Question New build, reusing case & PSU, ~$1000, small and quiet

rwhipple08

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TL;DR - I want a cool, quiet mini-ITX gaming PC that will match or exceed what I'm currently getting from a BootCamped iMac Pro. I'm re-using a ThermalTake Core V1 chassis and Corsair RM550 PSU

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: $1250, flexible

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming. Overwatch, Wow, Beyond all Reason

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: CPU, MB, GPU, RAM, m.2.
Re-using PSU: Corsair RM550
Re-using Case: Thermaltake Core V1. Potentially moving to something smaller eventually, but not a priority now.

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon

Location: Arizona

Parts Preferences: No

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Monitor is 4k. Looking to game at 1440

Additional Comments: I want the quietest, smallest machine that meets my requirements for older games. Interested in AIO liquid cooling if it helps this goal

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Last gaming PC was built in ~2016. (core i5-4460, GTX 1050 Ti). Got an iMac Pro for work, ran games acceptably on Bootcamp, but now I am changing to a MacBook Pro for work. I'd like to have a separate gaming PC again.

Not sure if this helps, but I re-ran Time Spy on my iMac (in windows) and the old gaming PC which I haven't used since 2018. Old PC scored 2420, iMac Pro scored 6778, so any build should be an improvement over that. I know that's not a high bar, but I'm looking to do this in a Mini ITX case that is cool and quiet.

The GPU market & naming conventions are very confusing to me. It seems like I bought my 1050 Ti just before crypto mining affected prices and it's still considered a good value...I saw 1050 Ti's appearing in budget build videos as recently as a few months ago which really surprised me. I'm not sure how such an old video card (or any electronic) is still on the market, so maybe there are newer model years of the 1050 Ti? Also, I'm not sure how the iMac Pro Time Spy benchmark really stacks up. I turn settings down on games to avoid the fans running full blast and still get good performance so I'm not sure if I'm actually getting that 6776 benchmark's worth of performance in games in the same way I got full benefit from my old, unthrottled PC.

TENTATIVE COMPONENTS:

CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08166SLDF/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

MB - GIGABYTE B550I AORUS PRO AX (AM4 AMD/B550/Mini-Itx/Dual M.2/SATA 6Gb/s/USB 3.2 Gen 1/WiFi 6/2.5 GbE LAN/PCIe4.0/Realtek ALC1220-Vb/DisplayPort 1.4/2xHDMI 2.0B/RGB Fusion 2.0/DDR4/Gaming Motherboard)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089FWWN62/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Sapphire Technology 11310-01-20G Pulse AMD Radeon RX 6600 Gaming Graphics Card with 8GB GDDR6, AMD RDNA 2
https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Tec...s=AMD+Radeon+RX+6600+XT&qid=1648744742&sr=8-4

RAM - Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 X 8GB) DDR4 3600 MHz (PC4-28800) C18 1.35V Desktop Memory - Black (CMK16GX4M2D3600C18)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RM39V5F/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

Storage - SAMSUNG 980 SSD 1TB M.2 NVMe Interface Internal Solid State Drive with V-NAND Technology for Gaming, Heavy Graphics, Full Power Mode, MZ-V8V1T0B/AM
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08V83JZH4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
 

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
A bit over $1250, but far better CPU, that will last you longer, with regards to GPU upgrades, and handling newer titles that are more core/thread heavy.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700F 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($312.96 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MASTERLIQUID ML120L RGB V2 65.59 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B660I AORUS Pro DDR4 Mini ITX LGA1700 Motherboard ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($122.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team CARDEA ZERO Z440 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($389.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1265.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-03-31 13:08 EDT-0400
 
A bit over $1250, but far better CPU, that will last you longer, with regards to GPU upgrades, and handling newer titles that are more core/thread heavy.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700F 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($312.96 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MASTERLIQUID ML120L RGB V2 65.59 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B660I AORUS Pro DDR4 Mini ITX LGA1700 Motherboard ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case (Purchased For $0.00)
120mm AIOs are the same or worse than the slim CPU coolers available and is even more of an issue trying to cool a 12700. The ITX case restricts us to using overpriced or bad motherboards. The case is really holding this build back.

