I'm currently using an Intel i5-12400F paired with a 5070 Ti GPU and I'm mostly gaming at 1440p. I don't play competitive games, but I enjoy AAA titles, adventures, RPGs, and MMOs. I want to maintain above 60 fps in my games. However, I'm hesitant to upgrade because my PSU is only 650W, which means that if I want a better CPU, I'll likely need to upgrade the motherboard and PSU simultaneously. Recently, I've been having trouble keeping Final Fantasy XVI at 60+ fps consistently, and I've heard the game might be poorly optimized. Some other games I enjoy include God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, and The Witcher 3.
3 Answers
Honestly, the 12400F should be sufficient for now. If you're really motivated to upgrade, I’d say wait for sales on the 12600KF or 12700KF; patience pays off!
Your 5070 Ti only draws about 300 watts, so a 650W PSU should handle a more powerful CPU just fine. You could consider the i5-14600KF for around $205; it’s a 20-30% performance upgrade for gaming. Check it out on PCPartPicker if you're interested!
Yeah, I get that. That's why I mentioned needing a new mobo since mine is an H610M.
I’d suggest looking into the i5-14600K or 14700K. They can increase your fps by about 20%, which is quite significant for 1440p gaming. This boost also improves those pesky 1% fps drops, giving you smoother gameplay overall.
Just be sure your motherboard can support any higher-end CPUs. Is it DDR4 or DDR5? If it’s DDR4, upgrading might not be worth it.