[SOLVED] Help choosing a CPU (12700 vs 12700K)

[pmd_076]

I'm looking to upgrade my PC so that it can handle 4k@60Hz video playback, video editing, internet browsing, MS365 applications and enable an upgrade to Windows 11. (I don't do any gaming at all).

I'm going with the ASUS PRIME Z690M-PLUS D4 LGA1700 Micro-ATX Motherboard but can't decide which Intel CPU to go for. I've ruled out the i9 range as it's probably overkill for my needs, so am looking at the i7 range.

Is it worth paying the extra for the 12700K over the 12700, or not if I don't intend to do any gaming or overclocking? I've found lots of benchmarking sites but as a layman, the numbers on those sites don't really make much sense to me!

I currently have an i7 4790S CPU, so will whichever one I go for be a noticeable improvement on what I have now? Video editing in particular is challenging with my current build.

I need a low profile cooler to fit in the case, so am going with the Noctua NH-L9i-17xx Intel LGA1700 Low Profile Quiet CPU Cooler which is the LGA1700 equivalent of what I currently have. I've read that the cooler can impact the performance of the CPU and therefore does choosing this particular cooler make one of these i7 CPUs a better option than the other?

Any thoughts and suggestions would be welcomed.

Thanks

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

If you're going for a Z series chipset board, it's fitting to get an unlocked processor meaning a K suffix SKU. If you don't intend to overclock the processor, then drop down the B660 chipset motherboard. Discrete GPU for your build? If your video editing tends to be the kind that does put money into your pocket or the bank, then get the K suffix processor, then pair with a dual channel DDR4-3600MHz ram kit.

Make and model of your case? You might want to avoid slapping the wrong cooler on the right platform just to make it all fit into a shoebox with no ventilation.

 

[falcon291]

If you are not into gaming, even an i5 would be OK for you. comparing 12700K with 12000, a 100 Hz boost speed would be worthless if you are not overclocking. And overclocking itself is overrated by all means, and with a small case it is not even that possible as your cooling will not be enough.

Go with 12700.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Is it worth paying the extra for the 12700K over the 12700, or not if I don't intend to do any gaming or overclocking?

If do not intend to do OC, then there's no point in considering K model.

I need a low profile cooler to fit in the case, so am going with the Noctua NH-L9i-17xx Intel LGA1700 Low Profile Quiet CPU Cooler which is the LGA1700 equivalent of what I currently have.

What pc case are you using?
I'd strongly suggest against using low profile cooler with 12th gen i7.
It requires really good cooling. Noctua NH-L9i will not be able to cool it properly.

 

[pmd_076]

The case is a Silverstone GD05B.

 

[falcon291]

I don't know your current configuration. But my 9700K heats a lot, and it is so for any i7 or i9. And please also think about replacing the case and getting a full size mainboard.

 

[SkyNetRising]

The case is a Silverstone GD05B.

Are you absolutely against changing it?

 

[Lafong]

Are you locked into that particular Noctua?

Silverstone documents say:

Limitation of CPU cooler

70mm (remove ODD if you want install up to 120mm)

Your current L9i is only 37 mm tall.

Will you be using a DVD drive? If not, you might be able to upgrade to a taller more efficient Noctua?

 

[pmd_076]

So my current set up is.....

• Silverstone GD05B case
• Z97M-PLUS Intel Z97 S1150 Asus Micro ATX
• Intel 4th Gen Core i7 4790S 3.2GHz 65W HD4600 8MB Quad Core CPU
• 16GB kit (8GBx2) DDR3 PC3-12800 Unbuffered NON-ECC 1.35V 1024Meg x 64
• 650W Corsair RM Series, Full Modular, 80 PLUS Gold, 1x135mm Fan, ATX v2.4, PSU
• Noctua NH-L9i Low Profile CPU Cooler for Intel LGA 115x
• Samsung 850 PRO 128GB SSD Solid State Drive
• 500GB Crucial BX100, 2.5" SATA III (6Gbps) Internal SSD
• DVD Optical Drive

I was planning to keep my case as I have restrictions on space and need a horizontal case that will fit on a shelf of a hi-fi rack, as opposed to a tower.

