X99 pc upgrade

[Darlington784]

Hi, I need advice since I want to upgrade my PC. This system is mostly going to be used for game development, design and digital art (Unity, Unreal Engine 4, Adobe Creative Suite, Blender, Fl Studio) and I'll also game a little on it (mostly Bf5 and Escape from Tarkov).

I already have an X99 motherboard and I'd like not to change it.

Currently, I have a Xeon e5-2609v3  but the clock speed is very slow and there isn't HyperThreading. What's a good CPU for my needs?

Thanks. 

[5x5]

Your socket is very very limiting - the best you can get is a 6950X but that's so expensive that it's not worth it considering it gets brutally murdered by modern mainstream 8-core CPUs.

 

What's your budget?

[TheGlenlivet]

The only thing you have to change is the motherboard and CPU which you were going to change anyway.  Everything else should transfer over.

X399 is the way I would go.  You can't beat threadripper in $$$ per core.

[Darlington784]

My budget is around 200/300$ for the Cpu only. What do you think about the higher clock speed Xeon that can be found for cheap on eBay, are they still too slow compared to modern cpu?

[Jurrunio]

Higher core count Xeons arent worth it either, their frequency is low and even the bios editing mod that can lock the CPU at 3GHz regardless of core count still isnt enough to make the top 24 core ES chip or top 22 core Xeon E5-2699v4 beat something like the TR 1950X, and those are some silly expensive LGA2011-3 CPUs already.

[Zando_]

9 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

The only thing you have to change is the motherboard and CPU which you were going to change anyway. 

"I already have an X99 motherboard and I'd like not to change it."

9 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

X399 is the way I would go.  You can't beat threadripper in $$$ per core.

Tho yeah, if the OP does decide to change, Threadripper is the best HEDT platform rn, unless you're into extreme overclocking which threadripper chips don't do as well as the Intel stuff, buuuut assuming you won't be doing that on a computer you depend on for work. 

 

If you do decide to stay on X99, the 5960X and a solid overclock (gonna have to test to make sure it's 100% absolutely stable if you're working on important stuff) is about as good as it gets for any reasonable price. The 6950X is usually $700+ used, new in box models far more. You'd be much better off just upgrading to a good X399 motherboard and TR CPU at that point. They're not much behind on single core, may be slightly faster (IIRC Zen+ is on par with or a bit better than Haswell, and the Haswell-E/Broadwell-E chips are very similar), and pack a lot more cores.

 

4 minutes ago, Darlington784 said:

My budget is around 200/300$ for the Cpu only. What do you think about the higher clock speed Xeon that can be found for cheap on eBay, are they still too slow compared to modern cpu?

For $300 the best you can get is a good deal on a 5960X. Maybe a Xeon, but a lot of those are pre-production samples that don't work with most motherboards (the... QS ones I think it is, they work with everything just fine though). 

 

EDIT: Also after a quick peruse of ye olde eBay, all the QS ones with higher core counts are 2-2.5Ghz base, probs around 3GHz boost so like @Jurrunio said they won't fight TRs and such well at all. 

[5x5]

7 minutes ago, Darlington784 said:

My budget is around 200/300$ for the Cpu only. What do you think about the higher clock speed Xeon that can be found for cheap on eBay, are they still too slow compared to modern cpu?

You might as well jump ship. A Ryzen 7 3700X would be a massive upgrade and better than anything you can put on your board

 

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($329.00 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M Steel Legend Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $418.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-21 16:52 EDT-0400

[Darlington784]

1 minute ago, Zando Bob said:

"I already have an X99 motherboard and I'd like not to change it."

Tho yeah, if the OP does decide to change, Threadripper is the best HEDT platform rn, unless you're into extreme overclocking which threadripper chips don't do as well as the Intel stuff, buuuut assuming you won't be doing that on a computer you depend on for work. 

 

If you do decide to stay on X99, the 5960X and a solid overclock (gonna have to test to make sure it's 100% absolutely stable if you're working on important stuff) is about as good as it gets for any reasonable price. The 6950X is usually $700+ used, new in box models far more. You'd be much better off just upgrading to a good X399 motherboard and TR CPU at that point. They're not much behind on single core, may be slightly faster (IIRC Zen+ is on par with or a bit better than Haswell, and the Haswell-E/Broadwell-E chips are very similar), and pack a lot more cores.

 

For $300 the best you can get is a good deal on a 5960X. Maybe a Xeon, but a lot of those are pre-production samples that don't work with most motherboards (the... QS ones I think it is, they work with everything just fine though).  

 And if I upgrade to X399 what's the best CPU? Tr 1950x or maybe 2950x?

[Darlington784]

So if I need more performance I have to go to Ryzen 3rd generation or X399 and if I want to stay to X99 the 5960x is the best deal, right?

 

Thank you all for your help!

[Zando_]

Just now, Darlington784 said:

 And if I upgrade to X399 what's the best CPU? Tr 1950x or maybe 2950x?

Depends on how many cores you need, but if your budget is locked at $300 for the upgrade then TR may not be an option. The mobos themselves are around $300 or so, but the CPUs are very reasonably priced for the core count: 

Zen 2 offers some really good bang for the buck too, the 12 core 3900X is damn fast but that's a $500 CPU. 

