Question Looking for some constructive criticism on my upgrades before I purchase them. What are your thoughts?

[NathanWilker]

OS: Windows 10
CPU: Intel i5 3570k (UPGRADING TO Intel i5 12400f)
GPU: HP GTX 1060 3gb (UPGRADING TO AMD RX 6600 8gb)
MOBO: ASROCK z77 Extreme4 (UPGRADING TO MSI Pro Z690-A)
RAM: PNY XLR8 2x8gb 1866mhz (UPGRADING TO G,Skill Ripjaw V Series 2x16gb 3600mhz)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200 2TB
SSD: Crucial M4 256gb
PSU: Corsair 650TXV2
Case Fans: 2x 120mm and 3x 80mm

 

[Why_Me]

OS: Windows 10
CPU: Intel i5 3570k (UPGRADING TO Intel i5 12400f)
GPU: HP GTX 1060 3gb (UPGRADING TO AMD RX 6600 8gb)
MOBO: ASROCK z77 Extreme4 (UPGRADING TO MSI Pro Z690-A)
RAM: PNY XLR8 2x8gb 1866mhz (UPGRADING TO G,Skill Ripjaw V Series 2x16gb 3600mhz)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200 2TB
SSD: Crucial M4 256gb
PSU: Corsair 650TXV2
Case Fans: 2x 120mm and 3x 80mm

You want a B660 DDR4 board for that cpu.

 

[NathanWilker]

You want a B660 DDR4 board for that cpu.

Oh really? Whats the difference? Pcpartpicker said they are compatible.

 

[Why_Me]

Oh really? Whats the difference? Pcpartpicker said they are compatible.

They're compatible but the B660 DDR4 boards will be cheaper. Those boards should start showing up on US sites any day now.

Here's an example of one of those boards that should be priced right around $150.

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660M-GAMING-X-AX-DDR4-rev-1x#kf

 

[NathanWilker]

They're compatible but the B660 DDR4 boards will be cheaper. Those boards should start showing up on US sites any day now.

Here's an example of one of those boards that should be priced right around $150.

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660M-GAMING-X-AX-DDR4-rev-1x#kf

So you're saying I should wait a couple days for the b660 boards and save the extra money? Also I see the i5 12400F specifies ddr4 3200 and ddr5 4800. Should I switch the G.skill ripjaws from the 3600 to the 3200 version?

 

[Why_Me]

So you're saying I should wait a couple days for the b660 boards and save the extra money? Also I see the i5 12400F specifies ddr4 3200 and ddr5 4800. Should I switch the G.skill ripjaws from the 3600 to the 3200 version?

3600 works as does 3200mhz. Those cpu's are going to sell fast so I'd order everything but the board for now.

 

[NathanWilker]

3600 works as does 3200mhz. Those cpu's are going to sell fast so I'd order everything but the board for now.

Am I losing out on any performance by purchasing the b660 vs the z690? Also if you were me would you spend an extra $20 to get the 4000mhz instead of the 3600mhz?

 

[Why_Me]

Am I losing out on any performance by purchasing the b660 vs the z690? Also if you were me would you spend an extra $20 to get the 4000mhz instead of the 3600mhz?

Stick with 3600mhz CL16.

https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/core-i5-12400-processor-review,1.html

https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/core_i5_12400_processor_review,25.html

From the link.

A 3600MHz CL16 kit would be a terrific choice in weaponry. Gaming wise Intel now has faster processors. And even the 12400 easily takes the number 3 spot in ranking, making this a terrific gaming processor. As always, we test with the fastest GPU available (GeForce RTX 3090), and only up to 2560x1440 you'll notice gains. But even then the differences in performance can be argued. With a slower GPU, the graphics card is the bottleneck in graphics intense games, ergo the benefit of a faster CPU vanishes rapidly.

 

[NathanWilker]

Stick with 3600mhz CL16.

https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/core-i5-12400-processor-review,1.html

https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/core_i5_12400_processor_review,25.html

From the link.