What I had planned for my new build is as follows...

• ASUS PRIME Z690M-PLUS D4 LGA1700 Micro-ATX Motherboard (DDR4)
• Intel 12th Gen Core i7 12700 2.1GHz 12C/20T 65W 25MB Alder Lake CPU
• Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3200MHz Memory
• Noctua NH-L9i-17xx Intel LGA1700 Low Profile Quiet CPU Cooler
• 970 EVO PLUS 500GB M.2 NVMe SSD, MZ-V7S500BW £71.80
• SupaHub PCIe to 4x Type A and 1x Type C USB Card
• Corsair RM (2021) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular CP-9020198-UK

If I were to remove the DVD Drive (which I very rarely use) which cooler would be better for the 12700 CPU?

 

[Lafong]

I looked briefly at Noctua web site.

https://ncc.noctua.at/cases/model/SilverStone-Grandia-GD05B-1255

Above is the Noctua cooler compatibility list for your case.

Any of the green are supposedly compatible.

SOME of the red incompatibles show a height of under 120 mm. I am guessing they are shown as incompatible because they assume you will NOT be removing the DVD drive. I see 3 in that category: C14S; D9DX i3 3U; and D9L.

Noctua customer service is very responsive in my experience. You might email them and ask about clearances on your case IF you do in fact remove the DVD drive.

My guess is that something like the D9L would provide a few degrees lower temperatures, but that's not to say the L9i that you have currently chosen would necessarily be inadequate.

https://noctua.at/en/nh-d9l

Below is a link to Noctua's NSPR rating system for its coolers; higher is better;

https://noctua.at/en/noctua-standardised-performance-rating

The L9i scores 59; the D9L scores 88.

I don't know how much real world difference (degrees) that would amount to.

You would need to confirm RAM clearance compatibility also. Noctua has lists for that on their site.

 

[geofelt]

Your case will limit what you can reasonably do.
Noctua keeps a suitability list for their coolers.
Here is the list for a I7-12700:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i7-12700-1592
If you look at the specs for any of the really suitable coolers, they will all be taller than 100mm.
The L9I-1700 would work marginally.
Probably no better than the supplied stock cooler.
The 12700 can draw 180w at max turbo and a weak cooler can't handle it.
Modern processors are aware of cpu temperature and can increase the default speed if the temperatures are good.
Not gonna happen with the L91.
As much as I dislike liquid cooling, a 120mm air may fit and be appropriate here.
It still will not let you reach max performance.
Your I7-4790S has 8 processing threads and a passmark rating of 6954.
That is when all 8 threads are fully loaded.
The single thread rating is 2198. pc quickness is closely linked o single thread performance

As an alternative, consider a I5-12400.
It comes with a decent cooler that is about as effective as the L91.
The max turbo draw is 117w.
It has 12 threads and a rating of 20060/3572. A very nice upgrade.

 

[dwd999]

I need a low profile cooler to fit in the case, so am going with the Noctua NH-L9i-17xx Intel LGA1700 Low Profile Quiet CPU Cooler which is the LGA1700 equivalent of what I currently have. I've read that the cooler can impact the performance of the CPU and therefore does choosing this particular cooler make one of these i7 CPUs a better option than the other?

You could move up to a Silverstone Grandia GD09C case and with that you can use Noctua's NH-C14S cooler with the fan on the bottom of the heatsink. This is what I use. Its better if you leave out that optical drive since the back of the drive will press up against the cooler heatsink.

 

[SkyNetRising]

If I were to remove the DVD Drive (which I very rarely use) which cooler would be better for the 12700 CPU?

