Compare prices for both chips. If the 12700K is cheaper than buying the 12600K, it might be a better deal.
Compare prices for both chips. If the 12700K is cheaper than buying the 12600K, it might be a better deal.
For streaming, using the GPU is usually more efficient. An i5-12600K performs well for gaming, and with a Nvidia card, nvenc can generate high-quality streams without heavily taxing the CPU. Newer AMD cards offer better encoders compared to their previous models, though they still lag behind Nvidia's performance.
Consider a 12600k, the difference in gains from 12700k over 12600k is almost negligible in gaming and very small in streaming. The 12600k offers sufficient power for that. A better choice would be comparing 12600k with a non-K model—one excels in gaming while the other performs better elsewhere. They’re just $50 apart, but the 12700 doesn’t require a Z690 board and cuts overall cooling costs, keeping expenses similar!
Absolutely, that's what I did for my son's rig (12600K+B660). It's easy enough to see, but many people with similar setups feel they can't push it further. Those with 12700 boards usually don't try to tweak the PL either.
Not adjusting the PL on the 12700(F) results in significant performance drops under longer all-core tasks and around 5% slower gaming. It wouldn’t be something I’d skip. If you choose not to tweak the 12700(F), the 12600K offers better speed and lower cost, making it a more attractive option for most users. The higher power usage of the 12700@65W PL1 isn’t a major issue given its price advantage and similar efficiency at lighter loads.
Previously I owned a Z170 and assumed an i5 6500 would suffice, but a year later I upgraded to an i7 6700K which I should have chosen sooner. After switching to a Z690 build, I immediately went for an i7 12700K and was quite happy with it. In the future, I might consider upgrading to a Raptor Lake CPU if it proves beneficial.