New build - CPUs

msalton1 · Saturday at 6:53 PM

Hey y'all. My last PC desktop build was in 2020. I built to accommodate and 8th Gen cpu so I could continue Win 7. Since then I made the jump to win 10.

Now I need to upgrade to win 11 to accommodate UA Twin X audio interface and software, which will require a motherboard with native Thunderbolt.

I'll likely go with one of the Asus z790 or z890 Maximus Hero boards depending on which cpu I choose. And that's the point of this post.

I'd like recommendations. I'm leaning toward the 13 gen (probably 13700K), as I understand it generates less heat and there's not much gain in the 14th for my purposes, same goes for i9 vs i7. This all speculative theory on my part at this point.

I'd appreciate any recommendations and pros/cons. I don't really care about intel graphics.

Thanks!

abactuon · Saturday at 7:21 PM

It is better to buy new models if they are not much more expensive. IMO

msalton1 · Saturday at 7:48 PM

abactuon said:
It is better to buy new models if they are not much more expensive. IMO

Hi abactuon. Cost isn't really an issue. Quality and reliability is.

PerpetualCycle · Saturday at 8:17 PM

Frankly, I would go with an AMD processor at the moment. I have been an Intel guy for ages, but they have too many issues at the moment.

But if you are determined with sticking with Intel, the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 (or 7) 285K

gunrunnerjohn · Saturday at 8:25 PM

After the overheating issues with the gen13 and gen14 processors that I found out too late about, I'd do the same. I have the fixes installed, but my confidence has been shaken in Intel...

bobkn · Saturday at 9:38 PM

msalton1 said:
Hi abactuon. Cost isn't really an issue. Quality and reliability is.

The new Core Ultra CPUs (Gen15) run cooler than Gen13 or 14. You may be able to air cool a 265k without power limits.

I'm not sure about Thunderbolt support on AMD motherboards. Some list USB 4 (40Gbps) ports. I believe those are compatible with TB3.

The Ryzen 9000 series are supposed to be easier to cool than the higher end Intel desktop CPUs. Puget Systems (high-end PC supplier to professionals) switched to Ryzen 9000 CPUs for some of their PCs after the Intel Gen14 debacle.

If you want to buy a high-end X870E motherboard, you can.

SIW2 · Saturday at 11:13 PM

larc919 · Saturday at 11:48 PM

If I were in the market for an Intel CPU newer than 12th generation, I would look only at the Core Ultra. It requires a motherboard with an LGA 1851 socket. In case you may be interested in Copilot+ at some point, that combination supports it.

Catnip · 2025-05-11T10:39:02-0400

If you are seriously looking at a 13th gen CPU, the 13700KF that I have is a solid performer and runs cool. Just make sure you have all of the microcode patches in BIOS or you will have some issues.

I have been an AMD user for years and I have to say that this Intel chip runs circles around my last build. I am not too familiar with the new AMD offerings, but in the past I have always found AMD to be lacking slightly compared to Intel with a comparable CPU. Maybe that's just me.

Good luck in your search.

hdmi · 2025-05-11T12:27:59-0400

Right now if looking for sheer performance, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D has an almost 4 percent higher PassMark CPU Mark score compared to the Core Ultra 9 285K, but the latter choice has noticeably better efficiency, both in terms of the cooling requirement (energy ➔ heat) and in terms of cost v performance. Assuming normal availability and prices, the AMD is just not worth the added cost IMO unless you could come up with a really, really very good, err... well, "reason". AFAIK reliability wise the Core Ultra lineup should also be fine. It doesn't suffer from the 13th-and-14th-gen-Intel-desktop-CPU tear-jerker song that some certain individuals on the internet love to keep singing along in spite of the fact that the issue (with the CPUs, that is... not the internet individuals...) has already been solved long ago.

gunrunnerjohn · 2025-05-11T12:29:59-0400

Yep, now that I have the updates in place, my two Intel gen 14 machines are fine. I was disappointed to find out about the issues after I bought the motherboards and processors!

hdmi · 2025-05-11T12:36:49-0400

gunrunnerjohn said:
Yep, now that I have the updates in place, my two Intel gen 14 machines are fine. I was disappointed to find out about the issues after I bought the motherboards and processors!

Had I bought one during those times, I think I might have thrown a hissy fit at Intel. They're nothing more than a gang of peasants, just like Microsoft. But then, if there are no peasants, who's gonna make me food?

gunrunnerjohn · 2025-05-11T12:38:39-0400

hdmi said:
Had I bought one during those times, I think I might have thrown a hissy fit at Intel. They're nothing more than a gang of peasants, just like Microsoft. But then, if there are no peasants, who's gonna make me food?

I have to look at the good news. Once I was assembling the new computers, I was looking for drivers and came across the comments about the BIOS and microcode issues. A lot of people found out much more painfully about the issues.

msalton1 · 2025-05-11T12:57:49-0400

Thanks to all for the helpful comments. It goes a long way in directing me to resources and making a decision based on solid info.

Regarding AMD: This build is for my primary machine and will be employed for various purposes, but the motivating factor for the build at this point in time is for the TB version of UA Apollo Twin X Quad. Those who make use of Apollo generally agree that AMD isn't the way to go. The TB version also requires onboard native support for the motherboard (the Apollo is very particular and was primarily designed for Mac).

I'll also add that I may be required to turn off HyperThreading for the Apollo.

Quality, reliability and speed are important factors as well. From what I'm reading, I may be better off in the mentioned terms going with a 14700K or 13700K over the 265 or 285 ultras.

gunrunnerjohn · 2025-05-11T13:01:06-0400

I'm more of an Intel man, so the Core Ultra looks like a good choice. I really didn't need that speed for my uses, and I didn't want to spend that kind of money either.

msalton1 · 2025-05-11T13:02:37-0400

gunrunnerjohn said:
I have to look at the good news. Once I was assembling the new computers, I was looking for drivers and came across the comments about the BIOS and microcode issues. A lot of people found out much more painfully about the issues.

Don't cpus/mainboards purchased today include the patch/fix?

msalton1 · 2025-05-11T13:04:28-0400

SIW2 said:

Thanks for posting this SIW2. Very helpful. From what I can tell from his assessment, it appears the i7 14700K is a better choice.

gunrunnerjohn · 2025-05-11T13:13:46-0400

msalton1 said:
Don't cpus/mainboards purchased today include the patch/fix?

Well, neither of my motherboards had the latest BIOS, I had to update them. I bought them in early March, so that was well after the fix was published. Remember, the pipeline for some of these components is probably a few months at times.

msalton1 · 2025-05-11T13:15:54-0400

gunrunnerjohn said:
Well, neither of my motherboards had the latest BIOS, I had to update them. I bought them in early March, so that was well after the fix was published. Remember, the pipeline for some of these components is probably a few months at times.

My question was almost moot anyway, given one of my first tasks after a build is to update to the latest bios.

SIW2 · 2025-05-11T13:16:22-0400

13m 21s

in short the 265k sucks

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