Comparing the two models: the 5N56L and the i3 12100.
Comparing the two models: the 5N56L and the i3 12100.
You're facing a tough choice. You've got two builds lined up, each with its pros and cons. The first one uses your existing parts and totals around $440, while the second offers a higher-end setup for about $575. Your thoughts on selling the 10600K for cash are worth considering—especially if you're aiming for better performance or RGB options. The 12100 build could be a solid upgrade, but it's important to weigh the benefits against the cost and your sister's preferences.
12100 offers quicker single-core speed, which is important for many games. However, the gap isn't huge enough to justify switching. The 10600k with multiple cores remains a stronger choice. Modern consoles usually have 6 or 8 cores, and new games are built to run smoothly on those numbers. So, adding more cores might actually help instead of hurting performance.
With a 10 series GPU, you won’t be CPU constrained in most modern titles. A few emulators might perform slightly better on the 12th generation, but everything else will run smoothly. Many users still play on the 9th generation without any trouble. The Z590 board offers more tiers than the B660, allowing you to push overclocking further and narrow the single-core performance gap even more.
I own a 9900K GTX1080 that I intend to sell because it’s way beyond what she needs. I could fetch a solid price for it—though I got it cheaply too, as the 1080 wasn’t included. With that amount, I’d buy the rest of the components for the 10600K and even have extra for two GPUs, leaving some left over. If this machine had been a 9600K, I’d keep it and stop there, but it’s disappointing to part with something so valuable, particularly given its worth in my country.