[SOLVED] To which CPU i should upgrade ?

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baltais99

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Aug 10, 2020
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Hello guys!

Recently I heard there are some new intel CPUs out there, and thought maybe this is the time to do a PC upgrade. My main priority with this PC build is gaming in 1080p @ 60fps (prefer. max settings), and i feel my CPU is the bottleneck here.
I'm ready to spend up to 500-600€ on a CPU upgrade.

So what are my CPU upgrade options? (preferably keeping the same mobo).

Thanks!

SPECS:
GPU: RTX 2060 6gb zotac,
CPU: intel i5 7500 3.4Ghz
RAM: 2x Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB 2400MHz DDR4 (16gb total),
PSU : vs550
Motherboard : MSI ms-7a70
Storage: 1TB SSD

Edit: is adding any more RAM to this build at this point worth doing?
 
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Solution
DRagor
Corsair RM is good, RMx is even better. Wattage depends mostly on GPU.
12600K run at full power might actually be able to overpower your trusty Gammaxx 400. It will certainly work, but you may not be able to reach full CPU potential.
Edit: Let's not forget about one thing - since LGA1700 socket has different dimensions that previous Intel sockets you will need a new bracket if you want to keep your cooler.
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baltais99 said:
Hello guys!

Recently I heard there are some new intel CPUs out there, and thought maybe this is the time to do a PC upgrade. My main priority with this PC build is gaming in 1080p @ 60fps (prefer. max settings), and i feel my CPU is the bottleneck here.
I'm ready to spend up to 500-600€ on a CPU upgrade.

So what are my CPU upgrade options? (preferably keeping the same mobo).

Thanks!

SPECS:
GPU: RTX 2060 6gb zotac,
CPU: intel i5 7500 3.4Ghz
RAM: 2x Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB 2400MHz DDR4,
PSU : vs550
Motherboard : MSI ms-7a70

Edit: is adding any more RAM to this build at this point worth doing?
Click to expand...

Are you having problems playing games at 1080p/60fps?

That old motherboard can support up to a 7th gen i7 CPU.

I wouldn't waste money on more RAM.
 
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There is exactly zero CPU upgrades that make sense with current board.
When going for new mobo your best call would be something like i5-12400 plus any DDR4 (DDR5 is too expensive rn) B660 mobo that fits your needs. Then you can either keep your current RAM (it's a bit on slow side but temporary will do) or buy new set of 2x8 Gb 3200-3600 MHz kit (whichever would be cheaper). Also, I would drop that PSU and get something more reliable.
As for RAM, unsure if you have 8 or 16 Gb total - if 16 then that's enough for now, but you want it faster anyway for new CPU.
 
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baltais99 said:
Recently I heard there are some new intel CPUs out there, and thought maybe this is the time to do a PC upgrade. My main priority with this PC build is gaming in 1080p @ 60fps (prefer. max settings), and i feel my CPU is the bottleneck here.
I'm ready to spend up to 500-600€ on a CPU upgrade.
So what are my CPU upgrade options? (preferably keeping the same mobo).
Click to expand...
Any new Intel cpus are not compatible with your system.
Max possible on your motherboard is i7-7700 (or i7-7700k, but your motherboard doesn't support overclocking, so wouldn't make much sense going with "K" cpu).

If you choose to change motherboard also, then sky is the limit (or more preciously your wallet).

PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($363.95 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME Z690M-PLUS D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($189.99 @ ASUS)
Total: $553.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-02-20 08:54 EST-0500
 
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drivinfast247 said:
Are you having problems playing games at 1080p/60fps?

That old motherboard can support up to a 7th gen i7 CPU.

I wouldn't waste money on more RAM.
Click to expand...

With this setup, I had problems running stable 60fps at max settings for Cyberpunk (have not tried the latest few updates, so that maybe fixed some of the performance issues)

Had problems with Horizon Zero Dawn, had a lot of fps drops/freezes when settings maxed out

Also GTA 5 issues.


And thanks for the heads up regarding gen versions.
 
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SkyNetRising said:
Any new Intel cpus are not compatible with your system.
Max possible on your motherboard is i7-7700 (or i7-7700k, but your motherboard doesn't support overclocking, so wouldn't make much sense going with "K" cpu).

If you choose to change motherboard also, then sky is the limit (or more preciously your wallet).

PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($363.95 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME Z690M-PLUS D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($189.99 @ ASUS)
Total: $553.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-02-20 08:54 EST-0500
Click to expand...

Thanks for the answer! Also, i didn't know my mobo wasn't overclockable.

About your example, what about DRagor mention of better RAM and PSU? Does this also apply to this case you presented? Would it be worth it to change/add it also?
And how much better would this new build be?

Lets say for example, I'm ready to spend up to 1k euros for this new build, is it even worth it to spend that much for 1080p@60? Or can I get the same performance for less?
 
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baltais99 said:
Thanks for the answer! Also, i didn't know my mobo wasn't overclockable.

About your example, what about DRagor mention of better RAM and PSU? Does this also apply to this case? Would it be worth it?
And how much better would this new build be?

