Alder Lake upgrade

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Hello guys,

I'm going to be moving to Alder lake so putting together a new system. Below are the parts currently;

CPU - Intel Core i9-12900K 3.20GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor

GPU - Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC 8GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card

RAM - Crucial Ballistix RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C16 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit

Motherboard - Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X DDR4 - Intel Z690 DDR4 ATX Motherboard

Cooler - Arctic Liquid Freezer II High Performance CPU Water Cooler - 360mm

I could potentially wait for stock on the MSI MPG Z690 EDGE WIFI DDR4 Intel Motherboard - but would the RAM be good enough?

I have storage & psu already.

Any feedback welcomed!
 
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What's your main use if gaming you dont need such a beast as the 12900k ? At full loads rendering 240w peak consumption have been quoted.

The best value to performance aio cooler is the arctic freezer 2 .
 
What's your main use if gaming you dont need such a beast as the 12900k ? At full loads rendering 240w peak consumption have been quoted.

The best value to performance aio cooler is the arctic freezer 2 .
Its what gamernexus used, but you need an adaptor for the fixing, which i didnt see
 
Right now the DDR4 vs DDR5 debate will start so here is my thoughts

Yes atm DDR4 and 5 are playing on the same pitch but...
If you decide to go DDR5 later and are DDR4 now, then you have to replace both the RAM and the MB
So better to get the DDR5 now and then you can upgrade the ram later and not have to change the MB.

It is different if you already have some high end DDR4 and wish to continue using it but in that case what's the point of going 12th gen if not for the overall package?
 
The below ram has better timing so will be ever so slightly quicker, and it's slightly cheaper. I've got corsair 3600C18 myself and it's fast enough where I'm not worried about the fps difference. From reviews if you go for the 12900 you'll need a 360mm aio

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £137.69 (includes shipping: £8.70)

Thank you for that. Added to the basket!

What's your main use if gaming you dont need such a beast as the 12900k ? At full loads rendering 240w peak consumption have been quoted.

The best value to performance aio cooler is the arctic freezer 2 .

Gaming, streaming, multi-tasking. In the future I'll be video rendering, editing etc. I've gone for the artic freezer 2 & bought the lga 1700 mounting bracket earlier. Thanks for the advice.

Right now the DDR4 vs DDR5 debate will start so here is my thoughts

Yes atm DDR4 and 5 are playing on the same pitch but...
If you decide to go DDR5 later and are DDR4 now, then you have to replace both the RAM and the MB
So better to get the DDR5 now and then you can upgrade the ram later and not have to change the MB.

It is different if you already have some high end DDR4 and wish to continue using it but in that case what's the point of going 12th gen if not for the overall package?

The only issue I have with DDR5 is the availability - seems like a struggle to get the DDR5 atm. Waited so long to upgrade - rather not wait another month or 2.

I do understand where you are coming from. Got no issue in upgrading the RAM & Mobo later down the line.
 
Right now the DDR4 vs DDR5 debate will start so here is my thoughts

Yes atm DDR4 and 5 are playing on the same pitch but...
If you decide to go DDR5 later and are DDR4 now, then you have to replace both the RAM and the MB
So better to get the DDR5 now and then you can upgrade the ram later and not have to change the MB.

It is different if you already have some high end DDR4 and wish to continue using it but in that case what's the point of going 12th gen if not for the overall package?

So the cheapest ddr5 ram ive seen is 4800C40 for £279....ddr4 3600c16 ballistix £129, so we're already talking £150 more..the ddr5 used by hardware unboxed in the review was 6000C36, and it's performance over the ddr4 was better, but not by much...who knows how much that stuff will cost..my guess is add another £100 on top of the 4800C40 at least, so now you're £250 more than the ddr4 ram, either way, you'll still have to buy a mobo, but the ddr4 one will keep £250 in your pocket...basically the cost of a new motherboard...and they'll drop in price as well as the ram, so in a couple of years you'll can get a new mobo and much better ddr5 ram(saying ddr5 will become standard in 2023) than you can today, and upgrade wont hurt as much with the £250 you saved now
 
So the cheapest ddr5 ram ive seen is 4800C40 for £279....ddr4 3600c16 ballistix £129, so we're already talking £150 more..the ddr5 used by hardware unboxed in the review was 6000C36, and it's performance over the ddr4 was better, but not by much...who knows how much that stuff will cost..my guess is add another £100 on top of the 4800C40 at least, so now you're £250 more than the ddr4 ram, either way, you'll still have to buy a mobo, but the ddr4 one will keep £250 in your pocket...basically the cost of a new motherboard...and they'll drop in price as well as the ram, so in a couple of years you'll can get a new mobo and much better ddr5 ram(saying ddr5 will become standard in 2023) than you can today, and upgrade wont hurt as much with the £250 you saved now
There was some cheap 16gb kits going a few days ago for around £100 but I'd guess they've all been snapped up by now.
 
Only comparison I have found atm is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JTIi4py5xk
I'll admit the gain is small for the initial price and availabilty that said I paused a random frame with a 6fps difference, seems not a lot but does = over 10% increase... (approx 12.78%)
I'd personally be aiming for the 5200 at the start and looking to change later, G.Skill amongst others already have higher speeds but again where are the damn things lol
 
Only comparison I have found atm is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JTIi4py5xk
I'll admit the gain is small for the initial price and availabilty that said I paused a random frame with a 6fps difference, seems not a lot but does = over 10% increase... (approx 12.78%)
I'd personally be aiming for the 5200 at the start and looking to change later, G.Skill amongst others already have higher speeds but again where are the damn things lol

Below 3200C14 ddr4 v 6000C36 DDR5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWsMYHHC6j4&t=220s&ab_channel=HardwareUnboxed

In a nutshell, max ddr5 gave a 20% performance increase in 1 game I think, av over all games was 2-3% for a 230% price increase...that was at 1080p gaming with 6900XT..at 1440p gaming that av becomes negligible
 
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Below 3200C14 ddr4 v 6000C36 DDR5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWsMYHHC6j4&t=220s&ab_channel=HardwareUnboxed

In a nutshell, max ddr5 gave a 20% performance increase in 1 game I think, av over all games was 2-3% for a 230% price increase...that was at 1080p gaming with 6900XT..at 1440p gaming that av becomes negligible

That was an interesting video, and has made me think some what as I currently am running ddr4 4266 @ 4133 (due to mb limitation) which would put me closer to the ddr5 6000 results and likely beating out 4800 & 5200 ddr5 as well.
Food for thought ;)
The new product premium coupled with the overall shortage makes ddr5 a hard sell, unless there is some ram gains in the future from firmware updates.
 
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