the platform is dead but like in my case at Christmas I picked up a 12600kf for $140, msi z690 for about 100 bucks and a 32gb kit of ddr4 for about 50. New case ran about 60ish. So 360 and reusing my old Corsair rmx 850 I got a new system. Forgot to mention an nvme drive or two so that upped it a bit, plus the Thermalright cooler. So maybe about 500 plus add the gpu.

Don’t get me wrong I did later pick up a 6800xt for about 440 new on Newegg. Will my pc be the latest and greatest? No but it should run almost everything for 3-5 years anyway. And if I do feel the need for an upgrade I can always pick up a 13700k or 14700k later and sell off the i5. Realistically though especially if you’re someone who runs mid range graphics cards, let’s be real, if you are shopping at this price point you are likely on a budget or wanting the best deal possible. So for someone on a a budget with a mid range gpu, this kind of setup is going to be decent for a while. Same for zen 3.

Should you pair a 4090 with these CPUs? No but then you should be buying am5 at that point. But with a 12th gen i5 or i7, I imagine a 7900 gre, 7800xt or a 4070ti etc will run great with a setup like this for a few years.
 
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ohio_buckeye said:
Sure the platform is dead but like in my case at Christmas I picked up a 12600kf for $140, msi z690 for about 100 bucks and a 32gb kit of ddr4 for about 50. New case ran about 60ish. So 360 and reusing my old Corsair rmx 850 I got a new system. Forgot to mention an nvme drive or two so that upped it a bit, plus the Thermalright cooler. So maybe about 500 plus add the gpu.

Don’t get me wrong I did later pick up a 6800xt for about 440 new on Newegg. Will my pc be the latest and greatest? No but it should run almost everything for 3-5 years anyway. And if I do feel the need for an upgrade I can always pick up a 13700k or 14700k later and sell off the i5. Realistically though especially if you’re someone who runs mid range graphics cards, let’s be real, if you are shopping at this price point you are likely on a budget or wanting the best deal possible. So for someone on a a budget with a mid range gpu, this kind of setup is going to be decent for a while. Same for zen 3.

Should you pair a 4090 with these CPUs? No but then you should be buying am5 at that point. But with a 12th gen i5 or i7, I imagine a 7900 gre, 7800xt or a 4070ti etc will run great with a setup like this for a few years.
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It completely depends on what resolution you plan to play at. A 12600kf or 12700kf are perfectly capable at 1440p and 4k. The only people who need the latest and greatest CPUs is to get that extra 5-10% at 1080p or 5% at 1440p. A 12700k + a 4090 is a perfectly good use case for 4k gaming. You will not find many games that are CPU bound at 4k.
 
helper800 said:
Are you going to add the 14700k into you graphics card loop at that point?
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CPU and GPU are already in the loop.

280mm XSPC radiator
280mm Alphacool Eisbaer Extreme with integrated reservoir and pump.
My ancient Swiftech Apogee XL CPU block (I've had that since my i7-4770k and dual GTX980)
And an EKWB FTW3 GPU block for the 3080 Ti

One of the reasons I went with Intel again so I didn't have to buy an AM5 CPU block. Because the Apogee is so old, it supported LGA1366, which is only slightly larger hole spacing than LGA1700, worked just fine.
 
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Eximo said:
CPU and GPU are already in the loop.

280mm XSPC radiator
280mm Alphacool Eisbaer Extreme with integrated reservoir and pump.
My ancient Swiftech Apogee XL CPU block (I've had that since my i7-4770k and dual GTX980)
And an EKWB FTW3 GPU block for the 3080 Ti

One of the reasons I went with Intel again so I didn't have to buy an AM5 CPU block. Because the Apogee is so old, it supported LGA1366, which is only slightly larger hole spacing than LGA1700, worked just fine.
Click to expand...
I thought that Eisbaer was an AIO.
 
helper800 said:
I thought that Eisbaer was an AIO.
Click to expand...
It is available pre-filled and with a CPU block, but it is a D5 variant pump and G1/4 fittings, full copper radiator (or maybe not based on recent articles)

I bought the Core from Performance PCs, which is just the Pump/Res/Rad. I am a bit obsessed with them. I replaced my Swiftech H240X (280mm) pump/res/rad combo. That is where the Apogee XL came from. I just don't like having the typical tube reservoir sitting on top of a D5. I also considered a 5 1/4 bay pump/res, but those are pretty old at this point. Not that the Eisbaer is exactly new.
 
