[SOLVED] I want to upgrade my PC and need help choosing between intel and AMD

[Mike_jo3]

Hey guys,

I am just wondering if I were to upgrade my PC should I be going for a

• R7 5800x and x570 MSI Tomahawk Max
• i7 12700KF and z690 MSI Tomahawk DDR4

I am in Australia and the cheapest prices I can find for them are listed below.

• R7 5800x AUD$499
• MSI X570 Tomahawk Max AUD$279

• i7 12700kf AUD$565
• MSI Z690 Tomahawk WIFI DDR4 AUD$399
• ASRock Z690 Extreme WiFi 6E AUD$499
• Gigabyte Z690 AORUS PRO DDR4 AUD$449

I also am thinking about upgrading my RAM to something like

Crucial Ballistix RGB 16GB 3600mhz CL16 AUD$119

I don’t know if I need to get a 32gb kit and if someone can explain to me what is the difference between buying 2 16gb kit of the same RAM and getting a 32gb kit that you be much appreciated.

I am also thinking about getting some Samsung 980pro and 970evo as well for storage and gaming.

I play a bit of games such as Warzone and F1 occasionally some AAA games but none of the new ones like cyberpunk.

My current PC is

• i5 6600k
• ASUS Z170
• Corsair 2x8GB 2333mhz
• 1080Ti
• Corsair RM750i

Would like to get you guys opinions on here and I am open to any suggestions. Would like it to be closer to bang for the buck instead of going all out.

 

[Nine Layer Nige]

Im not sure if its worth sinking money into DDR4 now as DDR5 will get cheaper throughout this year and you wont likely see much difference between DDR4 2333mhz and DDR4 3600mhz especially as your 1080ti will hold back fps performance.
If you dont already have an SSD as your boot drive and you are still on spinning rust, that would should be first upgrade (using cloning software).
If you are not desperate to upgrade right now, then you might want to keep an eye on DDR5 prices over the next 6 months or so and hopefully over the course of this year, GPU prices will also reduce and upgrade your 1080Ti too.
Just a thought.

 

[Why_Me]

If you go with 32GB then you want a set of 2x16GB DDR4 3600mhz but tbh a set of 2x8GB will work fine for now and leave you the option to add another set of 2x8GB in the future if you feel the need for more RAM.

Here's a few more options. A B660 board paired up with one of these cpu's down below.

https://www.centrecom.com.au/msi-mag-b660m-mortar-ddr4-lga1700-matx-motherboard
MSI B660M Mortar DDR4 $279

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-MORTAR-DDR4

https://www.skycomp.com.au/msi-mag-b660m-mortar-wifi-ddr4-lga-1700-micro-atx-motherboard-858377.html
MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4 $290

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-MORTAR-WIFI-DDR4

https://www.centrecom.com.au/intel-12th-gen-core-i5-12400f-lga1700-desktop-processor
Intel Core i5 12400F $289

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2400f-processor-18m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

Review of that cpu w/benchmarks.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i5-12400-review

or ...

https://www.centrecom.com.au/intel-12th-gen-core-i7-12700f-49-ghz-lga1700-desktop-processor
Intel Core i7 12700F $519

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2700f-processor-25m-cache-up-to-4-90-ghz.html

Review of that cpu w/benchmarks.

https://www.techspot.com/review/2391-intel-core-i7-12700/

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydgN4W97Esk&t=708s

 

[Mike_jo3]

Im not sure if its worth sinking money into DDR4 now as DDR5 will get cheaper throughout this year and you wont likely see much difference between DDR4 2333mhz and DDR4 3600mhz especially as your 1080ti will hold back fps performance.
If you dont already have an SSD as your boot drive and you are still on spinning rust, that would should be first upgrade (using cloning software).
If you are not desperate to upgrade right now, then you might want to keep an eye on DDR5 prices over the next 6 months or so and hopefully over the course of this year, GPU prices will also reduce and upgrade your 1080Ti too. What kind of setup do you recommend.
Just a thought.