Lets say for example, I'm ready to spend up to 1k euros for this new build, is it even worth it to spend that much for 1080p@60? Or can I get the same performance for less?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't spend any more money on this PC. The reason the PSU was mentioned is the one you have is of poor quality.
 
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SkyNetRising said:
Any new Intel cpus are not compatible with your system.
Max possible on your motherboard is i7-7700 (or i7-7700k, but your motherboard doesn't support overclocking, so wouldn't make much sense going with "K" cpu).

If you choose to change motherboard also, then sky is the limit (or more preciously your wallet).

PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700 2.1 GHz 12-Core Processor ($363.95 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME Z690M-PLUS D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($189.99 @ ASUS)
Total: $553.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-02-20 08:54 EST-0500
Click to expand...

OP. Look here! Take this advice and add a decent PSU to the list and you'll have a very nice 1080p/60fps machine.

Not sure of your storage situation but I'd make sure to have a SSD for OS and games.
 
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drivinfast247 said:
I wouldn't spend any more money on this PC. The reason the PSU was mentioned is the one you have is of poor quality.
Click to expand...

Ok, gotcha!

drivinfast247 said:
OP. Look here! Take this advice and add a decent PSU to the list and you'll have a very nice 1080p/60fps machine.

Not sure of your storage situation but I'd make sure to have a SSD for OS and games.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

What PSU would you suggest to be powerful/optimal enough for this new build?

And yes I have a 1TB SSD, should have mentioned that in the specs list.
 
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drivinfast247 said:
OP. Look here! Take this advice and add a decent PSU to the list and you'll have a very nice 1080p/60fps machine.

Not sure of your storage situation but I'd make sure to have a SSD for OS and games.
Click to expand...

BTW, the price differences aren't so big between i7-12700s, is it maybe worth adding extra 60 EUROS for a better model? Would the performance increase be worth it?

  1. i7-12700 370 Euros
  2. i7-12700KF 420 euros
  3. I7-12700K 435 euros
 
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Try this simple test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
But, if your FPS stays the same, you are likely confirming that you are more cpu limited.
Most games will be dependent on the single thread performance of the master thread.

Run the CPU-Z bench.
If you are operating normally, you should see a single thread rating around 438:
http://valid.x86.fr/bench/ydk4e5

A good way to compare processors is to look at the passmark ratings.
Your I5-7500 has 4 threads and a passmark rating around 6059. That is when all 4 threads are 100% busy.
The single thread rating is 2109:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-7500+@+3.40GHz&id=2910

The 12th gen intel processors have a new architecture that improves the performance per clock.
And, I3/I5/I7/I9 no longer mean what they used to(# of cores/threads)
The designation now is more like a ranking of performance.

Your budget suggests to me that a I5-12600K at £266.56 would be good:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-i5-1...puters&sprefix=i5-12600k,computers,189&sr=1-1
you get 16 threads and a passmark rating of 26995/3971
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-12600K&id=4603

You pay a bit more for the K(vs KF) version.
I think having integrated graphics is cheap insurance for a graphics issue.

A MSI Z690 -PRO A DDR4 is not that expensive at £189.98

There is a wifi version if you need that.

Plan on reusing your ram. Games are fine with 16gb. Only if you are heavily multitasking while gaming might you need 32gb. Ram speed is not much of an issue with Intel.
It might pay to defer any such decision since it costs you nothing to go with what you have.
There are DDR5 options which are more expensive in motherboard as well as ram costs.
And, the difference today in performance is negligible.
 
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geofelt said:
Try this simple test:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
But, if your FPS stays the same, you are likely confirming that you are more cpu limited.
Most games will be dependent on the single thread performance of the master thread.

Run the CPU-Z bench.
If you are operating normally, you should see a single thread rating around 438:
http://valid.x86.fr/bench/ydk4e5

A good way to compare processors is to look at the passmark ratings.
Your I5-7500 has 4 threads and a passmark rating around 6059. That is when all 4 threads are 100% busy.
The single thread rating is 2109:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-7500+@+3.40GHz&id=2910

The 12th gen intel processors have a new architecture that improves the performance per clock.
And, I3/I5/I7/I9 no longer mean what they used to(# of cores/threads)
The designation now is more like a ranking of performance.

Your budget suggests to me that a I5-12600K at £266.56 would be good:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-i5-12600K-Generation-Desktop-Processor/dp/B09GYHXDHH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1F1BU3V4NJU6K&keywords=i5-12600k&qid=1645371748&s=computers&sprefix=i5-12600k,computers,189&sr=1-1
you get 16 threads and a passmark rating of 26995/3971
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-12600K&id=4603

You pay a bit more for the K(vs KF) version.
I think having integrated graphics is cheap insurance for a graphics issue.

A MSI Z690 -PRO A DDR4 is not that expensive at £189.98

There is a wifi version if you need that.

Plan on reusing your ram. Games are fine with 16gb. Only if you are heavily multitasking while gaming might you need 32gb. Ram speed is not much of an issue with Intel.
It might pay to defer any such decision since it costs you nothing to go with what you have.
There are DDR5 options which are more expensive in motherboard as well as ram costs.
And, the difference today in performance is negligible.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info and detailed explanation!

