9700k upgrade to i7-12700KF

antok86

[H]F Junkie
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got an upgrade itch and wondering if i should scratch it..currently running 9700k and was toying the idea of going with 12700kF and upgrade my ssds to gen4 to pair with my RTX3080. but get a z690 board that supports DDR4.

worth it?
 
No, it's not worth it. Next gen from Intel will be a worthy upgrade. Get 9900k and call it quits if you are bored. You should get a better monitor since AW3420DW has terrible g-sync implementation and is only 120hz. I used it as side monitor next to aw2721d.
 
No, it's not worth it. Next gen from Intel will be a worthy upgrade. Get 9900k and call it quits if you are bored. You should get a better monitor since AW3420DW has terrible g-sync implementation and is only 120hz. I used it as side monitor next to aw2721d.
The AW3420DW is fine don’t listen to the pro gamer and his tiny 240hz monitor. Enjoy your setup and maybe wait for the next Intel or AMD chip.
 
I'm upgrading exactly as you described above except I have a 3090. I should know by Sunday if it's worth it.
 
got an upgrade itch and wondering if i should scratch it..currently running 9700k and was toying the idea of going with 12700kF and upgrade my ssds to gen4 to pair with my RTX3080. but get a z690 board that supports DDR4.

worth it?
Your money. Your rig...
 
If it were me, I'd swap the 9700k for a 9900k and wait for DDR5 platforms to mature. That'll still give you better multi-threaded performance -- for games specifically there isn't a huge benefit in going with Alder Lake, especially if you are gaming at such a high resolution and at higher settings.
 
Not sure it’s even worth charging the CPU to the 9900k. Check out the video below that puts them side by side. Very close in gaming and sometimes even faster than the 9900k.

 
Not sure it’s even worth charging the CPU to the 9900k. Check out the video below that puts them side by side. Very close in gaming and sometimes even faster than the 9900k.



Yeah, like the hyperthreading is nice for some stuff, but I'd only do it if I could find a good deal on a 9900k to make the upgrade relatively inexpensive.
 
The only tiny thing here is your small e-peenie. :notworthy:You really need to reread what I wrote.

In context, you say it has a horrible G-sync implementation vs. the "G-sync ultimate" in your other monitor. Unless you provide a little more info as to why that's a better use of upgrade dollars, it doesn't make much sense to propose that in a CPU upgrade thread, especially since the OP didn't exactly specify what he's doing with his computer.

If he's trying to max out new release games at the 120Hz of his monitor, the 12700KF would get him ~5-10% closer (albeit at some considerable expense due to the costly platform upgrade). If he's doing any kind of productivity work or encoding, it seems like the 12700KF would be a no brainer.
 
I would think this would depend on what games you play or work you do. Benchmarks I've seen actually do show a difference between the 10 series and 12 series (the big outlets don't look at the 9 series anymore), so if you're CPU bound in whatever game you play (or other task you do), you'll probably notice a difference. Whether it's "worth it" depends on how dear the money spent and the warm fuzzy feeling of new hardware are to you.

I'm thinking of a similar upgrade for my VR and gaming machine. The game I play the most is DCS World, and that game seems to be super CPU bound, even with a 9900K and 2080 Ti, by virtue of relying so heavily on a single thread. Given the way framerate works in VR, even a 10% increase in the number of frames the CPU can process can lead to a disproportionate improvement in the user experience, because it can make the difference between reprojection and actual frames. The cost of the upgrade would also be offset somewhat by allowing me to shuffle all the other hardware in my house around, and there are some real productivity gains to be had from doing that.

So, antok86, what games do you play?
 
got an upgrade itch and wondering if i should scratch it..currently running 9700k and was toying the idea of going with 12700kF and upgrade my ssds to gen4 to pair with my RTX3080. but get a z690 board that supports DDR4.

worth it?
If you game at 1080p or 1440p, you should get an Alderlake. Your 3080 won't fully stretch its legs at those resolutions, with a 9700k.
 
The question you should be asking is whether or not your current rig is performing well enough. If you're satisfied with it, then save yourself the several hundred dollars you'd spend upgrading it for when something comes out that is actually better for you. Only you can make that determination, but if you were me and that was my gaming rig, I'm not bothering to upgrade it at this time.
 
