Check your eligibility for the 12600kf upgrade.
Check your eligibility for the 12600kf upgrade.
You have a 12100f that overheats under multitasking. You're considering upgrading to a 12600kf, but need confirmation your cooling and power supply can support it. Your motherboard should work, but you want verification.
Your cooler won't handle the 12600kf well. Think about going with 12400 or 13400 instead.
Evaluating whether a new cooler is necessary depends on your specific needs and usage. For the 12600kf, consider if the current one meets your requirements or if upgrades would improve performance.
there are solid options with four heatpipe towers around $15, such as the Se 214 xt, which can reach 12600kf. Adding a VRM fan might be necessary, but you won’t save much if you opt for a 13400 model—it boosts lower—and the 12400 is just a minor upgrade.
even though I’m unsure about their capacity, they should manage at least that much power.
It seems you're planning around a budget of 12,600k, but it's clear you're limited to that amount.
I doubt the 12600k will fit well on the motherboard. It looks like a risky move, so you might want to consider the used B660m instead.
Consider the Z690 instead of the B660M. Unless we're discussing the B660M PG Riptide, go for the Z690 unless you specifically need the B660M with its riptide feature. Check your current motherboard first—add a fan over the VRMs and test if it can handle the CPU. If not, just resell and buy a used Z690.
I checked the situation and confirmed the risk. Adding more storage or case fans could push your system near its limits, especially with the CPU already throttling. It’s best to avoid that scenario.