Z690 board and i5-12400 cpu - what should I upgrade to?

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ss88

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motherboard: MSI Z690-A Pro DDR4 Intel LGA 1700 ATX
CPU: i5-12400 with stock cooler
RAM: 32gb DDR4
graphics: Nvidia P620 x 2

This is a trading computer I built 2 years ago. I notice that when the markets are busy, which means data streaming in faster, the fan ramps up. When I look at resource utilization in Windows Task Manager, memory is usually ~75%, but CPU varies from ~70-100%.

I assume that's a good indicator that CPU is where I should be looking to upgrade.

For this board, can I go up to i7-14700?
But for cost effective upgrade, maybe i7-12700 is the way to go?

Looking at Microcenter prices right now:
i7-12700k: $240 (I don't need k, but this is the only 12700 they have)
i7-13700: $330
i7-14700k: $370

What kind of cooler should I get for i7 CPU since heatsinks aren't included in the i7's? I'm a trader, not a gamer, so I don't think I need a high end cooling solution.
 
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That board is very good, I've used a few of them. A quick BIOS update and you'll be ready for any chip you want to put in it.

Microcenter should have the 14700 non-k which would probably be the best for $369, it has 8+12 cores instead of 8+8 (13700) or 8+4 (12700). It'll last a lot longer for your use. Any decent tower cooler for $35-50 should cool these just fine.
 
LigTasm said:
That board is very good, I've used a few of them. A quick BIOS update and you'll be ready for any chip you want to put in it.

Microcenter should have the 14700 non-k which would probably be the best for $369, it has 8+12 cores instead of 8+8 (13700) or 8+4 (12700). It'll last a lot longer for your use. Any decent tower cooler for $35-50 should cool these just fine.
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The 14700 non-k is out of stock (I could wait for it to get back in stock as it's not an emergency upgrade situation), but for the same price, shouldn't I just get the k even if I'm not ever going to overclock it?
 
Niner said:
Even an i5 14600 would be a nice upgrade for you.
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Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that. The i5-14600 smokes the i7-12700.
1709867386853.png


Even beats it on single thread rating. And it also marginally beats the i7-14700 on single thread rating.
1709867445100.png


Adding that to the list at current price/availability ((I don't need k, but some CPUs are only in stock in k flavor):
i7-12700k: $240
i5-14600k: $300
i7-13700: $330
i7-14700k: $370

For $60 more than i7-12700k, and $70 less than i7-14700k, the i5-14600k looks like a good choice.
 
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I've been happy with my i5's. I used to be the i7 or i9 buyer, but they seemed like overkill for what I was doing. The i5's run a lot cooler and are less power hungry.
 
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ss88 said:
Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that. The i5-14600 smokes the i7-12700.
View attachment 640270

Even beats it on single thread rating. And it also marginally beats the i7-14700 on single thread rating.
View attachment 640271

Adding that to the list at current price/availability ((I don't need k, but some CPUs are only in stock in k flavor):
i7-12700k: $240
i5-14600k: $300
i7-13700: $330
i7-14700k: $370

For $60 more than i7-12700k, and $70 less than i7-14700k, the i5-14500k looks like a good choice.
Click to expand...
Agreed. 14500K would be a very good upgrade for the price.
 
The i5-14600 upgrade has been great. I can't tell the difference between when market is moving quickly and when it's doing nothing - fan noise is roughly the same all day now. And CPU utilization is between 40-60% vs close to or at 100% during busy times. I suppose the fan upgrade from stock Intel cooler to the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 also played a significant role.
 
ss88 said:
The i5-14600 upgrade has been great. I can't tell the difference between when market is moving quickly and when it's doing nothing - fan noise is roughly the same all day now. And CPU utilization is between 40-60% vs close to or at 100% during busy times. I suppose the fan upgrade from stock Intel cooler to the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 also played a significant role.
Click to expand...
Nice, paid a little more for the 14600 and reaping the benefits.
 
Since you're not using a higher newer GPU I would say a 14600k if you really want the new gen processor.

If you plan on upgrading your GPU then I would say a 13900 or 14900 series because faster GPUs need more CPU speed. Paired with some low latency RAM also since Z690 can't do high frequency reliably.

If no GPU upgrade in sight, then an upgrade is not really needed imo.
 
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