Is this upgrade worth it?

[Naabjenia]

Hi there!

 

First of all, this is my first post here, so I apologize in advance if you've seen a thread like this already. Even though I have extensively looked for something like this in Google, I couldn't find a situtation with the exact same parameters, so here it goes.

I own an i7 rig since 2010, which has seen a few upgrades since then and it currently looks like this:

 

Intel i7 920 (D0) @ 2,67 GHz

Intel DX58SO

EVGA GTX 1060 6GB

3 x 4 GB 1333 MHz RAM

500 GB HDD

480 GB SSD

750 W PSU

 

The thing is: where I live, PC parts  are usually pretty expensive, and old parts like my CPU and Mobo are pretty rare. Therefore, I am absolutely terrified of overclocking and have never done so, to avoid screwing up my parts and having to find replacements. Therefore, I have always used my CPU and GPU at stock speeds.

Anyway, recently I have found some pretty cheap used Intel Xeon W3690 from China on eBay (top seller, pretty well rated) and this is basically the best CPU model I could pair with my mobo, so what I would like to know is: is the upgrade from an i7 920 (2,67 - 2,93 GHz) to a Xeon W3690 (3,46 - 3,73 GHz) worth it? Will I notice a good bit of performance improvement comparing both CPUs at stock speeds? It is important to say that I use my PC mostly for gaming, but I also use it for Solidworks, Photoshop and ANSYS.

 

Thanks for your help!

Naabjenia

[Fasauceome]

Yes this is a great upgrade choice. Also, it's good to be careful with overclocking, but there are some pretty simple ways you can stay perfectly safe when doing it. Now that you're replacing your current CPU, you can use it for practice.

[Naabjenia]

Alright, then! Thank you very much for your reply.

[Naabjenia]

Hi, everyone.

 

Just coming back to update the thread for anyone who's looking to do something similar.

 

I have been running the W3690 with Intel's stock cooler on a DX58SO motherboard for a month now, and I've had no problems whatsoever.

Highest temperatures I've seen so far, under heavy load, are around 70°C.

 

Thank you all for your help!