Potential improvements to the system
Potential improvements to the system
You're considering whether to upgrade your B560M motherboard or stick with the current setup. Since the B560M has limited VRMs, upgrading to a better B560M model could improve performance. If you're looking for a reliable option under $100, buying the CPU now and handling any future upgrades yourself might be a practical choice. Weigh your priorities on immediate performance gains versus long-term flexibility.
VRM issues usually appear only with top-tier K CPUs or when using non-K models without power caps. The 11600 will reduce to around 65W after 56 seconds under full load, which should work fine on most boards. The 11600K is a 125W unit and may exceed capacity on some systems. Your current setup probably won<|pad|> or this, so it wouldn’t be worth upgrading to a new board at this price. Instead, consider switching to a Ryzen 5 5600 with an AM4 chipset for better performance and lower power usage.
If AMD options aren't available, switching to an LGA 1700 might be a better choice. The 12400(F) offers similar performance to the 11600K but consumes less power. A B660 board won't be as budget-friendly as the B450 or B550, yet it provides a platform with upgrade possibilities instead of needing a completely different B560 board. If you opt for a B660 or B760 with good VRMs, future upgrades to something like the 13700(K) become feasible and offer better performance than a 12400. You could also add VRM heatsinks to improve cooling. Running a 11600 at full capacity would require around 150W, which is demanding without robust VRM cooling. Depending on the cost, this might not be worth it compared to a new board.
found an Aorus B660 for $100 and another for $12,500. I don’t think it’s worth going for $12,400 since it only has an HD 730 and doesn’t match the performance of the HD 770 in deep link speed. It’s about $40 more than the 11600k model, and I won’t be upgrading this platform anytime soon—I plan to switch to a 17th generation when it comes out. Besides, the extra speed isn’t worth it unless it’s a noticeable boost.
It looks like saving around $70 is possible by choosing the new B560M motherboard for $60 and a 11,500s GPU, which should cover the needs of your planned B580 or B770 system.