Question Intel Core i5-12600K vs. AMD Ryzen 5 7600: Best Choice for Creative Applications like Photoshop and After Effects?

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afireon8

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Oct 25, 2018
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Hello everyone,

I'm in the process of upgrading my PC primarily for Adobe applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and Premiere Pro. I'm seeking advice on selecting the best processor among the following options:
  • Processor - Total cost in India (including CPU + motherboard + ram)
  • AMD Ryzen 5 5600G - $285
  • Intel Core i5-12400F - $290
  • AMD Ryzen 7 5700G - $341
  • Intel Core i5-12600K - $351
  • AMD Ryzen 5 7600 - $366
All of these options fit within my budget of $380, excluding a dedicated GPU. I plan to add a budget GPU like the GTX 1060 or RX 580 in the coming months, within the range of $150 to $180.

Could anyone provide insights into which processor would be the best choice for my requirements? I'm particularly interested in maximizing performance for Adobe applications while staying within my budget. (no gaming)

Thank you in advance for your assistance!
 
Also I've made my decision to go with the i5-12600K processor.

Now, I'm pondering the motherboard choice.

Would it be better to opt for an expensive Z series motherboard, or can the 12600K run efficiently on a B760M motherboard?
I don't plan on overclocking.

Considering options like the Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX (rev. 1.x) DDR5 Motherboard or
the MSI PRO B760M DDR5 Motherboard.

Any insights would be appreciated.
 
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“Z” chipsets are historically preferred as a match for Intel K processors because they permit access to multiplier overclocking, which the “B” chipsets didn’t. The former also offer more PCIE lanes. So a Z might be a better match for the 12600K; otherwise you might as well just get a non-K with a B760.

Another thing is that those Gigabyte D series “ultra durable” motherboards are really bargain basement components, and I’d personally avoid one of those with a high wattage CPU.
 
B760 is fine, but see if you can find some z690 chipset boards. No need to spend on a z790.

What about AsRock PG Riptide or Pro RS?

Another thing is that those Gigabyte D series “ultra durable” motherboards are really bargain basement components, and I’d personally avoid one of those with a high wattage CPU.
They're pretty cheap stuff. I'm building with that exact motherboard, but using an i3 12100. That's fine, but an unlocked i5? I wouldn't want one in this motherboard.
 
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Would it be better to opt for an expensive Z series motherboard, or can the 12600K run efficiently on a B760M motherboard?
I don't plan on overclocking.
Even the B boards will be "overclocking" in that they will be pushing more watts to the CPU, they can be set to be always push 240W or even unlimited.
Z boards will only push the CPU even harder than the B boards already do.
You have to manually go into bios and make sure that everything is setup the way you want, or use xtu inside windows to limit the power to what you want.
 
Even the B boards will be "overclocking" in that they will be pushing more watts to the CPU, they can be set to be always push 240W or even unlimited..
Indeed, motherboards are all over the place with the actual power being delivered to the CPU. Some stay within Intel spec, whilst others completely ignore it and pump unlimited power at default settings.

Hardware Unboxed / Techspot did a B660 comparison and it’s worth looking at, just to see how inconsistent things are with the same chipset. Unfortunately they haven’t done a B760 comparison yet. You’ll most likely want a mid to high end B760 motherboard for your chosen K processor… which might end up approaching the price of a Z790 Board.
 
Considering the importance of using a Z series motherboard like Z690 or Z790 with the i5-12600K processor for optimal performance, I'm faced with a dilemma. Instead of upgrading from a B760M to a Z690/Z790 motherboard, I'm contemplating upgrading the processor from the i5-12600K to the i5-14500.

Based on Puget benchmarks, the i5-14500 seems to outperform the i5-12600K. Therefore, I'm curious about the performance comparison between these two options:

1) i5-14500 with a B series motherboard (approximately $420)
2) i5-12600K with Z series motherboard (approximately $460)
3) i5-12600K with B series motherboard (approximately $364)

Which combination would offer better performance given the cost considerations?
 
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Well, here we are again. 😉

With the gamer my son and I built, I used an MSI Z790-A WiFi MOBO. I figured that with the CPU I chose, I should get something MOBO-wise that could handle all of the features the CPU was capable of. I found the MOBO on AmazonWarehouse for $133. The pairing for the CPU and MOBO came in at $432 - which was not a package, just the combined cost I pulled the trigger on watching price fluctuations on Amazon. It was in the range of your options above, but I think prices have climbed a bit in the 1.5 months since I bought the components I used.

I would encourage you to look at AmazonWarehouse options for MOBO's tho. I have done this with the two most recent builds - my son's gamer and a streamer PC. In both, I used MSI MOBO's that I got at a good discount. Why go that direction? They are returnable to Amazon for any reason without question. If you cannot get it to work, put it back in the box and send it back. Since you aren't buying new, and they appreciate you giving these "used" items a try, they are willing to take them back if you aren't happy with them.

I examined them for any broken or missing parts. Everything looked good, Bios updated without incident, and posted immediately. Work great and the ATX's have plenty of PCIe and M.2 slots for growth.

