[PLUS] For Core i5-12400F & Co.: 5 fundamentally different socket 1700 mainboards in the test

In PCGH mainboard tests, boards from similar price ranges usually compete against each other in order to determine the best product for a specific target group in a direct comparison. But the most exciting candidates are not always available, and so, after three major market surveys for Alder Lake, there are a number of socket 1700 mainboards that, apart from the compatible CPUs, actually only have one thing in common: they have not yet been tested. That’s exactly what we want to catch up on, although we don’t let the very different test participants compete against each other in different categories, but instead compare them separately with an obvious opponent from previous editions.

New test hardware

With these comparison objects, you may notice significant differences to our previous publications, because even though we have already reported on some test candidates: All performance measurements for this edition have been recreated. Please note that the grades awarded are therefore not comparable with those from previous editions, as you can find them one last time in the current buyer’s guide of this edition.

Our new and post-tests differ from these old results in four main aspects: A new test CPU, new DDR5 test RAM, a new power supply unit and several software updates. The first three aspects are directly related – during testing for this article, first our original Core i9-12900K sample failed, and then one of two Crucial modules failed. The cause is unclear, but we also took the opportunity to replace the test power supply that had been in use for seven years. In the course of this, a few other minor annoyances disappeared without a trace – the old voltage converter probably has the test hardware on its conscience.

PC Games Hardware Plus