Question Looking upgrade from a i7 2720QM to i7 12700k

Jul 28, 2022
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I build this PC: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/64CbJM -Outdated

But I wasn't sure on which GPU to put in my PC. I thought about going with an RTX 3080 Ti (EVGA) OR go with a RTX 4070 Ti (ASUS), Any advice/help is greatly appreciated, Thanks

Current PC:
i7 2720QM
8GB DDR3 (Laptop RAM)
Intel HD 3000 Graphics
1366x768 Display, So 2011/2012
Still Running Windows 7

Purpose of the PC: Gaming, Coding, Game Dev, Possible Video Editing
 
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Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

If you decide to go with an RTX3080Ti, please look into a 1KW or higher PSU. If you're looking at the RTX4070Ti, then you should be fine with the 850W unit listed in your PCPP list though headroom will be a bonus for the long run. I'd switch the NVMe drives to something from Crucial to avoid the issue of reliability from Samsung, if I was you I'd avoid them for a little while. Another thing I'd do is go to Z790 chipset altogether.
 
Z790 > Z690

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8m6p99/msi-pro-z790-a-wifi-atx-lga1700-motherboard-pro-z790-a-wifi
MSI PRO Z790-A WIFI $259.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-Z790-A-WIFI

RTX 4070 Ti > RTX 3080

 
Jul 28, 2022
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Could a 12700k be backwards compatible on a Z790? I always thought Z690 is better for 12th Gen CPUs aka 12700k but I guess Z790 is more compatible with DDR5 over Z690?

Updated PCPP again: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fQcbJM

But would the MSI Pro Z790-A work with the AIO I have picked out, I'm not sure if the AIO Bracket would work or am I overlooking something?
 
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Normally I'll wait awhile just to see how computer part prices fan out then make my decisions

Plus I'd rather buy PC Parts that have been out for a while instead of buying some that just came out two/three days ago....

Updated PCPP List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NVDfwc If anyone wants to look
The 13 gen cpu's have been out since September of last year.

Here's a few money savers.

O/S SSD
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/nW...gb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds500g3x0e

Storage SSD
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4K...tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3x0e
 
Okay, I've updated my PCPP again, But I think I'll stay with a 12700k... I am looking for longevity over performance plus the 12700k is cheaper vs the 13700k

PCPP List again: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/n9wHcb
Just a reminder, the 13 gen i7's natively support DDR5 5600.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-25m-cache-up-to-5-00-ghz/specifications.html
Memory Types: Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s

https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-30m-cache-up-to-5-20-ghz/specifications.html
Memory Types: Up to DDR5 5600 MT/s
 
Jul 28, 2022
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It's a nice reminder but I guess I was trying to keep the PCs budget under $2,300

The 13700k seems tempting but the 12700k is cheaper and had better thermals than the 13700k...

Plus I wasn't sure if I would need to upgrade my PSU if I went with the 13700k?

Also I do plan to use a 2x16GB kit of DDR5 @ 6000MHz in this PC
 
It's a nice reminder but I guess I was trying to keep the PCs budget under $2,300

The 13700k seems tempting but the 12700k is cheaper and had better thermals than the 13700k...

Plus I wasn't sure if I would need to upgrade my PSU if I went with the 13700k?

Also I do plan to use a 2x16GB kit of DDR5 @ 6000MHz in this PC
Here's another option .. you can always add that SATA 3 SSD later on if you feel the need for more storage.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/KKytt6/lian-li-lancool-216-atx-mid-tower-case-lancool-216rx
Lian Li LANCOOL 216 ARGB ATX Mid Tower Case $109.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/X9...ed-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-sf-850f14tp
Super Flower Leadex V Platinum Pro 850W 80+ Platinum Modular ATX Power Supply $129.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2v...x-atx-lga1700-motherboard-b760-aorus-elite-ax
Gigabyte B760 AORUS ELITE AX $159.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xz8bt6/intel-core-i7-13700f-21-ghz-16-core-processor-bx8071513700f
Intel Core i7-13700F $369.97