NH-C14S (with fan installed under the cooler)

https://noctua.at/en/nh-c14s/specification

 

[KyaraM]

If you are going with the 12700 (or the 12400), scrap that board, it's a bad Z690 board. Go with the MSI PRO B660M-A. It's also mATX, and one of the best boards on the market. Should be cheaper, too; about 50 bucks where I live. I would also look into undervolting if I were you, especially if you know that you will use subpar cooling. Got some really nice results with a friend's 12700k and a BeQuiet! Pure Rock 2 that way. Use XTU to experiment before changing settings in the BIOS. But honest opinion, I would really go with the 12400 in this case if I were you, regardless of cooling solution... would not be comfortable with any modern i7 in it. They produce quite a bit of heat.

Edit: Also, I would strongly recommend the Corsair DDR-3600 LPX 2x16GB RAM kit. It should work well with your CPU and might give you some little extra. It's what I use.

 

[pmd_076]

I've been doing more research and am now considering upgrading to the Silverstone Grandia GD09C case and using the Noctua NH-C14S (with fan installed under the cooler).

Does anyone have experience of using the NH-C14S in 'low profile' mode? Noctua have said that this can reduce performance slightly but I'm not sure by how much.
Also, is there a reasonable clearance to get the lid on with this configuration? (I won't be installing the optical drive)

I still have concerns over whether this choice will provide sufficient cooling and it got me to wondering whether the CPU I've selected is too much for my needs.

I currently have a 4th Gen i7 4790S so I went for a 12th Gen i7 thinking that if I stepped down to an i5 this would be a downgrade. However, is a 12th Gen i5 from 2022 just as good, or better, than a 4th Gen i7 from 2014?
I'm thinking there's 8 years between them and technology changes so much over time, so would I be better considering a 12th Gen i5 instead - and not feel that I have downgraded in some way from what I have now?

I'm not into gaming but want the ability to play videos at 4k60Hz and edit videos without causing any issues with cooling.

 

[Lafong]

I still have concerns over whether this choice will provide sufficient cooling and it got me to wondering whether the CPU I've selected is too much for my needs.

However, is a 12th Gen i5 from 2022 just as good, or better, than a 4th Gen i7 from 2014?

Re your second question; generally yes; the i5 from 2022 is typically better, with the understanding that there is a wide variety of i5s. You could look at Passmark benchmarks to see how the slowest i5 from 2022 compares to a 2014 i7.

Re temps; below are some quotes I've captured from several users re cooling on 12th gen Intel CPUs with various Noctua coolers. Based on these results from actual users, I seriously doubt you will have any issues with your choices:

The Alder Lake processors were tested with a Noctua NH-U9S heatsink with dual fan configuration while using the Noctua NM-i17xx-MP78 mounting kit. With the i9-12900K pulling close to a 200 watt average, the average core temperature on air cooling was 81 degrees with a peak of 98 degrees.

Temps using Noctua U14S running Blender, an advanced graphics app. Tested at stock conditions with their power limit active: 12700K; 64 degrees

12600K with a Noctua U12S with fan at 1100 rpm, gaming: 56, compared to 67 for the 11600k on the same test

12600K with a Noctua U12S with fan at 1100 rpm, Maya rendering: 74, compared to 65 for the 11600k on the same test.

I'm running a 12900k on a Noctua u12a, I get 70 to 72C on cinebench R20 and around 75-78 on cinebench r23. That's at 204 to 230 watts.

12700k report on Tom's Hardware: with U9S; after running Heavyload the max temp reached 88 celsius and sat around 87 for half an hour. I feel quite happy about that.

 

[dwd999]

I've been doing more research and am now considering upgrading to the Silverstone Grandia GD09C case and using the Noctua NH-C14S (with fan installed under the cooler).

Does anyone have experience of using the NH-C14S in 'low profile' mode? Noctua have said that this can reduce performance slightly but I'm not sure by how much.
Also, is there a reasonable clearance to get the lid on with this configuration? (I won't be installing the optical drive)

I still have concerns over whether this choice will provide sufficient cooling and it got me to wondering whether the CPU I've selected is too much for my needs.