In my opinion this is the minimum viable PC parts selection for a 12700 build for 1440p gaming;

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700F 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($312.96 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($102.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB VENTUS 2X OCV1 Video Card ($579.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1423.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-03-31 13:46 EDT-0400


This is a perfectly reasonable alternative to save cost;
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($179.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB VENTUS 2X OCV1 Video Card ($579.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 PST 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fans 5-Pack ($36.97 @ Amazon)
Total: $1264.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-03-31 13:55 EDT-0400
 
Last edited:

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
120mm AIOs are the same or worse than the slim CPU coolers available and is even more of an issue trying to cool a 12700. The ITX case restricts us to using overpriced or bad motherboards. The case is really holding this build back.

In my opinion this is the minimum viable PC parts selection for a 12700 build for 1440p gaming;

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700F 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($312.96 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($102.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB VENTUS 2X OCV1 Video Card ($579.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1423.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-03-31 13:46 EDT-0400


This is a perfectly reasonable alternative to save cost;
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($179.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB VENTUS 2X OCV1 Video Card ($579.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 PST 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fans 5-Pack ($36.97 @ Amazon)
Total: $1264.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-03-31 13:55 EDT-0400

The OP wants ITX. I have an ITX rig myself. Not really constrained any with mine though. ITX can be overpriced, but all boards are overpriced these days.


With the power limits are removed, the CPU core temperature quickly hits 100C and this introduces throttling. The amount of frequency taken out of the CPU will depend on the workload, and of course, we've already looked at application performance when thermally limited using the RM1 cooler.

To avoid throttling, a basic tower style air cooler will suffice, we're looking at only slightly more power draw than the Ryzen 9 5900X, and quite a bit less than the Core i7-11700K.

A 120mm rad is comparable to basic tower coolers, in performance. I wanted a 140, but they are all out of stock everywhere. The cooler I picked, should be fine with a 12700, as it handled an overclocked 5930k, which was a very hot chip.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooler-master-masterliquid-ml120l-rgb-cpu-cooler,5348-2.html
 
Last edited:

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
The 12700 isn't the barn burner you are making it out to be. It is actually a very efficient chip. With the GPU they are pairing up with it, they could run the 65w spec limit, and see no gaming performance difference, vs running it with power limits enabled.


Blender_Power.png


Even with a 6900xt, the difference isn't much set at 65 vs power limits removed.

1080p_Average.png
 
The 12700 isn't the barn burner you are making it out to be. It is actually a very efficient chip. With the GPU they are pairing up with it, they could run the 65w spec limit, and see no gaming performance difference, vs running it with power limits enabled.


Blender_Power.png


Even with a 6900xt, the difference isn't much set at 65 vs power limits removed.

1080p_Average.png
So 140 watts of heat to dissipate with a 120-140mm AIO that isn't worth its weight in copper or aluminum. From that chart the difference in performance between the power stats is the difference between entire tiers of CPU. If you are going to run it with the more strict power limit you mind has well spend half as much and get a 6 core part that can fun full bore in a good new case with great cooling to achieve the same fps. The first chart only shows wattage which is useless because it does not also show the performance for comparison at that power restriction.
 

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
The 10 game average has the 65w Intel spec results in it. They are going to be using an RX 6600. Even with a 6900xt, on average, the lows were on 8 fps apart, and 13 on the average FPS. You will see 0 difference, with the 6600. A 12700 will hold up longer, without the need for an upgrade, vs the 12400.
 

rwhipple08

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Thank you both for the advice! I haven't looked at PC components in a long time and it's hard to catch up on all the nomenclature and specs.

I have space in my case for & intend to use a 240mm AIO (the back 2 fan positions of the ThermalTake Core V1). Will that alleviate the concerns about cooling? Also, coolers have so many varieties...it seems like the differences are mostly cosmetic but it's hard to find actual specs in the middle of all the marketing material. Based on your 120/280 recommendations above, I was looking at:

ARCTIC Liquid Freezer ii 240 -
I like that the tubes come out perpendicular to the block; seems like that guarantees no issues with clearance around the CPU socket. It also looks like the pump and fans are independently controlled which should make for a quieter system.

CoolerMaster ML240L V2 RGB -
It isn't clear to me if the CoolerMaster line has independently controlled pump & fan speeds, or has any other pro/con vs the ARCTIC cooler.

I have a Noctua NH-U9S in the old machine already that fits fine and did a good job on the old setup. Would this be better than an AIO? There is plenty of space for it in the case so I don't have any concerns there, just unsure how the cooling & noise would stack up against a 240mm AIO solution.