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Mk...k-argb-6788-cfm-cpu-cooler-r-ag620-bkanmn-g-2
DeepCool AG620 BK ARGB Dual Tower CPU Cooler $49.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Xs...ddr5-6000-cl36-memory-f5-6000j3636f16gx2-rs5k
G.Skill Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6000 32GB (2x16GB) CL36 $117.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4K...tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3x0e
Western Digital Black SN770 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVME SSD $119.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/kV...-ti-12-gb-video-card-tuf-rtx4070ti-12g-gaming
Asus TUF GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB Video Card $799.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/7ZpzK8/microsoft-windows-11-home-retail-download-64-bit-kw9-00664
Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - Download 64-bit $138.99

Total: $1996.89

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B760-AORUS-ELITE-AX-rev-10#kf

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Mt...25-2000000rpm-internal-hard-drive-wds200t2b0a
Western Digital Blue 2TB 2.5" SATA 3 SSD $109.99
 
Jul 28, 2022
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I had some questions....

Is the 11th Gen i9 CPUs worth anything? Also still thinking about the RTX 3000 series GPUs still great, and cheaper, sure no DLSS 3.0 or FSR....

I still think that the RTX 4000 series is just Smoke and Mirrors, Fake Perfomance, and overall just too expensive (MSRP). Plus the whole burning PSU cables on the 4090 still spooks me, lol

Is the RTX 4000 series as whole still worth it? Or would a 3000 series work too?

Also I had to change my budget around because I forgot to factor in things like Taxes + Rent.... so could I still build a PC or Buy a PC for $1,800 - $2,000?

Going back to the whole 11th Gen CPUs (i9) again... I would buy it and use a while then swap out to a 12th Gen i7 + Z690 Motherboard Combo or 13th Gen i7 + Z790 Motherboard Combo, whenever I had money and found one on sale on Newegg or Amazon and add a 2TB or 4TB SSD (2.5') if more storage is needed
 
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I had some questions....

Is the 11th Gen i9 CPUs worth anything? Also still thinking about the RTX 3000 series GPUs still great, and cheaper, sure no DLSS 3.0 or FSR....

I still think that the RTX 4000 series is just Smoke and Mirrors, Fake Perfomance, and overall just too expensive (MSRP). Plus the whole burning PSU cables on the 4090 still spooks me, lol

Is the RTX 4000 series as whole still worth it? Or would a 3000 series work too?

Also I had to change my budget around because I forgot to factor in things like Taxes + Rent.... so could I still build a PC or Buy a PC for $1,800 - $2,000?
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/zL3gXL/fractal-design-focus-2-rgb-atx-mid-tower-case-fd-c-foc2a-04
Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case $69.98

Rear exhaust fan for that case.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/68WfrH/arctic-p12-563-cfm-120-mm-fan-acfan00120a
ARCTIC P12 120mm 4-Pin Case Fan $9.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6J...-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-cp-9020248-na
Corsair RM750e 750W 80+ Gold Modular ATX Power Supply $99.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vv...a1700-motherboard-tuf-gaming-h670-pro-wifi-d4
Asus TUF GAMING H670-PRO WIFI D4 $179.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/LT3gXL/intel-core-i7-12700f-21-ghz-12-core-processor-bx8071512700f
Intel Core i7-12700F $289.99

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Mk...k-argb-6788-cfm-cpu-cooler-r-ag620-bkanmn-g-2
DeepCool AG620 BK ARGB Dual Tower CPU Cooler $54.98

Low profile RAM so that it doesn't impede the cpu cooler.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Yg...2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-cmk32gx4m2d3600c18
Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3600 32GB (2x16GB) CL18 $76.98

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4K...tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3x0e
Western Digital Black SN770 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVME SSD $119.99

https://www.techpowerup.com/306766/first-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-graphics-cards-spotted-in-retail
RTX 4070 12GB $599.99

Total: $1501.87

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dKkWGX/microsoft-windows-11-home-oem-dvd-64-bit-kw9-00633
Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit $117.98

A better look at those components.

https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/focus/focus-2/rgb-white-tg-clear-tint/

https://www.asus.com/motherboards-components/motherboards/tuf-gaming/tuf-gaming-h670-pro-wifi-d4/

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...al-Tower-CPU-Cooler-1700-AM5/2022/16082.shtml

https://www.techpowerup.com/306765/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-has-an-average-gaming-power-draw-of-186-w

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

i7 12700 / 12700F gaming benchmarks.

