I'm thinking about picking up an i5 12400F right now and I'm curious if it will have a reasonable upgrade path in the future. I've heard about some instability issues with the 13th and 14th generation chips. Would it be better for me to go with an AM4 setup, like a Ryzen 5 3600 or 5500? I've also noticed that the X3D chips are hard to find right now.
5 Answers
Neither platform is ideal for long-term upgrading. Your best bet might be to build something affordable now and plan for a new platform down the line.
I’d recommend sticking with LGA 1700 if you can. If your budget allows, AM5 might be the best option, but you can still upgrade to the 13th or 14th gen CPUs now that a BIOS update has fixed the previous instability issues. Just remember to update that BIOS once you decide to upgrade!
LGA 1700 is a great choice since there are still some powerful gaming CPUs available like the 14600K.
Both platforms have some overpriced options right now, and it looks like there won't be many discounts coming up soon. It's definitely a tough market!
Neither of the LGA 1700 or AM4 really has a solid upgrade path at this point. The 14900K is currently the fastest CPU for that socket, but it's about 40% better than the 12400F for gaming at 1080p. If you’re going DDR4, you might want to think of that build as reaching its end in terms of upgrades.
I'll look for a good deal on DDR5 for AM5, but if that's not available, DDR4 seems solid. So the instability was just a BIOS issue? I learn something new every day, thanks!