The 10 game average has the 65w Intel spec results in it. They are going to be using an RX 6600. Even with a 6900xt, on average, the lows were on 8 fps apart, and 13 on the average FPS. You will see 0 difference, with the 6600. A 12700 will hold up longer, without the need for an upgrade, vs the 12400.
Sorry if I'm being a bit dense here. It sounds like you're recommending the 12700 for future-proofing, but I won't see a difference between the 12700 and 12400 with the current build? I don't necessarily have a problem with that, just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly.
 
Thank you both for the advice! I haven't looked at PC components in a long time and it's hard to catch up on all the nomenclature and specs.

I have space in my case for & intend to use a 240mm AIO (the back 2 fan positions of the ThermalTake Core V1). Will that alleviate the concerns about cooling? Also, coolers have so many varieties...it seems like the differences are mostly cosmetic but it's hard to find actual specs in the middle of all the marketing material. Based on your 120/280 recommendations above, I was looking at:

ARCTIC Liquid Freezer ii 240 -
I like that the tubes come out perpendicular to the block; seems like that guarantees no issues with clearance around the CPU socket. It also looks like the pump and fans are independently controlled which should make for a quieter system.

CoolerMaster ML240L V2 RGB -
It isn't clear to me if the CoolerMaster line has independently controlled pump & fan speeds, or has any other pro/con vs the ARCTIC cooler.

I have a Noctua NH-U9S in the old machine already that fits fine and did a good job on the old setup. Would this be better than an AIO? There is plenty of space for it in the case so I don't have any concerns there, just unsure how the cooling & noise would stack up against a 240mm AIO solution.

Sorry if I'm being a bit dense here. It sounds like you're recommending the 12700 for future-proofing, but I won't see a difference between the 12700 and 12400 with the current build? I don't necessarily have a problem with that, just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly.
The difference in FPS right now between a 12400 and a 12700 is as 'insignificant' as the difference between running the 12700 at its constrained power limits to keep temps in check vs its higher power profile which gives the most performance. His argument is that a 12700 will be good for a longer amount of time in which I concur. The problem is that a 12700 with a neutered power profile performs the same as something that cost nearly half as much and all you get for it are 2 p cores and 4 e cores. You could also just slot in a better CPU later if 6 cores / 12 threads begin to hold you back (many years from now). Currently and into the next few years at minimum a 6c/12t CPU will perform admirably and keeps to the budget and can be cooled reasonably with an ITX case.

I would recommend against the arctic freezer II AIOs for itx because they have extra thick radiators that make them very difficult to put in small cases. Lian Li makes a very nice 240mm AIO that should fit most cases where 2 120mm fans can go.
 

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
Thank you both for the advice! I haven't looked at PC components in a long time and it's hard to catch up on all the nomenclature and specs.

I have space in my case for & intend to use a 240mm AIO (the back 2 fan positions of the ThermalTake Core V1). Will that alleviate the concerns about cooling? Also, coolers have so many varieties...it seems like the differences are mostly cosmetic but it's hard to find actual specs in the middle of all the marketing material. Based on your 120/280 recommendations above, I was looking at:

Sorry if I'm being a bit dense here. It sounds like you're recommending the 12700 for future-proofing, but I won't see a difference between the 12700 and 12400 with the current build? I don't necessarily have a problem with that, just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly.

Those back fans are 80mm, so a 240mm rad will not work. You would need a different case, for that. Yes the 12700 was a "future-proofing" suggestion.
 

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
Thanks for saving me the $ and embarrassment. I have no idea why I assumed those were 120mm fan slots.

No problem. Does this system absolutely have to be Mini-ITX? M-ATX would make things easier, without going huge.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700F 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($312.96 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 RGB 68.9 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($116.15 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($122.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team CARDEA ZERO Z440 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($124.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($389.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Deepcool MATREXX 40 3FS MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1268.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-01 12:53 EDT-0400
 
Last edited:

rwhipple08

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No problem. Does this system absolutely have to be Mini-ITX? M-ATX would make things easier, without going huge.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700F 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($312.96 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 RGB 68.9 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($116.15 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($122.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team CARDEA ZERO Z440 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($124.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($389.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Deepcool MATREXX 40 3FS MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1268.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-01 12:53 EDT-0400
I'll have to take some time and think about the form factor. I have to rearrange things anyway to get my work MacBook hooked into everything. My initial thought was to stick with Mini-ITX to keep more layout options available & probably put it behind my monitor. If M-ATX opens up a lot more hardware options I'll have to see how it could fit either behind my monitor or maybe move it under my desk
 
I'll have to take some time and think about the form factor. I have to rearrange things anyway to get my work MacBook hooked into everything. My initial thought was to stick with Mini-ITX to keep more layout options available & probably put it behind my monitor. If M-ATX opens up a lot more hardware options I'll have to see how it could fit either behind my monitor or maybe move it under my desk
Don't dismiss putting the case on a wall shelf either.
 