A 3600MHz CL16 kit would be a terrific choice in weaponry. Gaming wise Intel now has faster processors. And even the 12400 easily takes the number 3 spot in ranking, making this a terrific gaming processor. As always, we test with the fastest GPU available (GeForce RTX 3090), and only up to 2560x1440 you'll notice gains. But even then the differences in performance can be argued. With a slower GPU, the graphics card is the bottleneck in graphics intense games, ergo the benefit of a faster CPU vanishes rapidly.

Is it worth paying the extra $40 to switch from cl18 3600 to cl16 3600? Sorry for being so needy I appreciate the help. Haven't done an upgrade in awhile as you can see lol.

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232928?Item=N82E16820232928

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232907

 

[Why_Me]

Is it worth paying the extra $40 to switch from cl18 3600 to cl16 3600? Sorry for being so needy I appreciate the help. Haven't done an upgrade in awhile as you can see lol.

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232928?Item=N82E16820232928

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232907

CL16 has lower latency and better timings RE it's faster memory.

 

[NathanWilker]

CL16 has lower latency and better timings RE it's faster memory.

Okay got it I think I'll spend the extra money that I'm saving on the motherboard on the cl16 3600mhz. Two more questions, the old power supply that I have shouldn't cause any issues with the new motherboard right? Pcpartpicker is saying there's a compatibility issue. Also do you know if an evo 212 V1 would work with the i5 12400f? Again I appreciate all the help!

 

[Why_Me]

Okay got it I think I'll spend the extra money that I'm saving on the motherboard on the cl16 3600mhz. Two more questions, the old power supply that I have shouldn't cause any issues with the new motherboard right? Pcpartpicker is saying there's a compatibility issue. Also do you know if an evo 212 V1 would work with the i5 12400f? Again I appreciate all the help!

You want an LGA 1700 bracket for that cooler ... check the Cooler Master site. No idea why that psu wouldn't work tbh.

 

[salgado18]

In my opinion, you could switch to DDR4-3200 CL16 and the B660 motherboard, and use the savings to get an RX 6700XT if possible. The faster RAM will give you very little performance, but the jump in GPU is a very noticeable one. Since you seem to keep your PC for a long time, a strong GPU will be worth more of your money than RAM.

 

[Lafong]

Most, maybe all, of the new Gigabyte B660 boards come in both DDR4 and DDR5 versions. There's a bunch of each.

Choose carefully. They differ in some respects....number of RAM slots, type of monitor connections; USB port type and count, etc.

"Case Fans: 2x 120mm and 3x 80mm ". I'm guessing that is an older case since it has 80 mm fan mounts? Are you averse to replacing the case?

 

[geofelt]

Ram supported speeds come in two sets.
One is the speed at which the motherboard & ram can boot into the bios.
The second is the speed that can be supported via overclocking.
Loosely, ram is overclocked if it needs more than the default 1.2v to run at higher speeds.
Ram speed is not a big issue with intel ram controllers so long as you are using a discrete graphics card.
The key decision for ram is to get enough.
Normal gaming is fine with 16gb. If you are heavily multitasking, then look at 32gb or more.

Today, DDR4 ram and lga1700 motherboards perform the same as DDR5 and are cheaper.
On a budget, that is the way to go.

 

[Why_Me]

A few of those B660 boards are just now starting to show up on US sites.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813145374
GIGABYTE B660M AORUS PRO AX DDR4 $189.99

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B660M-AORUS-PRO-AX-DDR4-rev-1x#kf

This board in the link down below hasn't shown up yet but when it does it should retail for right around $150 if I had to guess.

https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Motherboard/B660M-GAMING-X-DDR4-rev-10#kf

 

[Karadjgne]

For base performance, B660 and Z690 are basically the same. The difference being that the Z690 is cpu overclock able, the B660 isn't. Considering it's a 12400F, it can't OC anyways, so a Z board is a useless expense.

For Intels, there's no difference worth mentioning for 98% of games between 3200/16 and 3600/16. There's only a few oddball games and some productivity apps where ram speeds mean faster processing.