I saw a decent uplift from 9900K to 12700K but that's because I play very CPU intensive games, I would say about 20% on average in RPGs or RTS games. But if you don't play very CPU intensive games or do any productivity work you probably should wait a bit more.
 
i think you should definitely do it, this is the perfect time to upgrade on the intel path, new stuff just got released and it's lovely, they have all the good stuff.

what would even be the reason not to upgrade?! that's actually the right question to be asked right now coz there's none!
now is the moment to pull the trigger, take the shot! just do it, it is the right thing to do. next intel stuff is only coming out one year from now and it's just a refresh, the good stuff will be the Meteor Lake, now that will be a big boom with a giant crater and ripples in that puddle, but it is only coming out in...2023...errrrrrrrgh

so what you gonna do?! listen to these nay sayers that can't even get a boner from an upgrade no more, pfff
i say> DO IT!

i wish you an awesome upgrade and in time for a merry @xmas! and i hope my words have helped you! gg cheers and have a good one!

peace out homie!💯🎅
☄️:hungry:☃️🌟⭐🎮🎮🎮🎁
 
The question you should be asking is whether or not your current rig is performing well enough. If you're satisfied with it, then save yourself the several hundred dollars you'd spend upgrading it for when something comes out that is actually better for you. Only you can make that determination, but if you were me and that was my gaming rig, I'm not bothering to upgrade it at this time.
I agree. I've been battling the upgrade bug as well. If I didn't game at 4K I probably would have upgraded by now, but I don't think I would see much of a difference upgrading from my 10850K.
 
I'm upgrading exactly as you described above except I have a 3090. I should know by Sunday if it's worth it.
Please do report back.

FWIW I read about and I'm just going to upgrade my 8086k with a 9900kf.

I did not feel like doing a full platform and OS upgrade to get full benefit of Alder Lake and the 9900kf preforms similar to a AMD 5800x in gaming.

Don't have super fast monitors but I still need to push pixels at 7680x1440. The 9900kf should hold me over.

My2c.
 
I'm kind of surprised that people upgrade such small jumps if they are not playing high competitive or at pro level, considering you are all playing with higher resolution with graphics maxed.

I understand if you do anything work related that's CPU intensive, but for gaming? I don't get it.
 
I'm kind of surprised that people upgrade such small jumps if they are not playing high competitive or at pro level, considering you are all playing with higher resolution with graphics maxed.

I understand if you do anything work related that's CPU intensive, but for gaming? I don't get it.
Its also a hobby for most. Plus we’re all a little sick. LOL
 
I'm kind of surprised that people upgrade such small jumps if they are not playing high competitive or at pro level, considering you are all playing with higher resolution with graphics maxed.

I understand if you do anything work related that's CPU intensive, but for gaming? I don't get it.

I like building and trying new things. Realistically with as much as I play games anymore, I would find an old CFL or a 2nd gen Ryzen or above perfectly sufficient for my needs. It's a hobby. I also golf as a hobby, and I spend a lot less on computer parts than playing golf.
 
I wouldn't upgrade the system until you can't get the fps and graphics quality performance you want(whatever that is). For example, I bought an i5 4570k and it didn't start preventing (bottlenecking my 1080ti) me from getting desired results in games until 9,000 series intel. So I waited for 10,000 series and upgraded.
 
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I'm kind of surprised that people upgrade such small jumps if they are not playing high competitive or at pro level, considering you are all playing with higher resolution with graphics maxed.

I understand if you do anything work related that's CPU intensive, but for gaming? I don't get it.

several of those pro gamers have little to no idea how to tweak their hardware, software, or almost anything outside of setting up their streaming gear and following the settings of other streamers. I've spent a bit of time around them (through Dota, Tarkov, and CoD), most are not hobby enthusiasts but just average people wanting to make money from gaming following the hivethink of hardware/software/find sponsor and putting on an attitude to appeal to an audience. Their focused on pushing frames and thats all.

Some of us, many of us here, are hobby enthusiasts. We like to upgrade, tinker, get more out of our hardware and software, and we get excited for new things to tinker with. Its a hobby not a job.

