Processor selection

GENERATIONS
I have always used Intel CPUs, and therefore I am very familiar with them: with no attempt to argue that they are better or worse than competitors, I decided to stay with Intel. For an up-to-date gaming yet affordable Intel-based PC, there were not too many choices in 2023: either i5 or i7, either 12th or 13th generation. My initial choice was for a 12th gen i7, the i7-12700F (F means that the processor does not include an embedeed GPU). However, I then found online reviews that measured a very slightly better gaming performance for a 13th gen i5, typically the i5-13500. The latter has also an embedded GPU, useless for gaming but good for assembly and testing, and also for temporary PC work should a dedicated graphics card fail. It was therefore quite a surprise to find that the Core i5-13500 was significantly cheaper (by about 100$/€) than the i7-12700F. There is a limitation: I am referring here to a Non-Overclocking processor, but this is no problem for me because I had no intention to overclock (please find more on this topic further below). Accordingly, the Intel Core i5-13500 (henceforth named just "13500") was my choice.

UPGRADE PATH
Alas, the future for any existing present-day Intel socket is not too promising. Intel's 13th Generation CPUs use the LGA1700 socket, and the Z690 chipset of the motherboard I eventually went for (see our Motherboard page), allows for a moderate future upgrade to more powerful processors. Let us see the details: the 13500 has a Passmark 32560, while the fastest LGA1700 CPUs available at present are the i9 models, with Passmark around 62000. This only doubles the speed, and does it at a preposterous price. This situation may improve in the near future, or again it may not, and Intel has also suggested that the 14th Generation may well be the last one to support the LGA1700 socket.

13TH AND 14TH GENERATION COMPATIBILITY
We will see that our choice went for a motherboard with the Intel Z690 chipset. This is compatible with Intel 12th generation processors, but strictly speaking is incompatible with 13th and 14th Generation ones. However, this issue can be resolved in the motherboard by means of a firmware update. Theoretically this can be done in the BIOS, but in practice, unless we temporarily insert a 12th Generation processor, our BIOS will not run at all. To sidestep this issue, the STRIX Z690 motherboards include a "flashback" feature that allows to update the firmware without running the BIOS. For full details see our BIOS Flashback page.

TO OVERCLOCK OR NOT TO OVERCLOCK
Overclocking is a separate computer "hobby", actually so popular that Asus ROG and many other motherboards carry special hardware and software to facilitate it. It basically consist of setting the internal clock for CPU and RAM above their standard speed, and also raising voltages to avoid issues. It normally involves raising speeds and voltages by steps, until one reaches the point beyond which the reliability of the devices involved (which come out of factory within a random range of reliability) is affected and the PC begins to produce crashes. In the process the PC will overheat, requiring more cooling and consuming more power. In the long term, overclocking affects adversely the duration of the computer components. In most cases, when gaming, overclocking will increase FPS (frames per second) by anything from 5 to 20%. Personally I prefer a computer that is stable, durable and affordable: instead of overclocking, every few years I upgrade a component here and there, and every decade or so I build a new computer from scratch.