Intel Core i7-12700F: Real Users Say Hold Off on Upgrading

12th gen is still very capable. Update your GPU to a 40 series.

Do a little research on 14th Gen.

and 13th

Just upgrade gpu. Your cpu is fine.

14 gen is not stable right now and buy rtx 40 series because of dlss 3

Judging by the specs you gave, it's still a very capable computer. If there's no good reason to upgrade, then just keep your current system.

13th and 14th gen is absolutely submerged in controversy now. They've essentially been selling faulty CPUs from the get go. You've actually lucked out with getting a 12700.

Your CPU is still pretty damn good. Get a faster GPU and as of now, skip 13th and 14th gen Intel CPUs, period.

I don't think your CPU is the problem here. It's not even that old to justify a replacement.

The only difference between the two is that the F version comes without an integrated gpu and the other has an integrated gpu. If you wanna save some money, get the F version because it is usually cheaper.

Echoing holding on to the 12700 for now and upgrading GPU.

H610 is the most budget chipset with the bare minimum to get an alder lake cpu running. Almost can guarantee the issue is the motherboard. It wasn't built for a cpu that can easily pull +150 watts. Probably doesn't even have Vrm heatsinks, so the moment the cpu starts pulling power, the motherboard is forced to limit the cpu so it doesn't cook itself. Thus the super low frequencies you see.

Yes

Base clock is an absolutely meaningless number, especially once you remove power limits. Ignore it. Assuming you buy a motherboard that can properly supply it with power and have a decent enough cooling solution, you should see 4.5ghz indefinitely.

K model is overclockable (not that there's too much headroom), and comes stock with a higher clock speed. It's base TDP is higher, so should use more power/run a bit hotter. Non-K model is non overclockable, and has a slightly slower clock speed. Also a lower TDP. So, K version is better in terms of performance.

If you want to upgrade CPU, go for i7 14700 (update your BIOS first!). If you consider a new platform (CPU + Mobo + RAM), AMD is currently wiping floor with Intel in gaming.

I own a 12700f along with an Asus prime Z690-A DDR5 mobo, so far i can confirm that you'll see 4.9ghz only on a single core, 2.1ghz is uncommon, probably on idle you would see that. Be aware that the maximum core speed for all cores is 4.7ghz and you don't need a very expensive AIO to keep it cool, i got a deepcool Assassin III and my I7 is peaking around 65/70 celcius after a 4 hr stress test.

If the difference was $10-15 i would say go with 12700 (igpu) but price difference is too much.. go with F in my opinion

I always go for something with an igpu just in case I need to trouble shoot

Only difference is the F version lacks the iGPU. Even if you have a dGPU, an iGPU can come in handy if something happens to your dGPU or maybe an issue pops up with pcie x16 slot. If you already have a dGPU and don't care about having the iGPU then the 12700F is perfectly fine, especially if there's a large enough price difference.

Rule of thumb I never buy an F processor. Firstly their resale value if you decide to upgrade just sucks in comparison. And secondly if your GPU dies and you need to debug things having an iGPU is handy.

I would probably take the Intel core i7 12700F in this situation, for the sake of saving money, and it fully reveals the capabilities of the 4060 card. And in terms of speed, it is not much slower than the Intel core i7 12700KF if you don't overclock it.

A 12700F, while last gen, is still a very competent CPU. I run my old i7-9700F with a 4070 Super at 1440p and get plenty of performance.

Every website ive seen shows 1fps more on the 12700F. Its not a matter of just 'igpu' disabled, the 12700 and 12700F are binned differently.

12700 has igpu and 12700f doesn't. You won't be using your igpu anyways, only reason could be troubleshooting while your gpu breaks - Imo not worth the price difference. There isn't any reason to overclock these days imo - all cpu's offer turbo boost which will be sufficient for 99% of people.

A 12700f plus 32gb of ram should set a pretty solid foundation for your next complete machine.

That 12700 will last you a long time. I doubt you anywhere near taxing it hard.

Stay with the CPU, just get a better GPU.

your CPU is good enough for pretty much every GPU out there. Just fully invest your budget into the best GPU you can get and if needed a bigger PSU

12700f is still completely fine. 100% cpu load on a 12700f while gaming with all those cores is not normal behavior

Nah, 12700f is still good. I'd save up for a full platform upgrade later on. I'd suggest tweaking settings on the game itself or UV/OC the cpu and gpu.

From what I have heard, and seen from benchmarks, the jump from 12th to 14th gen is really not worth the cost.

Using a DH-15 myself on 12700f with PL set to unlimited. running at 72c max during Cinebench and around 60 during long gaming sessions. Using an Artic MX4 paste btw.

I'll go further: I think the 12700 is the single best Alder Lake CPU. Thanks to Intel's moronic market segmentation, the overall cost to get one of these is almost the same as it is for a 12600K.

Its lucky that your mb vrm didnt fry.

Go for the cheaper one. Performance will be pretty much the same. Look at reviews for the 4060 as there may be better options to you.

Depends on ram too. 12th gen can be a good amount slower in gaming performance with ddr4. Optimally you want 6400cl32 ddr5.

Maybe you should check your background process I have the same cpu, mb and pwsupply, only exceptions are ram 128gb and an rtx 3070. No issues at all.

This is enough for a 4090

Did you take the plastic off the heat sink? Did you install the heat sink? What does hwinfo or similar show?

Use a 280mm aio a b660 msi mortar nd u will b good to go with 12700F