i712700.jpg
 
Jul 28, 2022
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Yah, why upgrade can't you suffice with a 12700k? why spring and get a 13700k? Plus with every new CPU comes a new MoBo to boot, (Sometimes certain CPUs are backwards compatible, but that always isn't the case)

I always do my research before I upgrade.... Then I ask is it really necessary to "upgrade" or can I stay with what I got....
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
Another problem with the tech community I don't get is why buy new hardware, when hardware (that you upgraded from) that is 1-2 years old still has great perfomance... Kinda sounds like you just outed yourself
:neutral:

Because typically, hardware that's a year or two old, when found new, doesn't generally have price drops in proportion to the difference in performance. The 13700K is $100 more, but has four more cores and nearly half a GHz of boost clock. So of course it's more expensive. You're not getting the same performance by buying the year-old CPU of the same relative place in Intel's product stack.

The closer comparison is to the 13600K which has 14 cores and similar clocks. The 13600K edged out all the Intel 12th generation CPUs on the gaming test suite here.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i9-13900k-i5-13600k-cpu-review/5

And the slightly better CPU (13600K over 12700K), not surprisingly, costs slightly more ($15-20).

That's why people get new hardware. You're not getting any more bang for the buck by using the old hardware. The 12700K isn't cheaper than the 13700K because you found some cost efficiency to buying the last gen processor, it's cheaper because it's a significantly less powerful CPU than the 13700K.
 
Okay I'll admit that other PC I found was a bad deal.... But I threw this together....

PCPP List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/krTHPX

Planning on staying with an i7 12700k + RTX 3080 Ti (Not huge on RTX 4000 series)

-sidenote, I left the GPU out to cut down on costs + I'll add it later
It works although that's a boatload of money for a cpu cooler.

Look at a Z790 chipset if you're going with DDR5 due to the better memory controller.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8m6p99/msi-pro-z790-a-wifi-atx-lga1700-motherboard-pro-z790-a-wifi
MSI PRO Z790-A WIFI $239.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-Z790-A-WIFI
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
Okay I'll admit that other PC I found was a bad deal.... But I threw this together....

PCPP List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/krTHPX

Planning on staying with an i7 12700k + RTX 3080 Ti (Not huge on RTX 4000 series)

-sidenote, I left the GPU out to cut down on costs + I'll add it later

So, longevity is no longer a priority? There's little reason to get the 12700K over the 13600K if that's a priority; if you're getting a weaker, older chip to save $15-20, that's the opposite of making longevity a priority.

We can give you better advice when we know what you're actually prioritizing. Because to me, it seems that your priority is buying last generation parts without a benefit and really expensive AIOs, which is kind of an odd plan.
 
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Jul 28, 2022
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My goal is to have both longevity & performance in one package

I picked the 12700k because it's cheaper than the 13700k, which I know the 13700k is newer....

My goal when I was planning this PC was to stay with 12th Gen and the RTX 3000 Series, since I don't want to get a 4000 Series GPU.... I originally planned this PC with DDR4, but I think I could swap out to DDR5

Plus I was picking parts that can last me 5-8 years before needing to ask again to upgrade.... Can a 13700k work with a RTX 3080 Ti?

I am open to suggestions for how to improve my PCPP list... Also that RTX 3080 Ti, I was looking to see if I could find on the second hand market in either New /Like New
 
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DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
My goal is to have both longevity & performance in one package

I picked the 12700k because it's cheaper than the 13700k, which I know the 13700k is newer....

My goal when I was planning this PC was to stay with 12th Gen and the RTX 3000 Series, since I don't want to get a 4000 Series GPU.... I originally planned this PC with DDR4, but I think I could swap out to DDR5

Plus I was picking parts that can last me 5-8 years before needing to ask again to upgrade.... Can a 13700k work with a RTX 3080 Ti?

I was talking about the 13600K which is also better than the 12700K and only $15-20 more. That's not prioritizing longevity. It's the same issue with the GPUs. You apparently want to buy a 3080 Ti rather than pay less for a better performing 4000-series GPU because of some unexplained characteristic that makes you not like the 4000 series that isn't applicable to the 3000 series.

Your plan doesn't seem to prioritize longevity. It seems like the priority is to overpay for someone's December 2021 build. If that's what you want, that's totally fine -- though a little odd -- but we can help you better when you understand the motivations, because there's a lot about this build that just doesn't make much sense.
 
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