12600k with DDR5 compared to 13600k with DDR4
12600k with DDR5 compared to 13600k with DDR4
Looking for a straightforward option? 13600K with ASRock Steel Legend Z690 or 12600K with ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi DDR5 works well. You already have the 12600K and it’s still in packaging. Switching to the ASUS would save around $125 compared to buying a new CPU, even after factoring in DDR5 costs. The budget for upgrades is limited to about $50, so you’re not planning a full system overhaul. It’s a flexible build for gaming, work, and editing. What do you think?
Right now everything can be reused, making both choices fair. The only real differences are cost and the time I’ve spent trying to finish this project over the past couple of months.
It would likely cost around $125, but I think the comparison with the CPU upgrade should have been clearer since that’s what I planned. The price isn’t too important—my intention was to swap the processor anyway, and then realized I could go with DDR5 while saving money. So it ended up being a last-gen CPU on a DDR5 board, maybe with some extra features, or a current-gen CPU in DDR4. Would you still choose the 13600 option?
The difference for games with a 3070 or 3080 won't matter if you're not using a 4090. I'd say it's not worth it—13600k is tough to cool and uses more power. 12600k performs better than 13400 or 13500 in most games.