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helper800 said:
That was my opinion. Low supply is usually what keeps more niche chips at higher prices.
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I maintain the dies, themselves, aren't particularly scarce. Just look at pricing of the i3-14100. Newegg has it for $143, which is $111 less than they wanted for the i5-12600:

Yes, two of the P-cores have been disabled. Can it really be true that yield on P-cores is a problem, when there are C0 dies (8P + 8E) selling for less, and yet have all 8 P-cores enabled (e.g. i7-12700K)?

My guess is that probably the corporate Windows 10 client market is the main destination of most i5-12600 CPUs, and they're probably neither terribly cost-sensitive nor price-responsive. It's not a great gaming CPU, due to relatively low boost clocks and smaller L2 cache than Raptor Lake. I wish they had refreshed it with Raptor Cove cores, but we might end up seeing something of the sort from Bartlett Lake?
 
bit_user said:
I maintain the dies, themselves, aren't particularly scarce. Just look at pricing of the i3-14100. Newegg has it for $143, which is $111 less than they wanted for the i5-12600:
​
​

Yes, two of the P-cores have been disabled. Can it really be true that yield on P-cores is a problem, when there are C0 dies (8P + 8E) selling for less, and yet have all 8 P-cores enabled (e.g. i7-12700K)?

My guess is that probably the corporate Windows 10 client market is the main destination of most i5-12600 CPUs, and they're probably neither terribly cost-sensitive nor price-responsive. It's not a great gaming CPU, due to relatively low boost clocks and smaller L2 cache than Raptor Lake. I wish they had refreshed it with Raptor Cove cores, but we might end up seeing something of the sort from Bartlett Lake?
Click to expand...
There are several reasons I assert the 12600 may be a low supply chip. Either there was only so many made for purposes that you explore above and only so many made it to the consumer market or intel thought it would be a more popular chip but demand was low so they lowered their production of that configuration of the chip constraining supply. Usually in the last gasps of stock for a particular chip its price raise's above its usefulness compared to other items that are popular with plenty of stock just for the fact that there are fewer of them to sell. That particular die may not be scarce but that particular configuration of that die may be unpopular as a product.
 
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helper800 said:
That particular die may not be scarce but that particular configuration of that die may be unpopular as a product.
Click to expand...
FWIW, it's now out-of-stock at Newegg. Most other stores stopped selling it, long ago. B&H was the previous one I saw drop it.

CDW has it, but for $294. They claim that price is marked down from $347. No wonder they still have inventory!

BTW, Newegg still has the i5-12500 and i5-12400, which are lower-binned versions of the same die (both still have all 6 cores enabled).

P.S. one review I read indicated that it ran at higher temps than a C0 die with the same core config & clock speeds. The thinking was that the smaller die provided less contact with the IHS, making it harder to cool. Perhaps that's why the models with only 2 & 4 cores enabled seem to be getting targeted at the entry-level gaming segment.
 
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helper800 said:
There are several reasons I assert the 12600 may be a low supply chip. Either there was only so many made for purposes that you explore above and only so many made it to the consumer market or intel thought it would be a more popular chip but demand was low so they lowered their production of that configuration of the chip constraining supply. Usually in the last gasps of stock for a particular chip its price raise's above its usefulness compared to other items that are popular with plenty of stock just for the fact that there are fewer of them to sell. That particular die may not be scarce but that particular configuration of that die may be unpopular as a product.
Click to expand...
Usually there is one big distributer for a large region, the more popular a CPU the larger batches they order the larger mass discount they get.
Same reason often tray versions are more expensive than boxed versions with coolers.
Probably most people went for the K just because the price difference was small enough.
 
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