What upgrade can I make on a Z690 board that would actually be worth it?

Posted by Wander715@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 17 comments

Currently using a 12600K on a Z690 DDR4 board and I feel like it's starting to get dated. What's the best "bang for my buck" upgrade I can make? Is it even worth upgrading at all to 13th or 14th gen? I'm trying to extend the longevity of my PC before I eventually build a completely new system. In terms of usage I'm playing games at 4K with a 4070Ti Super and also used for productivity with school running engineering software and coding. I was looking at CPUs like the 13700K and 14700K but the power draw on those seems insane and I'm a little wary pairing them with my 750W PSU and air cooler.

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17 Comments

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madscribbler@reddit

Don't upgrade to the 13th or 14th generation, whatever you do. You'll drive yourself insane trying to get a stable system. Source: I went through 3 14900 KS and 3 14900 K's, trying to get stable, but I never could. Eventually, I swapped to AMD. It is a systemic issue with Intel processors, which they do not know how to definitively solve yet. They are suggesting main board manufacturers add 'Intel defaults', which, in my experience, only slow the degradation problem. They don't prevent it even when set on day 1, they only buy time. If you've got a stable intel rig, keep it, else go AMD. [Intel releases statement on 13th/14th Gen CPU Stability Issues - OC3D (overclock3d.net)](https://overclock3d.net/news/cpu_mainboard/intel-releases-official-statement-on-13th-14th-gen-raptor-lake-cpu-stability-issues/#:~:text=Intel%20has%20released%20an%20official,public%20statement%E2%80%9D%20in%20May%202024.)

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No_Guarantee7841@reddit

That's mostly relevant for 14900k(s), 14700k and 13900k(s) which are the most pushed chips. I own a 13700k for 1,5 years and had no stability issues.

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Elitefuture@reddit

The issue was with fast degradation. With the 14900k pushing the envelope way too far with the majority of them breaking in a few months. 13900k was like half. And 14700k was less. However, this was over a few months. We don't know what would happen over a few years if you don't update your bios and nerf your cpu. Granted, it's an easy fix. Just update your bios. It doesn't affect gaming that much anyways.

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OolonCaluphid@reddit

>With the 14900k pushing the envelope way too far with the majority of them breaking in a few months. 13900k was like half. Interesting, do you have a source for these stats?

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Elitefuture@reddit

https://wccftech.com/only-5-out-of-10-core-i9-13900k-2-out-of-10-core-i9-14900k-cpus-stable-in-auto-profile-intel-board-partners-stability-issues/ And the x3d mobo burnout was a fair point. Kinda forgot about it. Both amd and the mobo manufacturers should have caught it beforehand. Same can be said about intel. But, intel isn't admitting to anything and won't rma your chip if you don't update your mobo.

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OolonCaluphid@reddit

That article doesn't state what you asserted at all. It talks about stability in a set of undefined tests. You talked about chips actually failing.

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Chemical_Run_8758@reddit

AMD chips were *literally melting* a year ago. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-issues-follow-up-statement-on-ryzen-burnout-issues-limits-soc-voltages

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madscribbler@reddit

It's systemic to the 13th and 14th gen. I've read that the failure rates are lower/slower on the xx700 series. However, they still suffer from the same problems. Depending on how hard you load your processor, it could degrade in a week, a month, or over 6 months to the point it's no longer stable. The bios updates and settings main board manufacturers are providing don't solve the problem - and intel has not figured out a definitive fix. Consider yourself lucky if you have a stable chip - but also know, there is no guarantee it will remain stable over time, and no guarantee that the stability settings (which slow the chip by 10% or more) will help when it becomes unstable.

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n7_trekkie@reddit

A 13700K would be good

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Wander715@reddit (OP)

Might consider this. Looks like I can get a 13700KF for $290 on Amazon right now which seems like a good price. Still a bit worried about the power draw though if it really maxes out at 250W.

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n7_trekkie@reddit

Yeah, but the 4070super doesn't draw 500W. I think it's under 300

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Wander715@reddit (OP)

My 4070Ti Super OCed draws 320W so pairing that with a really power hungry CPU seems a bit iffy

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throwawayatwork30@reddit

Nvidia recommend 700W minimum for your card. You'll be fine.

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Fire_Fenix@reddit

4k? A different CPU won't really make a difference. You are better off upgrading your GPU first and get better RAMs as second...

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op3l@reddit

12600k feeling dated...? What are you playing that makes you feel dated? Cinebench?

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Elitefuture@reddit

The 13700k isn't that much better for gaming. It's a little better for productivity, but not worth the price over your 12900k. Honestly, intel kinda sucks within the same motherboard generation. If you do go 13th or 14th gen, update your bios and set intel baseline on.

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Sliced_Orange1@reddit

The 13600K and 14600K are basically the same and are reviewed as being one of the best bang-for-buck CPUs. GN called them the most balanced CPUs in their 2023 roundup. At 4K I think a GPU upgrade would be more beneficial.