12th gen spec nobody is talking about

I can do this test when I get home.

I hope you plan to use Windows 11 as your operating system. Unfortunately, your games will run considerably slower on Windows 10 and Linux. I don’t have the article I read anymore, but as I understand it, Windows 11 has some unique code that decides which type of the two types of hybrid cores will receive the workload for any given task. Windows 10 and Linux don’t have this unique code.

So for a ‘lower end’ part like 12600K the power consumption is on par with AMDs 5800X, but it also performs like the Ryzen 7… for 5600X money.

This is a steal in my books.

Edit: Please correct me if I am wrong. Still trying to understand the new platform :slight_smile:

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From the performance benchmarks some people did there isn´t a significant different with current DDR5 vs higher end DDR4 on alder lake. In many cases it trades blows. DDR5 is like 2-3times more expensive though. It might be different for AMDs architecture or for your use case (memory benchmarks do report it to be faster, but most of everything else is not). By the point AMD releases their new CPUs we might also have better DDR5. But it does not look like thats where intel gets their performance gains from.

Windows 11 has a driver that interfaces directly with the hardware scheduler. Windows 10 apparently does not, but GamersNexus did all of their testing on Windows 10 and was mostly fine. Linux is a shit show at the moment, though. Intel’s driver has not reached the kernel yet.

I figured it would be a shit show on Linux. But, you just answered a question I had. Thanks. I just got a new desktop. I won’t need a new one for at least four years.

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Really? You can stick a 5800x on a b550 board costing $100

What’s the cheapest z690 board?

Comparing cpu cost is only half the story; a cpu is useless without a platform to run it in.

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don’t forget the ram… DDR5…

RAM I’ll give a pass because you can run it on ddr4 if you buy a board for it and currently there’s little difference.

Next zen will want ddr5 as well anyway. That’s just a timing vs progress thing.

But platform cost and the requirement to disable all your E cores to run intel optimised code is entirely another.

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My question is, what is the performance difference DDR4 vs DDR5?
Also isn’t the point of buying the latest and greatest to get the latest and greatest? Why would you buy 12th gen and not get DDR5?

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Perf difference is currently minimal.
Reason to go ddr4 right now? It’s cheaper. Especially if you ready have it.

I’m not suggesting you actually do that as down the line you’d want ddr5 when faster/larger modules come out, but if we are comparing bang for buck on a system you can build today, ddr4 has it in the bag; the currently shipping ddr4 vs ddr5 isn’t an impediment for either platform right now.

So if you’re cost conscious it’s an area you can save on right now. As you would if you were looking for a “steal”.

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Highly depends if you want a DDR4 or DDR5 board.
DDR5 boards are a bit more expensive obviously.
But DDR4 boards are starting at like $220,- ish and up.
However having a platform that supports two memory standards is of course cool.
But also kinda akward at the same time with an eye on the future.
because you have to make a choice if you want a DDR4 or DDR5 board.

However in my opinion it would be more relevant to compare Z690 to X570 (S) boards.
Of course you can run a 5800X on a $150,- B550 board.
So in regards to that Ryzen “can” always be cheaper for the average user.
However comparing Z690 to X570 / S would be more appopriate i think.

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The whole platform will probably be more interesting if and when B660/H670 boards launch.

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Can’t wait for people to put 12900k in a 3 phase h670 board with no vrm heatsinks…

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As soon as I saw that I remembered back to the original Portal where they were using frying pans on CPUs.

@MisteryAngel All the information I have read indicates the z690 motherboards only support one type of memory. Your choices are either a DDR 4 supported or a DDR 5 supported motherboard. They aren’t interchangeable. To further explain the concept I am trying to get across; When a motherboard is purchased and you choose a Z690 DDR 4 board, you can’t later decide to use DDR 5 memory. Your only option is to buy a new motherboard and memory. At least, that is my understanding of the situation.

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This is correct. With DDR3 → DDR4 there were some hybrid boards that had both DDR3 and DDR4 slots but you could only use one type at a time. This old (and wierd) niche wasn’t adopted for Z690 boards. You get a DDR4 board or you get a DDR5 board. My usual retailers list the board name with “DDR4” after the normal name.

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Yes that is correct, that’s why i said it depends on if you want a DDR4 or DDR5 board.
This is of course cool because you can still benefit from using the cheaper DDR4 memory.
And given that DDR5 doesn’t seem to have a huge impact on performance in most cases atm.
You can very well just pick a DDR4 board and save money on memory right now.

However it is a choice you have to think about when purchasing your hardware.
Because DDR4 and DDR5 are not interchangeable.
That is what i meant with ¨it’s cool but also awkward at the same time¨.

DDR4 will likely be EOL at some point in the near future.
I don’t really expect that to happen for at least another year.
However it is something to think about in front if you want to expand,
your memory capacity over time.
Because prices of DDR4 might also raise in the future when there is less demand.

Of course i can’t look into the future but still…

Choices… :wink:

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@MisteryAngel On the post I responded to, I found the statement, However, having a platform that supports two memory standards is, of course, fantastic. I found it confusing and thought others would too.

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Yup i totally see what you mean.
I should have worded that a little bit better.

Thanks for the heads up! :slight_smile: :+1: