3930k Is It worth it?

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lcampbell89

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Feb 27, 2013
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Been waiting for my tax refund to come in and finally got it. Going to build myself a new PC, currently running on one I built back in high school with an intel 2 duo core. So it is a little lacking.

I play a lot of EVE where I multibox (8-10 clients at a time) so this is my current plan:

Intel i7 3930k
Asus Rampage IV Extreme
32gb Ram (4x8gb) (Maybe Patriot not too sure yet had thought about being a little more spendy and getting the ripjaw 2133 ones)
3x evga 660 gtx (unless i find a good deal on a 670 then might be one of those and 2 660s)
corsair 1050w psu
256 gb ssd (not sure what)
2 tb sata 3 HD (once again not sure what)
cheap blu ray burner

Casw: Corsair 800d (although I secretly want to wait for the 900d its sexy)


Probably going to do some kind of water cooling not sure.

Will be running triple monitors, currently on two viewsonic 24" led, trying to decide if I want to just buy one more and go with that or maybe do a portrait/lanscape/portrait set up with 20/30/20 monitor. Still up in the air.

Would love some feedback!

But mainly do you think the 3970k is worth it for a multi box set up like this? Or would be better off with 3770k? Or maybe even the Vishera?
 
How much does one client tax your current setup?
 
Honestly don't know numbers off the top of my head. I can run 4-5 clients on the intel 2 duo 6600 and my gt 240 but it really struggles. One or two clients will usually freeze out in game.
 
Oh also someone at overclocking.net suggested not doing the 660 as they are only 192 bit and that I should get 2 - 3 cards that are 256 bit or better.
 
256 bit will help with larger resolutions with high AA. Given that your games aren't exactly graphically intensive, and you don't seem to be doing this for the graphics, it won't really matter. I would suggest a 7950 or 7870 for better bang/buck.

A 3770k is probably at least 7 times as powerful as your Core 2 Duo. Double the core count, much higher IPC, much higher clock speeds, much higher overclocks, and Hyperthreading. The 3930k will be something like 10 times more powerful at the very least. So with a 3770k, you can run at least 20 clients, provided you don't max out the RAM.

Really, whether it's worth it to you depends on how important the game is to you, and how many clients you want to run.
 
The instances where a 3930k is "worth it" are pretty rare. I built my rig with one just because I could. I don't have any regrets though, I can surf the hell out of the internet on my rig ;)
 
Worth it? No.

If you've got the money to spare and won't have to skimp on the GPU to afford one, go for it.

It's the proc I'd buy right now if I found a couple grand between my sofa cushions. Otherwise I'd opt for a 3770K and put the $250 I'd save towards something else.
 
3930k is a fine choice, if you just want lanes for your multiple cards the 3820 is good as well. It would be a good time to pick LGA2011 because 1155 is at its end, while 2011 might have another year or two left in it with IB-E.

GTX 660 can only do 2-way SLI. You need a 660ti or higher to 3-way.
 
I probably won't be upgrading again for another few years. At least on the cpu/mobo side so it might be worth it so it lasts. I will also use the system for things like auto cad and photoshop.

I am leaning towards it for sure.

Would be buying one used on here or off the bay be a terrible idea or am I better spending the extra 100-200 on a new one to have RMA / warranty covered.
 
I prefer to buy new. It's worth the extra money to me for the peace of mind.

Like I said, if you can afford it and you're not having to sacrifice on another component that you'll need, by all means get it. It's a bad ass proc and will easily handle anything you need it to do for the next bunch of years.
 
Unless you virtualize quite heavily and utilize much video encoding/conversions at the highest quality possible then there is no need for you to go 6 core imo. You would be better served by a less expensive all around platform like a 3770K or something.
 
I guess I am having a harder time pulling trigger than I thought. I think getting a used 3930k and ARIVE might ease the pain especially if I can get the combo at same price as a new 3770k/ARVE.

Then again maybe I am exaggerating the needs of my gaming and a 3770k is all I need.

Because saving some money and getting a used laptop wouldnt be terrible for me either :p
 
If you're looking to run a ton of instances of a game or a program that will take advantage of the extra logical cores the hyperthreading on the i7 3770K offers then that would be the happy medium between the i5 3570K and the i7 3930K. To me it seems like the 3770K is perfect solution to your setup.

If you're gaming then a 3570K is really all one needs even for the most demanding multi-gpu setups. There is little to nothing to be gained gaming with a 3930K unless you're benchmarking Quad SLI/X-Fire for some kind of record.
 
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3770K
Good Z77 MoBo
16-32GB DDR3-1600 <=1.5V
2x 660ti or 670
Corsair AX or Seasonic X series 750W PSU

That would last you for years and years with the specific uses you posted..probably well into Skylake/Skymont territory when it's time to upgrade again.
 
Yeah 3930k isn't really very much value added for your setup, stick with a 3770k (or even 3570k if you aren't using applications regularly that benefit from hyperthreading) and save the difference for gpus or something.
 
If you got spare cash floating around the 3930k is freak'n awesome.. if you use it all. I would say hardly anyone does. If you're sure you will use 6core/12thread then go for it. If you're not sure save the 300bucks and put it to better video, ram or another ssd or something.
 
Fellow multiboxer here.

There's no substitute for MOAR COARS when it comes to multiboxing.

If you are building a new comp with the intent of multiboxing get a 3930k/3960x, You'll be glad you did. This is assuming you can afford it.

Also agreed with the AMD card recommendation earlier, my Nvidia cards seem to shit the bed more than my old AMD cards when juggling multiple clients.
 
Zomoa what cards do you run on your set up?

And damnit I had almost convinced myself that I should just get a 3770k til you said that. :p
 
To me, buying one of these chips is simply telling Intel that we're OK with consuming their defective Xeons and ensures that they'll continue using the high end market as a dumping ground for these defective Xeons. Harvesting is fine and has been done for many years, but a fully functional processor should be available. Fully unlocked, un-neutered and above all, available!!!

But Intel has decided that such a chip shall not be made available at any price in any quantity, which to me is disappointing beyond words.
 
lutjens said:
To me, buying one of these chips is simply telling Intel that we're OK with consuming their defective Xeons and ensures that they'll continue using the high end market as a dumping ground for these defective Xeons. Harvesting is fine and has been done for many years, but a fully functional processor should be available. Fully unlocked, un-neutered and above all, available!!!

But Intel has decided that such a chip shall not be made available at any price in any quantity, which to me is disappointing beyond words.
Click to expand...

Isn't it the same process used by nvidia and amd with gpus? Or am I mistaken? In the end it isn't sending any message imho, all it's saying is look these aren't as good as what we wanted, but there's a demand for something in between, so put them under a different label and sell. Big deal.
 
PhantomTaco said:
Isn't it the same process used by nvidia and amd with gpus? Or am I mistaken? In the end it isn't sending any message imho, all it's saying is look these aren't as good as what we wanted, but there's a demand for something in between, so put them under a different label and sell. Big deal.
Click to expand...

You're right...they both do the same thing. Die harvesting is reasonable and understandable, but at least NVidia and AMD offer full functional versions of their products (albeit for a steep price). Intel refuses to do so, at any price, the closest they do offer being the hard locked E5-2687W, which would be perfect if it were unlocked. But Intel refuses to do so, and has instead flipped the bird to its most loyal customers...
 
Y'all think 515 for a new 3930k is a decent deal or should I try and find a used one for 425 ish?
 
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