I would probably look at something like this:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 - $289 at Newegg
CPU COOLER: AMD Wraith Prism Air Cooler - $0
MOTHERBOARD: ASRock X670E PG Lightning - $200 at Newegg
RAM: 32GB Team Group T-CREATE EXPERT DDR5-6000 CL30 - $95 at Newegg
TOTAL: $584
The AMD Ryzen 7-7700 and Intel Core i7-12700K trade blows in non-gaming benchmarks but are always very close to one another, close enough to the point that you wouldn't be able to tell one from the other in pretty much any situation.
Where the R7 completely destroys the i7 is in efficiency. While they are tied in overall non-gaming performance, the i7 uses a whopping 63% more electricity (and thus generates 63% more heat). You don't sound like an overclocker so the stock power usage levels are the only ones relevant to you. In that case, the R7-7700 uses 57W on average while the i7-12700K uses 93W:
Source:
TechPowerUp - AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Review - Affordable Zen 4 Powerhouse
The other nice thing is the fact that the Ryzen 7 7700 comes with a gorgeous CPU cooler called the AMD Wraith Prism and it costs literally nothing. I myself use a Wraith Prism on my Ryzen 7 5800X3D (check my signature) and it has never given me problems or failed to cool me CPU. I've used it for about two years and I have no issues with it at all. It just goes to show you that you don't have to spend extra money on a CPU cooler if you don't want to. The R7-7700 runs even cooler than my R7-5800X3D so there's not a chance that you'd ever have a problem with it. AMD has software that allows you to choose any colour combination that you want:
It looks stunning but if you don't like RGB lighting, you can always turn it off. It's a great cooler
that doesn't cost anything and getting something for free is always a plus. As an air cooler, it's pretty much maintenance-free and will probably run without issue for 15+ years.
As for the motherboard, the AMD X670E is the absolute top-of-the-line chipset for the AM5 platform which means that you'll never find the ASRock X670E PG Lightning lacking in features:
PC Magazine has a review of this motherboard:
ASRock X670E PG Lightning Review
Honestly, if you wanted to save $50, you could choose this instead:
ASRock B650 PG Lightning ATX - $150 at Newegg
Check out the features of the two boards and see which one suits you better. If the X670E is overkill and the B650 would serve you just as well, that's 50 extra bucks in
your pocket. Either way, they're AM5 boards and will have far better support over the long-term as AMD platforms last FAR longer than Intel platforms. I'm still on AM4 and that came out in 2017 with AMD looking like they might still have new AM4 CPUs to release (R5-3500X3D) which is just crazy but it shows you just how well AMD supports their platforms in the long-term.
As for the RAM, the sweet-spot for a Ryzen 7000 CPU is DDR5-6000 and CL30 is pretty low latency. There is CL28 RAM but it's not worth the extra cost IMO. Now, RAM can be a little finicky these days with some only being compatible with Intel XMP and some only being compatible with AMD EXPO. Fortunately, the Team T-CREATE RAM that I recommended is compatible with both platforms so there's nothing to worry about there. Incidentally, it's the same RAM that
@logainofhades recommends (great minds think alike, eh?).
Now, don't get me wrong, I think that you'll be quite happy with the configuration that
@logainofhades presented, especially since that's what you specified. I just posted this because his choices for a Core i7 setup are about as perfect as can be. I just like to give options and I truly believe that this Ryzen 7 setup would serve you better than
any setup with an i7-12700K. It's newer tech, the motherboard has the top-tier chipset and the CPU is a lot more efficient.
I've owned Intel and AMD CPUs, I've owned GeForce and Radeon video cards. I've owned motherboards by both ASRock and Gigabyte and one's just as good as the other. Brands don't really matter because it's the chipset that makes the difference. I've been well-served by both brands and you would be too.
Don't just take my word for it though. I always tell people to look around and see what others have to say about any products that I recommend. That's always the best way to do it.
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