Need New PC
Need New PC
Consider building your system on the MSI Z270 M5 motherboard. For the 3080 (ti) or 3090, the top choices for CPU and memory upgrades are the latest models of these chipsets.
I am running on an i7 7700k processor that operates at 4.2 GHz.
i7-7700k is roughly equivalent to an i3-12100.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compar...-i...l-i3-10100
With support for Windows 10 ending next October, really should consider a platform upgrade sooner rather than later. 7th gen does not support Windows 11.
But yes, you could get a GPU and drop it in there as long as you have a decent enough power supply.
At Microcenter, if you wanted to stick with Intel:
12900K bundle $420, Z790 motherboard and 32GB of DDR5 6000.
Adding a 4070 (not a 4070 Super), a 1TB drive, 750W ATX 3.0 PSU, Cheap CPU cooler comes to a total of $1215, + $150 build service. No OS.
With a Ryzen 7600X bundle (with 32GB memory as well) the total comes to $1150 + $150 build service. No OS.
If you don't mind open box and refurbished systems some decent deals at Newegg:
I rather like this one 7700X + 3070
https://www.newegg.com/abs-ala284-gladia...883360249C
12700KF + 3070 Ti
https://www.newegg.com/abs-ali603-gladia...883360268C
https://www.newegg.com/abs-ali603-gladia...883360268R
https://www.newegg.com/abs-sa13700f4070-...883360404C
Thank you, Eximo. I'm facing a problem and won't proceed until I understand the issue. Is it my motherboard or CPU that's the problem, or could both be affected? Why? When I access my BIOS and save settings to clock my CPU at 4.7 (with a base of 4.20), it fails to retain the configuration during reboots, and the base setting doesn't stick either. Instead, it loads at 2.10 GHz, which makes my PC struggle with games that are over ten years old. Now I have a system that feels like a paperweight.
Base isn't the lowest possible clock speed. It can drop significantly when the system isn't busy much.
I doubt 0.016Ghz is a valid measurement. I remember Intel desktop CPUs typically start at around 800Mhz. It might go even lower, but it's usually a multiple of the clock speed. I never let my 7700k fall below 5Ghz, so I don't think that's an issue.
CMOS battery could be worth checking. Resetting the BIOS to its default settings is likely a good first step too. You might try removing your operating system by booting a Linux distribution from a USB drive—this lets you run without installing anything.
Make sure to monitor CPU temperatures and cooler efficiency.
A tool like Hardware Monitor might show motherboard temperatures to help identify issues.
The only way to confirm a CPU or motherboard problem is to test with known working components.
Yeah, the CMOS might be the problem. When I took out the CMOS battery and put it back, everything got all messed up. If I hadn’t removed it, I wouldn’t have started this discussion. MSI says there could be a faulty chip on the motherboard, but there’s no software I can use to test it like I can with the CPU, GPU, and memory. For checking temperatures, I did two tests—OCCT first, then Cinebench. The temperatures were normal in both cases, BUT my CPU scored 85 points for multi-core and just 3 for single-core in Cinebench. Now I’m sure the motherboard not only saves the BIOS changes but also ignores them when I save the settings.