Currently just going through ideas in my head really.

I have a set of DT xr331s on Hope Pro4 wheels and use Schwalbe 2.25 tyres.

I am thinking about going to 12spd over the winter and one thought is to change the wheels at the same time, something like the DT X1700.

I notice that it comes in different widths, so the question is what real world difference would I notice going from a xr331 at 20mm to a 25 internal rim with the same tyres? Just to note this is on a carbon superfly hardtail with 100mm forks so more an XC race bike.

The only genuine benefit I can see from running wider rims in an XC context is more support for the tyres (less tyre squirm / roll when cornering hard) which results the ability to run tubeless at lower pressures.

I have a set of DT Swiss XM1501 Spline wheels in 25mm internal width variety which weigh the same as my 21mm internal Giant carbon rims and I do notice the extra support when running 2.25 tyres. I personally wouldn’t go wider than 25mm internal rims up to 2.3 tyres. 30mm internal rims make sense for 2.4+ inch tyres being run hard on a trail / enduro bike but for XC / general trail 25mm seems to be the magic number for me. Its all personal preference though.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/rim-widths-comparison-test-mountain-bike.html

“…..so the question is what real world difference would I notice going from a xr331 at 20mm to a 25 internal rim with the same tyres? ”

Only you can answer that.