Yeah I know was thinking about that and I mean I have been waiting for 2 something years to upgrade anyways and waiting for another few more konths wouldn’t hurt

 

[nogaard777]

You're not sitting on a bad machine as it is but damn those Aussie prices! Stateside motherboard prices are far closer than that. I'd suggest waiting for things to calm down before doing a complete rebuild. Alder Lake is still too fresh and ended up really good so retailers are charging premiums for it and AMD really should drop prices more soon. I wouldn't buy AM4 as it's a dead platform to be replaced later this year. At least wait until AM5 is released or at least visibly on the horizon so you can get a deal on Zen3.

You need to ask yourself do you need to upgrade or just want to? I'm also on a 1080ti and 14 months ago replaced my 4790k with a 10700k. Sure my cinebench scores jumped but I noticed zero difference while gaming. Be wary of dumping a grand into something you won't notice. It's highly likely you'll regret it by the end of the year if/when GPUs as well as the CPUs you're targeting are much cheaper.

 

[Mike_jo3]

If you go with 32GB then you want a set of 2x16GB DDR4 3600mhz but tbh a set of 2x8GB will work fine for now and leave you the option to add another set of 2x8GB in the future if you feel the need for more RAM.

Here's a few more options. A B660 board paired up with one of these cpu's down below.

https://www.centrecom.com.au/msi-mag-b660m-mortar-ddr4-lga1700-matx-motherboard
MSI B660M Mortar DDR4 $279

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-MORTAR-DDR4

https://www.skycomp.com.au/msi-mag-b660m-mortar-wifi-ddr4-lga-1700-micro-atx-motherboard-858377.html
MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4 $290

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-MORTAR-WIFI-DDR4

https://www.centrecom.com.au/intel-12th-gen-core-i5-12400f-lga1700-desktop-processor
Intel Core i5 12400F $289

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2400f-processor-18m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

Review of that cpu w/benchmarks.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i5-12400-review

or ...

https://www.centrecom.com.au/intel-12th-gen-core-i7-12700f-49-ghz-lga1700-desktop-processor
Intel Core i7 12700F $519

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2700f-processor-25m-cache-up-to-4-90-ghz.html

Review of that cpu w/benchmarks.

https://www.techspot.com/review/2391-intel-core-i7-12700/

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydgN4W97Esk&t=708s

Thanks for all those links man really appreciate it. Wow looks like the 12600k is the hottest thing in the market now. So you recommend going for an intel build ?

I guess is it worth spending the $200ish extra on newer and better hardware or I can save that money and get something like a new 1-2TB SSD.

 

[Satan-IR]

My two cents as it were. The backbone of the system is the MOBO + CPU + RAM (a good quality PSU to hold them safe is a must) and you're pretty much stuck with it until your next major upgrade. I would go with getting the better CPU if the budget allows it.

A larger storage device (be it a HDD or a SSD) can later be obtained during discount seasons and such without any major change to the rest of the system. Maybe only recommendation then would be a clean installation of Windows.

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for all those links man really appreciate it. Wow looks like the 12600k is the hottest thing in the market now. So you recommend going for an intel build ?

I guess is it worth spending the $200ish extra on newer and better hardware or I can save that money and get something like a new 1-2TB SSD.

What's your budget?

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

you wont likely see much difference between DDR4 2333mhz and DDR4 3600mhz especially as your 1080ti will hold back fps performance.

This is not true. In fact, with the Ryzen option, the difference between 2333mhz (2400) and 3600mhz is about 15-25% performance and particularly for gaming.

 

[Mike_jo3]

You're not sitting on a bad machine as it is but damn those Aussie prices! Stateside motherboard prices are far closer than that. I'd suggest waiting for things to calm down before doing a complete rebuild. Alder Lake is still too fresh and ended up really good so retailers are charging premiums for it and AMD really should drop prices more soon. I wouldn't buy AM4 as it's a dead platform to be replaced later this year. At least wait until AM5 is released or at least visibly on the horizon so you can get a deal on Zen3.

You need to ask yourself do you need to upgrade or just want to? I'm also on a 1080ti and 14 months ago replaced my 4790k with a 10700k. Sure my cinebench scores jumped but I noticed zero difference while gaming. Be wary of dumping a grand into something you won't notice. It's highly likely you'll regret it by the end of the year if/when GPUs as well as the CPUs you're targeting are much cheaper.

