Question Should I return my i9-12900K Intel Bundle for Ryzen Parts

[MutualBenefits]

I recently bought Intel components bundle from MicroCenter, that included a 12900K processor, an Asus Z790 Prime V motherboard, and Gskill RipJaws S 16GB x 2 DDR5 RAM bundled for $400. Additionally, I acquired a Deepcool AK620 WH cooler. After some consideration, I realized that this might not be the best choice since my upgrade options would be limited to the 14th generation. Today, I came across a used Ryzen 7 7700x for $125 from a reputable seller on Craigslist done this morning. Considering this, should I return the unopened Intel bundle and opt for the following components instead?

MSI x670E mag tomahawk mobo @ $279
Corsair Vengeance 64GB 2 x 32GB DDR5-5200 PC5-41600 CL40 @ $169

Parts Available From old Ryzen 9 5900X Build
10TB HDD
4TB HDD
Samsung 870 Evo 500GB SSD
Radeon Rx 6800 (Future Upgrade RTX 4090)
Samsung 980 Pro 1TB NVME
Crucial Mx500 1TB SSD
Samsung 870 Evo 1TB SSD
Corsair Rx 1000M PSU

I’ll use this pc for gaming, content creation (digital artist, animation and video editing) plus regular internet searching, again power consumption and 14th gen being last cpu upgrade on Z790 chipset I’m having regrets (didn’t open anything yet)

 

[Darkbreeze]

There is no such Ryzen part as 770x. So what do you actually have, and did you already buy the Ryzen part? Did you SEE the part working? You seem to be very willing to roll the dice on the idea that somebody was willing to sell you a CPU that even used likely sells for much more than that, but will just be fine with nothing wrong with it. I'd be very skeptical. Just because the seller is reputable does not mean it has been tested, or that it doesn't have some kind of problem.

Even if you were to roll the dice on this, I think it would be foolish to return a system that you got a great deal on before knowing the used hardware even works.

Edit: I assume 770x was a typo.

 

[MutualBenefits]

There is no such Ryzen part as 770x. So what do you actually have, and did you already buy the Ryzen part? Did you SEE the part working? You seem to be very willing to roll the dice on the idea that somebody was willing to sell you a CPU that even used likely sells for much more than that, but will just be fine with nothing wrong with it. I'd be very skeptical. Just because the seller is reputable does not mean it has been tested, or that it doesn't have some kind of problem.

Even if you were to roll the dice on this, I think it would be foolish to return a system that you got a great deal on before knowing the used hardware even works.

I acquired the 7700x CPU this morning on 12/24 from a seller who allowed me to verify its functionality. While the 12900K bundle seemed like a fantastic deal and was purchased on 12/22, concerns have arisen after watching numerous videos highlighting its power consumption (which could potentially increase my utility bill) and limited upgrade options, only supporting 13th and 14th gen processors. These factors are making me reconsider building the PC, as I fear I may regret the decision deeply.

 

[Darkbreeze]

So, the difference in maximum power consumption between the 12900k (Maximum all core turbo power) and 7700x (With PBO enabled) is only about 40w. That is less than the difference of most non-LED lightbulbs in your home. Over the course of a year, the difference would be very minimal AND that is assuming you'd be running with those kinds of loads all the time which you would not, since those figures are MAXIMUM all core loads running something like Prime95 or Blender, which you would not be continuously running even if you used them occasionally. They are not real world loads.

Under real world conditions, these CPUs only have about a 20w difference in their baseline TDPs. That's literally almost nothing and certainly not a worthy reason for choosing one over the other, especially when the 12900k has about a 15% performance advantage over the 7700x.

But depending on what you actually need these for, either of them is likely fine and so that's up to you. You have two additional generations of CPU products you can upgrade to on the Intel side, and the 14900k has about a 13% bump in single core performance and a 45% bump in multithreaded performance over the 12900k.

The 7700x on the other hand is on an AM5 platform that AMD has only promised will remain supported through 2025. Since we are about to start 2024 and the Ryzen 8000 series parts aren't even slated to become available until the middle of 2024, it makes it very uncertain as to whether there will even BE another generation supported on AM5 or not. Maybe, but AMD has not said they will, so there is no guarantee there and the probability is that it won't be since DDR6 is supposed to be coming in 2024 as well which means once it is commercially available, most likely BOTH Intel and AMD will move to new sockets which means if ANY of that happens, your AM5 board becomes obsolete and you maybe get one generational upgrade at best.

But looking too far down the road is always a fool's game anyhow, so in truth both of these parts are pretty capable and if you think you have a trustworthy CPU and can get the rest of the parts for that platform for less than the bundle you already have, then go for it. Personally, and I'm not for either Intel or AMD because I have had tons of systems from both camps and currently am running a 12700k in my main system with a Ryzen 5600G in the system in my garage. I couldn't really care less which camp I'm in so long as it can do what I need and the price is acceptable.

 

[mdd1963]

You can control your own power consumption by by:

Not overclocking beyond Intel specs...

Setting whichever upper power limits you'd like to limit the boost duration, clock speeds, etc...

It's not like every 12900K simply jumps to 350 watts, etc, for no reason whatsoever

Critical settings in BIOS and/or Intel's XTU will indeed properly control power consumption.

(Those last 200-300 MHz clock speeds across all cores typically bring most folks double the power consumption for an added 2% in gaming performance....)

From a gaming perspective, the two CPUs look to be a wash...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op2Q9jSyocA

 

[Darkbreeze]

I agree. They are very closely matched in a lot of regards. Which is why I said they are both viable options. Good points.

 

[Flayed]

I recently bought Intel components bundle from MicroCenter, that included a 12900K processor, an Asus Z790 Prime V motherboard, and Gskill RipJaws S 16GB x 2 DDR5 RAM bundled for $400.

That is a great deal. We never get bundles like that on this side of the pond.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That is a great deal. We never get bundles like that on this side of the pond.

Right. Even in the US that CPU is normally like 335 dollars which means they got the motherboard and memory, both of which are excellent, for like 65 bucks. That's a terrific deal.

 

[MutualBenefits]

OK,

I agree. They are very closely matched in a lot of regards. Which is why I said they are both viable options. Good points.

Based on everything explained, I will just exchange everything on Tuesday (when micro center is open) for the 7800x3D bundle for $100 extra. I could likely sell the 7700x I’ve purchased used plus my used 5900x for $200 - $250.. I’ll be able to upgrade 7900x3d or 7950x3d later then have the 8000 series as my last upgrade giving me at least no upgrading to a new socket until 2026-2027

https://www.microcenter.com/product...ies-32gb-ddr5-6000-kit,-computer-build-bundle

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, of course it's YOUR plan, so you have to do what makes you feel best about it. But I will add this just as a parting shot. I heard the exact same things when I built my 12700k system. It's too hot. It uses so much power. You'll need a jet turbine to cool it. And the fact is, it uses less power than my 6700k did based on my kill-a-watt, and using the exact same Noctua NH-U14S cooler I have better core and package temps than I did with the 6700k. So, you have to also realize that almost every "review", and the majority of negative forum posts you read about a given part are all usually from very early in it's lifecycle. Improvements in BIOS firmware revisions and drivers OFTEN resolve a lot of those early issues. They did for the 12th Gen parts quite a bit as they usually do for all generations.

But if sticking with Ryzen makes you happier, then that is the better choice, for you. So good luck to you MB. Hope it all works out to your satisfaction.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

personally I went from am4 to a z690 board and i5 12600kf. Been happy so far with it. But I agree on the power consumption you aren’t talking about a lot of money especially in most places in the USA.