You could definitely do the i5-14500 with a good MOBO off of the Warehouse. I don't know the best fit Z or B edition with a non-K processor. But I imagine the Z might be a little overkill. Yet I can't really say for sure, so I let others expertise carry that discussion.

edit - there is a MSI Z790-P Pro-Series with DDR4 @ $118 from the AmazonWarehouse here in the US.
 
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1) i5-14500 with a B series motherboard (approximately $420)
2) i5-12600K with Z series motherboard (approximately $460)
3) i5-12600K with B series motherboard (approximately $364)
The 14th gen (and 13th gen) intels are quite a step up from 12th gen. They share the same socket so they make a trio but there's quite a difference between the two gens.

1) is the "best" choice.

I advise you take a good look at the features and specs of motherboards that interest you, and ignore whether it's a z board or a B board. Take the one that has all the stuff you want/need, and doesn't cost a fortune.
there is a MSI Z790-P Pro-Series with DDR4 @ $118 from the AmazonWarehouse here in the US.
I would be uneasy with an MSi z790 board. Because of the issues with cracks in the chipset. I still think MSi is a fine manufacturer, but i would avoid the z790 lineup (except the revised models if they even exist ?)
 
I would be uneasy with an MSi z790 board. Because of the issues with cracks in the chipset. I still think MSi is a fine manufacturer, but i would avoid the z790 lineup (except the revised models if they even exist ?)

Thanks for that info. Have not had any issues, but that is good knowledge to have in the event of trouble. I found the article on Tom's with a simple Google search. Thanks again.
 
Just my 2 pence worth, Go Z series, as DrJohnnyfever suggested the MSI Z790-A or even the 690-A will be a good choice not least becouse of the extra connectivity and pci-e lanes available to the Z series. Also as he has suggested look to Amazon Warehouse and the like as you can pick up a bargain or two...I was lucky enough to pick up my MSI Z790 Carbon Wifi of eBay as a refurbished open box return from a reputable etailer called eBuyer in the UK and with a warranty to boot for £227 which is half the launch price so there are some good bargains to be had with a bit of searching...

The MSI Z690-A is currently $145 and even the mighty MSI Z690 Unify which is one of the best top end boards is under $200 but a lot of the Z690 motherboards are on sale at much lower prices now..

Finally with the K series CPU's like the 12600K, motherboard manufacturers like MSI (and all of the others including ASUS and Gigabyte) are pushing to much voltage on auto settings so the first thing to do other than setting XMP for the ram immediatly is to undervolt the CPU and on MSI boards it is very easy as you just go into the bios to the voltage settings and set an 'overide voltage' between 1.2 and 1.245v. I have my 13700K set at 1.245v which keeps the CPU running cool and still boosting to an all core 5.4GHz. There are plenty of guides online as there are a few ways to lower power use without losing performance.
 
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Finally with the K series CPU's like the 12600K, motherboard manufacturers like MSI (and all of the others including ASUS and Gigabyte) are pushing to much voltage on auto settings so the first thing to do other than setting XMP for the ram immediatly is to undervolt the CPU and on MSI boards it is very easy as you just go into the bios to the voltage settings and set an 'overide voltage' between 1.2 and 1.245v. I have my 13700K set at 1.245v which keeps the CPU running cool and still boosting to an all core 5.4GHz. There are plenty of guides online as there are a few ways to lower power use without losing performance.
vMax, I wonder if you'd mind directing me to a video or article you found useful in tuning your 13600K? I went in yesterday to take a look at how the RAM was being used in the PC with the 14600K and it was woefully downtuned. I activated the XMP on the the MSi Pro Z790-A WiFi board. It has DDR5 that is now set to 5200Mhz, but in doing so it changed some of the CPU settings too. I didn't have the time to do a test on it, so I don't have any temp numbers, but I do know that settings were changed as a result of utilizing the RAM better.

I don't want to hijack the thread, so we can either start a new one or send me a message. I'd appreciate it.
 
Hello everyone,

I'm in the process of upgrading my PC primarily for Adobe applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and Premiere Pro. I'm seeking advice on selecting the best processor among the following options:
  • Processor - Total cost in India (including CPU + motherboard + ram)
  • AMD Ryzen 5 5600G - $285
  • Intel Core i5-12400F - $290
  • AMD Ryzen 7 5700G - $341
  • Intel Core i5-12600K - $351
  • AMD Ryzen 5 7600 - $366
All of these options fit within my budget of $380, excluding a dedicated GPU. I plan to add a budget GPU like the GTX 1060 or RX 580 in the coming months, within the range of $150 to $180.

Could anyone provide insights into which processor would be the best choice for my requirements? I'm particularly interested in maximizing performance for Adobe applications while staying within my budget. (no gaming)

Thank you in advance for your assistance!
Intel might not be the best depending on what the specs of the software you will be using are.

It might be wiser to go for core count, rather than the strongest cores, if the software will use them all.
 
No problems at all and you can message me if you have any issues. A good place to go is overclock.net which is a great resource for all things regarding undervolting/overclocking and settings in general and they do have sections by motherboard and CPU. Overclock.net was a HUGE help!!!!!!

