Searching for DDR5 motherboards compatible with i7-13700K or i9-13900, plus thoughts on RAM options.
Searching for DDR5 motherboards compatible with i7-13700K or i9-13900, plus thoughts on RAM options.
Hello everyone, I’m considering upgrading my CPU soon—I’ve been planning this for a while now. Right now, I can afford these models at better prices, and I’m still deciding which one fits my needs best. For gaming, I mostly play light to medium titles like CS:GO, but I’m gearing up for more demanding AAA games such as Remnant: From the Ashes, Gotham Knights, The Division 2, and upcoming titles. In virtualization, I’ll likely run many VMs simultaneously, so extra cores might help.
I’m leaning toward the i7-13700K or the i9-13900 (non-K). My current setup includes an i5-6600K, 16GB CL15 3000MHz RAM, and a 1070 processor. I don’t see a strong need to upgrade the GPU right now. For the motherboard, I’m open to any compatible chipset and have a few model ideas in mind.
I also recently bought a Crucial DDR5 memory kit for 59 euros—it’s a good deal, but it’s on the lower end of the DDR5 range. I’m thinking about whether to keep it or return it since it’s still a solid price.
Let me know your thoughts on which CPU would suit you better and what motherboard options you’d consider pairing with it.
The RAM is noticeably slower compared to high-end options like the 3000MHz CL18 DDR4. Consider discarding it—it’s significantly underperforming. It’s essentially as slow as DDR5 can achieve. Return it and avoid using it; you’ll lose substantial CPU efficiency. Your current workload isn’t demanding enough for anything beyond an i5 13600K.
Canceled the order, guess I'll wait for a deal on something better then. I ordered it yesterday because the price seemed to be very low for what DDR5 memory usually sells at and wanted to secure a deal just in case but yeah, it's canceled now. I wouldn't classify my programming usage as anything above average for programmers, VMs is the area I'm more worried about. Ideally, I would love to just do those Windows tasks I talked about from a VM which is absolutely not possible with my current 4-core/thread CPU but I'm honestly not sure how realistic it's going to be regardless if I want the system to be responsive when working in Visual Studio so I don't know if that will pan out. As for other VM usages, I wasn't all too happy with performance when running multiple (~8?) headless Linux instances with mostly lightweight installation tasks but I guess that with virtualization I don't actually allocate physical cores/threads when running VMs so maybe I'm incorrectly assigning the blame to core count rather than just running an 8-year old CPU, additionally affected by the MDS mitigations. But yeah, I dunno, given how long I've been running this platform without changes (aside from expanding storage), I don't really expect to bother changing the hardware for 6 years at least so I'm not sure I really mind paying a bit extra to potentially give myself peace for a few months longer. Like, if I were to think of it in terms of how much my current PC cost me per month over the span of those 8 years, it just doesn't seem that outlandish. Of course, my inner Luke does scream when he sees how quickly it all adds up when I also have to buy probably an expensive mobo, DDR5 ram, and probably also a cooler and PSU but I'm trying to look at it from the perspective of how long I'll likely end up using it in the end. To give you the whole picture, here's the full price list for what I can buy at a discount (obviously I can buy at a normal price if something is not significantly cheaper with that discount but a quick look seemed to suggest the discounts are pretty solid all around) : - i5-13500 - 160 USD - i5-13600K - 211 USD - i9-11900K - 246 USD - i7-13700 - 253 USD - i7-13700K - 277 USD - i9-12900K - 307 USD - i9-13900 - 360 USD
What is the total amount we have set aside for the renovation? Let's craft a solid agreement from there.
I don't possess a specific part yet, so I'm unsure what to target. I'm trying to decide which upgrades make sense without overspending on features I won't actually use (like RGB, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi). Realistically, I expect these basics—PCIe support, USB connectivity, and possibly Wi-Fi—since I already have a PCIe card for Wi-Fi and a USB dongle for storage. I don't believe overclocking is worth it anymore, so maybe I won't need a Z-board and could manage with an H-board instead. For future-proofing, I have all four SATA ports (though some are shared) plus one M.2 slot that's currently full; having extra space there would be handy if I later upgrade to SSDs or swap components.
I've realized these new CPUs are tough to chill, and my existing cooler (SilentiumPC Fortis 3) won't suffice with i7/9 processors—probably not enough even for i5. I'm thinking about alternatives. Air cooling seems realistic now; I haven't cared much before, but a leak could be worse than a failing fan in an air setup. I'd prefer not to replace everything in 3–5 years, though maybe it's not a big concern with AIOS. I checked and found several "Tier 3" air coolers around $70: Cryorig R1 Ultimate, Thermalright FC140, Deepcool AK620. There are also "Tier 2" options like the Jonsbo HX7280 for $115 and a pricier Noctua NH-D15 at similar cost. If I want AIOs, many "Tier 2" models (Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240/280, Thermaltake TH240) are available for $90–115, which looks like good value compared to air coolers. I suppose I should ask for specific advice in the cooling section, but I hope you can help me decide if air cooling makes sense for these new chips. I'm also curious about how quiet an AIO would be compared to an air-based setup.
I purchased these 5600 MHz CL36 modules from Corsair at a different price (86 USD). There’s a possibility to cancel or return them if I discover a more favorable offer, especially since they were bought online. I also noticed a Lexar 6400 MHz CL32 stick for 120 USD on a promotion, but it didn’t seem like a significant deal, so I ignored it despite the good specifications. I’m still seeking advice on selecting a motherboard and CPU, which is why I haven’t explored current deals for those components yet.