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logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
Good build, but 1440p gaming and an RX 6600 non-xt seems iffy even for 60 fps, no?
Guess this chart shows it all

This is true. With their budget, they may as well reuse nothing, and go all new, if they want a good 1440p experience. Not a fan of the 12400, as it lacks E-Cores, but budget is king.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($179.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX GTE V2 64.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN570 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Challenger D Video Card ($614.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool MATREXX 40 3FS MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($84.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1258.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-01 17:15 EDT-0400
 
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rwhipple08

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I did some more research on CPUs, mostly based on these articles:

https://www.tomshardware.com/features/amd-vs-intel-cpus

If I'm reading these correctly, it seems like the i5-12600 gets about 10% better FPS and about 20-25% better synthetic benchmarks than the Ryzen 5 5600X, but does so at almost twice the TDP (125W vs 65W). I also looked into the P & E cores issue you brought up (thanks!), and see that the Ryzen only has 6 P cores to the i5's 6P+4E, yet it still has a lower TDP for performance that is in the ballpark as the i5.

I want to take thermals into account since I live in Arizona and I can definitely tell when a machine is acting like a space heater in my office. Also, lower thermals = less cooling noise. If the real-world FPS performance is close but AMD is half the TDP, I may go that way. Am I interpreting the data correctly?

Edit: Current pricing on the i5-12600 is $240, 5-5600X is $229, so the pricing difference mentioned in the articles isn't such a big deal now.
 

rwhipple08

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If I decide to go with a larger case & add ~$250 for a new case and cooler, the build below becomes viable. Is this balanced between CPU and GPU capabilities? Am I near any significant breakpoint in cost/performance tradeoffs? I think I'm good with the CPU, and it looks like any incremental improvement to the GPU is about a jump of $150 and 70W TDP minimum.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($278.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Lian Li GALAHAD AIO 240 RGB 69.17 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($154.91 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($122.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Challenger D Video Card ($614.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 205 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1570.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-02 12:14 EDT-0400
 
If I decide to go with a larger case & add ~$250 for a new case and cooler, the build below becomes viable. Is this balanced between CPU and GPU capabilities? Am I near any significant breakpoint in cost/performance tradeoffs? I think I'm good with the CPU, and it looks like any incremental improvement to the GPU is about a jump of $150 and 70W TDP minimum.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($278.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Lian Li GALAHAD AIO 240 RGB 69.17 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($154.91 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($122.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Challenger D Video Card ($614.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 205 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1570.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-02 12:14 EDT-0400
Better cooler, better motherboard, same RAM.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($278.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($102.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z690 GAMING X DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB GAMING OC Rev 2.0 Video Card ($589.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 205 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1508.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-03 02:41 EDT-0400
 

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
If I decide to go with a larger case & add ~$250 for a new case and cooler, the build below becomes viable. Is this balanced between CPU and GPU capabilities? Am I near any significant breakpoint in cost/performance tradeoffs? I think I'm good with the CPU, and it looks like any incremental improvement to the GPU is about a jump of $150 and 70W TDP minimum.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($278.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Lian Li GALAHAD AIO 240 RGB 69.17 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($154.91 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($122.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Challenger D Video Card ($614.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 205 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1570.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-02 12:14 EDT-0400

That is too much wattage, for your psu to handle safely.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($274.94 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 5 Black Edition 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z690 UD DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($199.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: SK hynix Gold P31 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Challenger D Video Card ($614.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 205 Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Super Flower Leadex III Super Pro 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Total: $1568.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-04-04 08:25 EDT-0400
 
That is too much wattage, for your psu to handle safely.
No, a 550w with his build is the minimum. a 3060 ti (what I have suggested) peaks at ~200 watts and the 12600k peaks at ~220 watts. That leaves headroom (~120w) for the rest of the system. Those wattage numbers are also worst case scenario. more than likely gaming will be 120-160w max on the CPU while ~200w will be hit when the GPU is fully saturated.