What CPU to upgrade from an i5-4670k

[saitrix]

So I am currently running an [email protected] setup which is ~9 years old. I am wondering am I best to upgrade to something like the i3-12100F or is the additional cores of the i5-12400F worth it? My GPU is an RX590 and to be honest the main things that I use the PC for is games and typical browsing/youtube etc. The current setup is showing it's age now and is starting to chug when using it on the desktop. Looking about the cost difference to swap to an i3 or an i5 is ~£270 and ~£360 respectively. Unfortunately I am a little out of touch how badly you need more than 8 threads these days outside of productivity activities (which I do not do).

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

A Core i5 12400F or a Ryzen 5 5600 non-X would do the trick. The Ryzen 7 5700X is also about £230~£240 too.

 

[Tetras]

You don't need the threads in the vast majority of games, the 12100 performs very similar to the 12400, but will you get a few more useful years out of an i5? Possibly, so I'd pay the extra if you plan to keep it awhile and upgrade the GPU.

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The six core CPUs definitely have better 1% lows in more and more games IMHO. Plus if the OP is upgrading after 9 years,even the Ryzen 7 5700X(if they can find a deal on one) would be worth considering.

 

[Kirby Wurm]

If planning to go for a good while with this upgrade it's probably worth stretching to an 8 core, but a 6 core like the 5600 or 12400 others have mentioned will still do well.

 

[saitrix]

Thanks for the replies there, to be honest an 8 core is stretching the budget too much. Good point about the 1% lows, definitely makes the difference for the feel of a game. Is there really much difference between the ryzen 5600s or 12400f or is it just a case of whichever is giving the better total system cost. If I understand correctly the ability to overclock isn't the same sort of benefit like it was on older CPU (like my current one which went from 3.4ghz to 4.5gh rather easy).

 

[Journey]

You can go with a 5600/B550/16GB 3600 DDR4 for less than £300, and use the savings over the 12400 or other more expensive CPU to put towards a better GPU at some point in time.

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

You can go with a 5600/B550/16GB 3600 DDR4 for less than £300, and use the savings over the 12400 or other more expensive CPU to put towards a better GPU at some point in time.

If the OP wants a Ryzen 5 5600,they better do the upgrade quicker rather than sooner IMHO. I noticed some retailers are starting to push the price of it closer to £200. Makes me wonder whether our poor exchange rates are finally starting to have an effect!

 

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Thanks for the replies there, to be honest an 8 core is stretching the budget too much. Good point about the 1% lows, definitely makes the difference for the feel of a game. Is there really much difference between the ryzen 5600s or 12400f or is it just a case of whichever is giving the better total system cost. If I understand correctly the ability to overclock isn't the same sort of benefit like it was on older CPU (like my current one which went from 3.4ghz to 4.5gh rather easy).

Here are some comparisons:

AMD Ryzen 5 5600 vs. Intel Core i5-12400F

We're comparing the Ryzen 5 5600 and Core i5-12400F mainstream CPUs across a range of games at 1080p and 1440p using four tiers of GPU: RTX 3060,...

www.techspot.com

AMD Ryzen 5 5600 vs. i5-12400 & 5600X CPU Review & Benchmarks

More than a year after AMD launched their Ryzen 5000 CPUs, budget friendly versions of the architecture are available. We start by looking at the R5 5600 aga...

www.youtube.com

From my own experience,if you tend to run more older games,Intel seems to do a bit better but AMD tends to do a bit better in the newer ones. But if you shop around you can find the Ryzen 5 5600 for nearly £40 cheaper than a Core i5 12400F. Also make sure you get a motherboard with decent VRMs as it means your upgrade options are less limited:

Affordable B550 VRM Thermal Performance, In Search of the Best Value Board

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxedMSI B550M Pro-VDH Wi-Fi: https://amzn.to/2PLILCRMSI B550M Bazooka: https://amzn.to/3kwyitjGigabyte...

www.youtube.com

$140 - $160 B550 VRM Thermal Benchmark, Not All Boards Pass!

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxedMSI B550-A Pro: https://amzn.to/344xXYYMSI B550 Gaming Plus: https://amzn.to/3iKJJvCMSI B550M Mort...

www.youtube.com

However,B550 motherboards have started to rise in price.

 

[saitrix]

Thanks for the links there, appreciate the help.

 

[Darujhistan]

I'd go with a combo of what's the cheapest total platform spend and what upgrade options are left on that platform, after you built it.

 

[Joxeon]

Go for a 12100F as it's more than enough for now then you could always drop a 13600 in 5 years time for like 60 quid.

 

[JK2022]

Go for 12400KF (current CPU budget king) and a B660 Motherboard.(such as MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4)
this combo will cost and perform about the same as Ryzen 5600+a B550MB but AMD B550 is dead-end and there is no logical upgrade option later on if you need to.
whereas with B660 you have many upgrade options including the i5 12600K and the impressive performance/value king 13600K.