I currently have a 4th Gen i7 4790S so I went for a 12th Gen i7 thinking that if I stepped down to an i5 this would be a downgrade. However, is a 12th Gen i5 from 2022 just as good, or better, than a 4th Gen i7 from 2014?
I'm thinking there's 8 years between them and technology changes so much over time, so would I be better considering a 12th Gen i5 instead - and not feel that I have downgraded in some way from what I have now?

I'm not into gaming but want the ability to play videos at 4k60Hz and edit videos without causing any issues with cooling.

With the Grandia GD09C it also helps if you use the 3 120mm fan mounts on the sides of the case for intake of cool fresh air and the 2 80mm mounts on the back for exhaust. Since the cooler is designed for the fan to blow downward it also helps cool your vrms supplying power to the cpu. Video editing depends on your software; I use a program called Movavi Video Editor Plus which only raises the temperature a moderate amount when exporting videos.

 

[pmd_076]

You could move up to a Silverstone Grandia GD09C case and with that you can use Noctua's NH-C14S cooler with the fan on the bottom of the heatsink. This is what I use. Its better if you leave out that optical drive since the back of the drive will press up against the cooler heatsink.

What CPU do you use?

 

[dwd999]

What CPU do you use?

My next build is going to be a 12900 plain no letter. I think with the case ventilation available that the NH-C14S (I already have 2 of them) is enough at least for the Movavi video editing I do.

 

[Bob.B]

I'm looking to upgrade my PC so that it can handle 4k@60Hz video playback, video editing, internet browsing, MS365 applications and enable an upgrade to Windows 11. (I don't do any gaming at all).

I'm going with the ASUS PRIME Z690M-PLUS D4 LGA1700 Micro-ATX Motherboard but can't decide which Intel CPU to go for. I've ruled out the i9 range as it's probably overkill for my needs, so am looking at the i7 range.

Is it worth paying the extra for the 12700K over the 12700, or not if I don't intend to do any gaming or overclocking? I've found lots of benchmarking sites but as a layman, the numbers on those sites don't really make much sense to me!

I currently have an i7 4790S CPU, so will whichever one I go for be a noticeable improvement on what I have now? Video editing in particular is challenging with my current build.

I need a low profile cooler to fit in the case, so am going with the Noctua NH-L9i-17xx Intel LGA1700 Low Profile Quiet CPU Cooler which is the LGA1700 equivalent of what I currently have. I've read that the cooler can impact the performance of the CPU and therefore does choosing this particular cooler make one of these i7 CPUs a better option than the other?

Any thoughts and suggestions would be welcomed.

Thanks

Just another opinion.

Go with the 12700.
Test with the stock cooler.
Don't fit this into some miniature case shop for a mid tower.
Shop for a mobo that supports ddr4 @3600.
Storage?
I don't have a recco I'll just say that I have a wd 750 m.2.
It gets nice benchmark numbers and does not give me any fuss.
It might be a good idea to use w11 for the scheduler.

 

[pmd_076]

My next build is going to be a 12900 plain no letter. I think with the case ventilation available that the NH-C14S (I already have 2 of them) is enough at least for the Movavi video editing I do.

Did you have any issues fitting the cooler with everything else in the case as I understand its large at 140mm wide?

 

[dwd999]

Did you have any issues fitting the cooler with everything else in the case as I understand its large at 140mm wide?

If you use an optical drive it may protrude out the front of the case about 1/8 inch since the connectors at the rear of the drive, which have to be right angle connectors, will press against the cooler. If the first slot on your motherboard is very close to the cpu then the cooler might interfere with that. You would have to try orienting the cooler in each of the 4 available directions to see which provides the most clearance in the part of the motherboard which is most important to you. If you forgo an optical drive and the entire metal assembly needed to hold it then you have much more room.