Choice really depends on a few factors:
If you're determined to stay with X99 
What your max budget is 
If you need an HEDT rig or not, and closely tied to that; how many cores do you need?

[TheGlenlivet]

5 minutes ago, Darlington784 said:

 And if I upgrade to X399 what's the best CPU? Tr 1950x or maybe 2950x?

Right now a 2990wx is 32/64.  Not sure what your workflow is exactly but that thing is the most powerful.

By this time next year there will probably be 3rd gen TR4.

[Darlington784]

Just now, Zando Bob said:

Depends on how many cores you need, but if your budget is locked at $300 for the upgrade then TR may not be an option. The mobos themselves are around $300 or so, but the CPUs are very reasonably priced for the core count: 

Zen 2 offers some really good bang for the buck too, the 12 core 3900X is damn fast but that's a $500 CPU. 

Choice really depends on a few factors:
If you're determined to stay with X99 
What your max budget is 
If you need an HEDT rig or not, and closely tied to that; how many cores do you need?

Thank you

[Zando_]

2 minutes ago, Darlington784 said:

So if I need more performance I have to go to Ryzen 3rd generation or X399 and if I want to stay to X99 the 5960x is the best deal, right?

 

Thank you all for your help!

And to answer these questions, pretty much yes to all. Moving to a new platform will get you better performance and newer features. If you just wanna plop in a CPU and call it a day (assuming you have a good cooler and mobo), then a 5960X with a 4.2Ghz OC (should easily hit that and be stable, most will do 4.5 or higher depending on how much you push them) should offer performance about on par with a 2700X, maybe slightly faster or slower depending on the workload. 

[5x5]

4 minutes ago, Darlington784 said:

So if I need more performance I have to go to Ryzen 3rd generation or X399 and if I want to stay to X99 the 5960x is the best deal, right?

 

Thank you all for your help!

6950X - but you'd also need to actually cool that space heater down.

[Zando_]

2 minutes ago, 5x5 said:

6950X - but you'd also need to actually cool that space heater down.

Those start at $700, about the price of a 3900X + X570 mobo, thus why I don't even consider that as a good option for this socket. If you have the money and really love X99 they're an awesome option, but as far as bang for buck on a work machine goes, they're garbage. 

[Darlington784]

Just now, 5x5 said:

6950X - but you'd also need to actually cool that space heater down.

Thank you, I'll also consider that CPU, maybe I can find a good deal somewhere. For now, I'll stay with X99 and next year maybe i'll switch to X399

[5x5]

Just now, Zando Bob said:

Those start at $700, the price of a 3900X + X570 mobo, thus why I don't even consider that as a good option for this socket. If you have the money and really love X99 they're an awesome option, but as far as bang for buck on a work machine goes, they're garbage. 

Oh, absolutely - I just saw "best for my socket" and went on autopilot - forgot how overpriced the 6950X is

[5x5]

Just now, Darlington784 said:

Thank you, I'll also consider that CPU, maybe I can find a good deal somewhere. For now, I'll stay with X99 and next year maybe i'll switch to X399

Yeah, feel free to ignore that post of mine - the 6950X prices are absurd - for the same money you get 12-16 Zen cores that absolutely annihilate it.

[Darlington784]

Just now, 5x5 said:

Yeah, feel free to ignore that post of mine - the 6950X prices are absurd - for the same money you get 12-16 Zen cores that absolutely annihilate it.

[Jurrunio]

8 minutes ago, Darlington784 said:

 And if I upgrade to X399 what's the best CPU? Tr 1950x or maybe 2950x?

2990wx (32 cores, but inconsistent performance). 3rd gen TR coming sometime in Q4 2019

 

7 minutes ago, Darlington784 said:

So if I need more performance I have to go to Ryzen 3rd generation or X399 and if I want to stay to X99 the 5960x is the best deal, right?

 

Thank you all for your help!

AM4 does go up to 16 cores some time in Sept (though you're probably not affording the 12 or the 16 core by then) and a good board there cost less than $200, tho PCIe lanes get a big cut.

 

5960x is not a good deal. Since it's Haswell with 8 cores, it's being forced to compete with older Ryzen 7s, the 1700x and 2700 are around the $180 mark. In my region a used 5960x cost twice that.

[Zando_]

1 minute ago, 5x5 said:

Oh, absolutely - I just saw "best for my socket" and went on autopilot - forgot how overpriced the 6950X is

Yeah, lol. I think they're expensive because they're best in socket, but it kinda kills any value appeal unless you get one through a trade or something. For price/performance, the 5960X is the much better deal, but it's still $300 so if you were planning on a new mobo anyways, you can get more performance out of a new CPU at that price point. If you weren't planning to get a new mobo, then you'd have to add the cost of a mobo + the cost of a new CPU, and in that situation the 5960X is actually a good value chip, given you can get them for $300-320 or so most of the time and they OC quite well. 

[Darlington784]

For the moment I'll buy a 5960x and overclock it. Thank you all for your help