I could make due with my office system circa 2014, it runs everything i need and want to with only a few issues in newer and cpu intensive titles, but I still rock a newer system and am putting together an I9-12800k w/3090 while eagerly awaiting the new amd cpus.
 
several of those pro gamers have little to no idea how to tweak their hardware, software, or almost anything outside of setting up their streaming gear and following the settings of other streamers. I've spent a bit of time around them (through Dota, Tarkov, and CoD), most are not hobby enthusiasts but just average people wanting to make money from gaming following the hivethink of hardware/software/find sponsor and putting on an attitude to appeal to an audience. Their focused on pushing frames and thats all.

Some of us, many of us here, are hobby enthusiasts. We like to upgrade, tinker, get more out of our hardware and software, and we get excited for new things to tinker with. Its a hobby not a job.

I could make due with my office system circa 2014, it runs everything i need and want to with only a few issues in newer and cpu intensive titles, but I still rock a newer system and am putting together an I9-12800k w/3090 while eagerly awaiting the new amd cpus.
Well, they are "influencers" or simply streamers with hardly any knowledge, which isn't something new.
I'm talking about high competitive players and semi-pro/pro players in e-sport that need those consistent frames which is usually play at 1080p or lower, so CPU matters at that point.

I understand being a hobby enthusiast and finding the tech interesting, but if you aren't at a high skill level and don't play competitive shooter's at that certain level, I don't see why anyone would need that kind of upgrade unless you just want to burn money or you need more horsepower for work.
AMD's upcoming CPU's might be worth it if we actually see that 15-16% increase in frames if you got an older CPU, but if your system is not holding you back and you can't tell the difference on an old or new CPU upgrade, i don't think it's worth an upgrade. Just my personal opinion of course.
 
I have been following this thread. I upgraded about a year ago. I picked up a 1080 that was water cooled. I have been running a 2600k for at least 7 years. No real gaming just using it as a daily. With the new to me card. I decided to get back into some gaming. So downloaded Warzone to get my feet back into the water. Even though it would play just fine. I still noticed the amount of time needed to load the game and even shut it down. At the same time I decided to get back into Folding. So off to best buy to pick up a 10850k and MSI board. Built a whole new rig using my old water cooling parts. Was it cheap to upgrade this way? Of course not. Was it worth it in overall speed(Not just in gaming)? Yes it was. Biggest gain I got was coming from such older gen GPU and Mobo. The new gen cpu's are much better than the 2600k. Would you see a big difference to upgrade? Prob not enough to justify the cost. It was for me but I jumped a good bit of Generations in CPU's. Since then I built my Daughter a gaming rig with a 8700k and my old 1080. It games great for her and she loves it. Will she "Need" a upgrade soon? No unless I pick up a few more 30xx cards to fold on and I can retire my 1080ti. As mentioned the cheapest route would be the 9900k/kf. Pop it in and enjoy.I picked up a 9900kf for $250 shipped recently. $250 for a upgrade is better than a whole new build.

To answer why to upgrade. Bottom line it's a Hobby that some of us have. Do I need all the hardware I have? Not one bit. I don't game every day. I'm not bad but I am not a professional. Why buy a KingPin? Because it's a hobby. Just like someone in the car hobby.
 
^^^ Been tweaking my current CPU in preparation for the 9900ks arrival. I have the 8086 running just a hair over 5G at 1.29v. Runs well under 70c most of the time under medium usage... at full load bench marking it will still peak over 135w sometimes. I imagine the 9900ks will pull more under load with 2 more physical cores.

Bought a new XSPC CPU water block and a handful of new compression fittings and tubing. I'll be re-configuring my custom loop so the water goes to the CPU first then the GPU. As is... the GPU never hits 50c.
 
So the 9900kf is installed. Currently running at 4.8Ghz 1.295v. Runs stable and cool at this speed. 3dmts graphics score went down likely due to 200mhz slower than the 8086k. Will run at this speed for a bit but I can tell in games like BF5 with the load spread out among more cores it runs a lot cooler that the 8086k. Will likely tweak up to 5Ghz this weekend.
 
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