Thanks for the info. Just to give you a little bit of insight my machine is on 95-99% load whenever I play warzone and I have a hard time communicating through discord as sometimes it gets cut out when ai am in the middle of a firefight.

 

[Mike_jo3]

What's your budget?

Budget for mobo and CPU would be around AUD$1000 but wouldnt go for more than what I would need.

 

[geofelt]

It looks to me like the I5-12600K is not only your cheapest cpu option, but it is also at least as strong as the 5800X I would pass on the F option. It seems to me that some $25 more for the K option is cheap insureance to have a backup graphics capability.

Since you now have ddr4 ram, why not try it and see how you do?
The benefits of DDR5 today are marginal and certainly much more expensive.
If you need more than 16gb, then something like a 2 x 16gb 3600 cas 18 would be the sweet spot.
You may more for rgb bling and cas 16 without any real performance benefit.
Ram must be factory matched to perform properly.
That is why a single kit will cost more than two individual sticks of the same capacity
Buying independent sticks is a mistake.

If you can manage a Z690 based motherboard, i would do so.
There should be cheaper options like the msi Z690 a wifi ddr4.
Or a matx B660 motherboard.
The turbo mechanisms of the 12600K will boost a couple of cores past what an oc would do.
That is exactly what you want for gaming.

I very much like the Samsung ssd devices. Puget systems thinks highly of their reliability:

Most Reliable PC Hardware of 2021

Here at Puget Systems, our goal is not only to provide the fastest workstations possible, but the most reliable as well. As a part of our constant drive to offer only the highest quality components possible, we track and regularly review the failure rates for each part we carry. Today, we want...

www.pugetsystems.com

You will not observe any difference in performance between the 980 PRO and 970 evo m.2 devices.
Synthetic sequential benchmarks at high queue depths are not what we do. Most activity will be random and one at a time.
It probably pays to buy a larger EVO up front.

What is your cpu cooler on the 6600K?
You likely can reuse it.
Most cooler makers will offer a LGA1700 upgrade kit for a small price or even gratis.

 

[Why_Me]

Budget for mobo and CPU would be around AUD$1000 but wouldnt go for more than what I would need.

This is a tough call seeing how there's so many options you have with that budget. btw what cpu cooler do you have atm?

For gaming I'd look at these options.

This cpu + board doesn't break the bank yet it's a big improvement over your current 4 core/4 threads cpu that you have atm. I posted the benchmarks on this cpu earlier in this thread. The board in this thread has the Realtek 897 audio codec.

https://www.centrecom.com.au/msi-b660m-a-pro-ddr4-lga-1700-matx-motherboard
MSI B660M-A PRO DDR4 $219

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B660M-A-DDR4

https://www.centrecom.com.au/intel-12th-gen-core-i5-12400f-lga1700-desktop-processor
Intel Core i5 12400F $289

Total: $508 AUD

And this set up is a bit more future proof albeit it cost more. This board has the Realtek 1200 audio codec and more than decent enough VRM's to handle that i7. I posted the benchmarks on this cpu earlier in this thread.

https://www.centrecom.com.au/msi-mag-b660m-mortar-ddr4-lga1700-matx-motherboard
MSI B660M Mortar DDR4 $279

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-MORTAR-DDR4

https://www.centrecom.com.au/intel-12th-gen-core-i7-12700f-49-ghz-lga1700-desktop-processor
Intel Core i7 12700F $519

Total: $798 AUD

And this cpu. I'll use this Z690 board as an example. It has the Realtek 1200 audio codec along with excellent VRM's.

https://www.mwave.com.au/product/gigabyte-z690-gaming-x-ddr4-lga-1700-atx-motherboard-ac48984
Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X DDR4 $315.00

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z690-GAMING-X-DDR4-rev-10#kf

https://www.skycomp.com.au/intel-co...cked-cpu-processor-bx8071512600kf-850170.html
Intel Core i5-12600KF $425

Total: $740 AUD