Consider enhancing your 9900k OC
Consider enhancing your 9900k OC
Hardware details: Intel 9900K OC to 5.2 GHz, all cores running at full capacity continuously. Max temperature stays around 85°C. 32 GB DDR3 RAM, RTX 3090 graphics. I stream in 4K at 144 Hz on a 144 Hz monitor. Thinking about upgrading to an i7 12700K or even i9 12900K—would it offer any improvements?
Agreed, the only thing I'd say could be a massive boost in performance is either waiting for the next gen Ryzen chips, or also getting a new mobo that supports DDR5, and DDR5, although it wouldn't be a massive boost tbh. Plus, good luck finding any.
At 4K resolution, gains won't be noticeable in gaming. With your 5.2GHz OC and DDR4-3866 RAM, the 9900K is more than sufficient—unless you're playing only CSGO and R6S.
Await the next generation for a genuine speed improvement, though temperatures are somewhat concerning for that level of OC. Just because it’s usually the hot spot where the CPU might start to behave erratically at high OC isn’t the only factor. It could be that hybrid chips hit their limits around CL16/17 unless you’re using a single rank configuration. Otherwise, they’ll still run hot even with worse CL19 timings, which can push them over 4400 MHz. You can confirm your RAM model using the burner tool.
Minimal differences here. My i9 9900k delivers similar frame rates to the i9 10900k and 5900x at 4K. The main improvement comes in lower resolutions. Below are two titles comparing the 5800x, 5900x and i9 9900k alongside a FTW3 Ultra 3080 Ti and an i9 10900k with MSI Gaming X Trio 3090. Horizon Zero Dawn doesn’t rely on cores, so the 8, 10, and 12 core CPUs perform similarly. The i9 9900k likely benefits from MCE technology. 1080p, 1440p, 4K. 5800x runs at 156fps, 138fps, 89fps; 5900x matches 156fps, 138fps, 88fps; i9 9900k hits 155fps, 138fps, 88fps; i9 10900k reaches 160fps, 142fps, 89fps. Shadow of the Tomb Raider uses cores and is limited by GPU at 1080p. The i9 struggles above 4K because the game demands more power there. I don’t believe an i9 12900k will surpass this performance significantly.
On the same vessel with my 9900k, eager for Raptor Lake and improved DDR5 + next-gen GPUs (new connectors?). You'll notice a slight gain at 4K, especially in the lower ranges, but amid the Alder Lake updates, new GPUs, and the DDR5 partitions, I'm holding my breath.
Keep your funds safe, the setup doesn’t work well and you’ll lose money without noticeable improvement. Spending a lot for a tiny difference in performance is unlikely to pay off, especially since such changes rarely appear in the games where they might matter.