A couple of things to do when testing. Instal HardwareInfo and CineBench R23. These two programes will both test and show you voltages and temps including ram speeds and basically every setting on your motherboard via HWInfo.

Run Cinebench R23 multi test for your baseline score, check temps for hottest core and check vcore voltage. As far as Intel 13th gen is concerned anything below 90 Degrees C at full max load is okay!!!! So when testing, if Cinebench R23 multicore test hits below 90 degrees you are more than okay as near on every other programme you use will not stress the CPU like Cinebench R23...Yes Intel CPU's can handle upto 100 Degrees but anything in the 90's degrees I stay away from. Mine under max Cinebench load can hit 87 Degrees C and I am happy wih that and that is with an all core 5.4GHz and two of the cores hit 5.5GHz...

Quick and easy beginners guide on Overclock.net
https://www.overclock.net/threads/q...618&nested_view=1&sortby=oldest#post-29073618


1 - I try to keep things very simple and as far as voltage is concerned, I use the 'Override voltage' setting and start at 1.250v. Test with Cinbench R23 mutlicore test and if it passes a 10 minute run, lower the vcore voltage by 5 to 10 mv and test again.

1 - another critical setting is 'CPU Lite load' This is in the advanced CPU Configerations section and check to see what it is set at. If it is at 12 or more lower it immediatly to between 7 and 5 or even lower. The video below shows the settings..

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mkAVITZoLY

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qS7-goe38Y&t=2092s

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oZ4is-nTi4
 
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Finally, I have found settings for your specific motherboard including screenshots of the BIOS settings that should help you with a nice baseline providing a 5.4GHz all P-core and 4.3GHz all E-Core and it covers the 'CPU Lite Mode' settings as well...One of the users has a achieved 5.3/4.1ghz , cbr23 > 25435 pts @ 1.15v vcore which is a very low vcore...worth a read and a good baseline for your bios settings..

 
Hey I wanted to post this here, because I did the tuning a while back that @vMax suggested in the videos. I worked great and then I updated the Bios to the newest version in September and it reset everything. It took some messing with, but I finally got it back to what it had been and even a little better.

So I finally had some time to dig back into this after that recent MSI Z790 Pro Bios update on 9-5-2024. I updated it about 2 weeks after it was released and it made changes to my settings that were not optimal. Temps went up and performance went down; and that was on the basic Intel recommended settings that had previously been: 1-stock fan, 2-box fan, and 3-water cooler. I chose setting 1 - intel defaults after the Bios update and was not happy with the result. Before the update, the minimal changes I made to downvolt the CPU provided far better performance and far less power than the "update."

Initially when installing this CPU, 8 months before, I was uncertain what these "cooler" choices meant, so I chose "1" figuring I could go back in and adjust later. I had no idea in the beginning that part of this adventure was the issue with MOBO manufacturers up-ticking board and cpu voltage parameters to get better performance out of Intel CPU's. Yet after catching onto that and investigating a little, doing some bench marking, etc., I learned that it was running a little hot - into the low 90's but that the performance of my i5-14600K was at 150% over performing with 5.4Ghz on performance cores and 125% on the efficiency cores. When I switched that basic "cooler" setting in the BIOS to box fan, temps went up and performance stayed the same, so I knew there was some adjusting I could do. That lead me to learn about the CPU Lite settings.

Some reading and good advice got me into the Bios to adjust the CPU Lite Mode a little lower and with the Mode 5 setting, temps went down and performance stayed at that excellent level organically with what ever other settings the Msi Z790 Pro board had set by default. I was very happy with where it was performing and it took very little effort to achieve it. 24000+ on Cinebench23. My son was ecstatic. 😉

Updated the BIOS on the board to the newest version mid-late-September; temps up, performance down.

Dug in yesterday played with all of the 3 default settings. Somehow by default on both the Intel setting and the MSI performance setting - formally the 1 -stock fan and 2- box fan settings - I could not get performance up to that 5.4 Ghz on performance cores or the almost 4Ghz on the efficiency cores to save my life. I am a novice at overclocking, but everything I tried, I could not get the perfomance up. It was stationary at 5.2Ghz and 3.9Ghz with heat into the 90'sC. I knew it was possible to do better temp wise and get better performance... eventhough those numbers are within spec with Intel.

Finally after playing with Ratios and anything I thought would work, testing temps as I went with the changes and not getting what I knew the CPU was capable of with low temps and lowered voltages, I banged the 3 - watercooler option as the Bios preset. Tested with Cinebench and the temps went thru the roof - almost instantaneously to 100C. Shut it down, went back into the bios and adjusted the CPU Lite down to Mode 5. Also adjusted the P-Core settings to 5.5Ghz and the E Cores to 4.3Ghz and Voila! Temps in the low 80'sC and performance back to where it had been and even better.

My son wanted the PC back to play a little Red Dead, so once I got it to that level I handed it over. I'll likely go in and see if I can bump it down to Mode 4 or 3 with the same results. Anyway, it was a long afternoon yesterday of trial and error before today just banging the top performance in the BIOS (Watercooler setting) and then tuning the voltage down to get these excellent results. Got a Cinebench23 score of 255xx and that was with backgoround stuff wtill on - BitDefender, etc.