I ran those games with MSI afterburner and most of the time CPU was at 100% utilization, when GPU was at 40-60% only, so that means, CPU is the bottleneck there.

Im thinking of going with i7-12700 + Asus PRIME Z690M-PLUS combo.

What kind of PSU would you suggest tho? As you mentioned earlier, a better PSU would also benefit the new build?
 
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Is there an offer for that 12700 and msi combo?
It seems strange to combine a non overclockable cpu with a Z690 motherboard capable of overclocking.

If your main work is batch multithreaded work, the extra threads of the 12700 processor could be useful.
But a B660 based motherboard would be cheaper and perform equally well.

In your situation, which is gaming, I would prioritize single thread performance, and the 12600K would be faster and cost less.

Your vs550 psu is not highly regarded as to quality on this older list:
linustechtips.com

PSU Tier List [OLD]

Credit to @Starelementpokeand @Energycore for helping out with this long-awaited refresh of the old PSU tier list by Aniallation (who previously went several months without logging in), leaving the old list in need of help. This is simply an update of the list that was flawed in creation by the P...
linustechtips.com linustechtips.com

I think a quality psu is a very good investment for the long haul.
Some of the newer 3000 series graphics cards have power draw spikes above nominal.
I would be looking at a unit with a 7 to 10 year warranty in the 750w/850w range.
A psu will only draw the power required of it, regardless of the max capability.

Seasonic focus and Corsair rm are good picks to start with.
 
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geofelt said:
Is there an offer for that 12700 and msi combo?
It seems strange to combine a non overclockable cpu with a Z690 motherboard capable of overclocking.
Click to expand...

Local offers are
12700 + Asus PRIME Z690M-PLUS = 372,66 + 211,57 €
12700k + Asus PRIME Z690M-PLUS = 435 + 211,57 €

12600K + B660M-A WiFi D4 = 312,11 + 161 €

Money differences here are not an issue, if you say that for gaming wise 12600K +B660 would outperform 12700k + Asus PRIME Z690M-PLUS, then there is no point in overpaying then.

Edit: maybe you can suggest a PSU from here? (https://www.1a.lv/c/datoru-komponentes-tikla-produkti/korpuss-un-dzesesana/barosanas-bloki-psu/2vy) you can use translate page to English
 
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baltais99 said:
if you say that for gaming wise 12600K +B660 would outperform 12700k + Asus PRIME Z690M-PLUS, then there is no point in overpaying then.
Click to expand...
B660 is severely limited compared to Z690. Less sata ports, less usb ports, less pcie connectivity, lower bandwidth between cpu and chipset.

Intel-chipsets-exposed-The-difference-between-Z690-H670-B660-and-H610-1-1024x834.jpg
 
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What is the make/model of your case?
Are you looking for a MATX sized motherboard to fit in a smaller case?
Be aware that you will want a cooler, even if a 12700 processor might come with one.
The 12th gen turbo mechanisms are very appropriate for gamers, and that might be limited if your cooling is not good.
Asus is one of the very few that has a z690 motherboard on MATX size.
Since budget is not a big issue, I would agree to the Z690 based motherboard pick.

Any 12th gen processor is going to be a massive upgrade over your I5-7500.

Here is a review. Note that the I5-12600K performance differs not much from the I9-12900K.
https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/core_i5_12600k_processor_review,21.html
You could expect a 12700k to slot in between.
 
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geofelt said:
What is the make/model of your case?
Are you looking for a MATX sized motherboard to fit in a smaller case?
Be aware that you will want a cooler, even if a 12700 processor might come with one.
The 12th gen turbo mechanisms are very appropriate for gamers, and that might be limited if your cooling is not good.
Asus is one of the very few that has a z690 motherboard on MATX size.
Since budget is not a big issue, I would agree to the Z690 based motherboard pick.

Any 12th gen processor is going to be a massive upgrade over your I5-7500.

Here is a review. Note that the I5-12600K performance differs not much from the I9-12900K.
https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/core_i5_12600k_processor_review,21.html
You could expect a 12700k to slot in between.
Click to expand...

For sizing, I have a neat case rn (Full tower (EATX)), so mobo size is not a factor here.
For cooling, I'm using a custom cooler already (Deepcool Gammaxx 400 Universal CPU Cooler XDC-GAMMAXX400), I think it will suffice?

Ok, so i will go for Asus PRIME Z690-P WIFI D4 + 12600K .

And what do you say about this PSU (Corsair RM RM750 750W) is it a good enough upgrade, or i should buy something more powerful?
 
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Corsair RM is good, RMx is even better. Wattage depends mostly on GPU.
12600K run at full power might actually be able to overpower your trusty Gammaxx 400. It will certainly work, but you may not be able to reach full CPU potential.
Edit: Let's not forget about one thing - since LGA1700 socket has different dimensions that previous Intel sockets you will need a new bracket if you want to keep your cooler.
 
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