Question Pc Build Optimization

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viralz

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Nov 4, 2019
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I recently bought a RTX 4070 and my current CPU, an i7 9700k, is bottlenecking my GPU. I want to upgrade my CPU to maximize performance for my 4070 but I don't know what the best option is. I'm looking at an Intel core i7 12700K, i7 13700K, or i5 13600K. I'm fine with getting a new motherboard and I would prefer to change to a MATX motherboard. I was looking at the ASRock B760 Pro RS LGA 1700 DDR5 ATX Motherboard. Let me know what CPU and Motherboard you would recommend. Thanks for your time!

Current Specs

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (It's currently overclocked with the game boost feature in the bios)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i RGB PLATINUM 75 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
SSD: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (All my games and OS are currently on the SSD)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB Video Card
Case: Corsair Obsidian 500D RGB SE ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
 
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Do you have a budget?
What parts would you want to keep?
What is the advantage to you of a MATX motherboard if you do not opt for a different case?
Any of the named processors would be a big upgrade.
You could include the i5-13400 or i5 13500 which are comparable to the 12600k.
On general principles, I would pick 13th gen over 12th.
Run the cpu-Z bench on your 9700K and look at the single thread performance rating.
You should get something like 556.
valid.x86.fr

CPU-Z Benchmark for Intel Core i5-13500 (1T) - CPU-Z VALIDATOR

Best CPU performance - 64-bit - December 2024
valid.x86.fr valid.x86.fr

Is 16gb of ram sufficient for you, or, do you plan on going to 32gb?
How old is your H100I? with age, plan on replacing it.

Overclocking 13th gen is usually pointless unless it is for multithreaded batch apps.
For gaming, the default turbo mechanism can boost a few cores past what an all core oc can do.
 
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Dj0gany said:
What type of games do you play, at what settings, and at what resolution?
If its some AAA game like Elden Ring, Cyberpunk, etc... I doubt that the i7 9700K can't handle those games, and since they are way more GPU dependant than CPU...
Click to expand...
My bad I actually have Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory. I typically play fps games at 1080p on low to medium setting for higher fps. I care more about fps than good graphics. I may upgrade to a 1440p monitor in the future though so I do want parts that would be good for that.
 
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geofelt said:
Do you have a budget?
What parts would you want to keep?
What is the advantage to you of a MATX motherboard if you do not opt for a different case?
Any of the named processors would be a big upgrade.
You could include the i5-13400 or i5 13500 which are comparable to the 12600k.
On general principles, I would pick 13th gen over 12th.
Run the cpu-Z bench on your 9700K and look at the single thread performance rating.
You should get something like 556.
valid.x86.fr

CPU-Z Benchmark for Intel Core i5-13500 (1T) - CPU-Z VALIDATOR

Best CPU performance - 64-bit - December 2024
valid.x86.fr valid.x86.fr

Is 16gb of ram sufficient for you, or, do you plan on going to 32gb?
How old is your H100I? with age, plan on replacing it.

Overclocking 13th gen is usually pointless unless it is for multithreaded batch apps.
For gaming, the default turbo mechanism can boost a few cores past what an all core oc can do.
Click to expand...
I actually have Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory. My H100I is about 4 years old. I wasn't planning on replacing it. Should I?

I don't want to go over $400 for the CPU unless it would really be worth it. As for the other parts I don't care what they cost as long as they aren't absurdly expensive. I don't care to keep any of the parts besides the 4070. I'm fine with getting a new motherboard for a new CPU and RAM. I want a MATX because I want to get a smaller case in the future.

My bench for the single thread was a 535.8.
 
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I say use an AIR cooler. A lot of water coolers can fail especially when older (See posts here, I have no experience)

Microcenter has some amazing deals on 7900x if your in the states.

I would get a 2TB NVME if you can afford it, their affordable now finally and you can dump the old slow storage.
 
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viralz said:
My bad I actually have Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory. I typically play fps games at 1080p on low to medium setting for higher fps. I care more about fps than good graphics. I may upgrade to a 1440p monitor in the future though so I do want parts that would be good for that.
Click to expand...
Its a different story if you play FPS games, they are more CPU intensive.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor ($364.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black 60.09 CFM CPU Cooler ($129.94 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Pro RS Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $719.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-27 21:23 EDT-0400

This would do for now.
i7 13700k is a pretty noticable jump in performance when comparing it to your 9700k.
The AsRock motherboard you mentioned will do fine with the 13700k.
NH-U12s will be enough to cool your CPU if your main task is gaming.
32GB of ram will last you a while before you need to ugprade it, again, if your main task is gaming.
 
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Dj0gany said:
Its a different story if you play FPS games, they are more CPU intensive.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor ($364.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black 60.09 CFM CPU Cooler ($129.94 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B760M Pro RS Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $719.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-27 21:23 EDT-0400

This would do for now.
i7 13700k is a pretty noticable jump in performance when comparing it to your 9700k.
The AsRock motherboard you mentioned will do fine with the 13700k.
NH-U12s will be enough to cool your CPU if your main task is gaming.
32GB of ram will last you a while before you need to ugprade it, again, if your main task is gaming.
Click to expand...
Alright thank you for your time and input I really appreciate it!
 
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I asked for the cpuZ test so you could see where you stood among a very long list of processors.

There is no difference in performance between DDR4 and DDR5 ram.
Since you already have a perfectly usable 32gb set of ddr4 ram, build based on that.
Intel, unlike ryzen is not tied to fast ram for performance.

I happen to like MATX, I wish some were available when the 12th gen was introduced.Some MATX boards are a bit stripped down to meet a price point.
Looking at what is available on newegg, I like the MSI PRO B760M-A wifi.
It has a decent amount of rear panel ports, a bit more robust vrm and coolers, and it includes wifi.

All 13th gen runs hot.
The chips are built to run at 100c.
Motherboard makers ignore the suggested power limits to get the most out of their motherboards and processors.
You can tone it down if you want to.
Here is an article on running 13th gen with less than maximal cooling:
www.tomshardware.com

Core i9-13900K Cooling Guide: Testing Intel's Flagship With Budget Air and Big AIOs

The Core i9-13900K can push even the most capable liquid coolers to their limits, but you don’t lose that much performance if you go with budget-priced air cooling.
www.tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com

In video form:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNFgswzTvyc


I would abandon the H100 for two reasons.
1. aio coolers do not last forever. Think 5 years. In time the mechanical pump breaks or gets clogged with debris.
Air will permeate the tubes and the unit will need to be replaced.

2. Twin tower air coolers with 140mm fans will cool just as well in a good case as a 240 aio.
It will be quieter in the process and it will also cool the motherboard vrm's which tend to be overlooked.

Noctua keeps a list of suitable coolers for various processors.
Here is the list for the 13700K:

INTEL Core i7-13700K | CPU Compatibility | Noctua Compatibility Centre

Series: Raptor Lake-S, Socket: LGA 1700
ncc.noctua.at ncc.noctua.at
 
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FWIW: Intel does not usually cut prices on previous products when new products are introduced.
New products are priced similarly but become better buys because of the improved performance.
If the new product is top end, they will also command an early adopter price premium from sellers.
 
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We are seeing bundle deals and discounts on 12th gen parts now.

There are rumours on 14th gen to cost 15% more, but if that happens everyone will get AMD as the price to performance wont be competitive.

I am suggesting to wait and see if possible, if the OP can.
 
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