Which Processor to pick

357mag · May 18, 2025

I'm looking at two Dell desktops, one has a Intel Core i5-12400, and the other has an Intel Core i7-12700K. There isn't really much else that is different between them. Price difference of course. The i7 version costs more.

What will I be doing on my computer?

No gaming. Word Processing. Web surfing. Recording my guitar and adding bass and drums using Reaper. Maybe some coding using various languages. Light photo editing like adjusting brightness and contrast in photos. That pretty much covers it. Oh, maybe some digital painting using programs like ArtRage.

I have a feeling the i5 could easily handle all of this, but I'd like to know what you guys think.

Flashorn · May 18, 2025

Hi!
The i5 will have enough to power what you said you'd be doing with it but,
maybe post the actual PCs you are referencing too in your next post so we
can evaluate the rest of the hardware components.

PCUser · May 18, 2025

They're fairly comparable and both are using the Alder Lake chipset, the i7 is faster but they seem pretty comparable. It's not like you're comparing a Ferrari to a Yugo.

UserBenchmark: Intel Core i5-12400 vs i7-12700K

Intel Core i5-12400 vs Intel Core i7-12700K: What is the difference?

What is the difference between Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel Core i5-12400? Find out which is better and their overall performance in the CPU ranking.

versus.com

That said, the i7 has more cores, more threads, faster processing so if the price difference isn't too much, I'd go for the i7, but that's ME.
You may not need, want, or ever need/require the additional CPU cores & threads.

I hope these Dells are Precisions. Ha!

357mag · May 18, 2025

32GB of RAM. 1 TB NVMe drive. Comes with an optical drive too which I really need. Display Port. Drive size will be plenty big for me. I only have about 8 software applications that I install. I don't need tons of space.

PCUser · May 18, 2025

Flashorn said:
Hi!
The i5 will have enough to power what you said you'd be doing with it but,
maybe post the actual PCs you are referencing too in your next post so we
can evaluate the rest of the hardware components.

Absolutely. The rest of the hardware always is a factor.

Flashorn · May 18, 2025

357mag said:
32GB of RAM. 1 TB NVMe drive. Comes with an optical drive too which I really need. Display Port. Drive size will be plenty big for me. I only have about 8 software applications that I install. I don't need tons of space.

As you said, you'll be doing some photo editing so maybe a dedicated GPU could be of use in this case.
Also, a storage HDD could be of use as well.

Would you have a link to the PCs you intend on buying?

Berton · May 18, 2025

PCUser said:
I hope theset Dells are Precisions.

I have a Precision with a XEON CPU running Win10 Pro, no issue but the CPU is not on Microsoft's supported list for Win11.

PCUser · May 18, 2025

Berton said:
I have a Precision with a XEON CPU running Win10 Pro, no issue but the CPU is not on Microsoft's supported list.

I didn't check if mine are on "the list" or not.
As long as the CPUs have SSE4.2 you're OK.
Precision, nice choice. Reliability & Rock-solid.

Flashorn · May 18, 2025

PCUser said:
SSE4.2

4.2 was introduced in 2008 on Intel i7s and 2011 on AMDs.
It's the rest of the hardware that should matter in this case.
Seeing as it's a new PC you should be looking at keeping it
for at least 3 or 4 years.

357mag · May 18, 2025

I have about 3 external hard drives. Plus a USB Flash Drive as well. I keep all my personal data offline.

Which Processor to pick

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