Upgrade 3930k @ 4.9ghz?

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caltech31

Limp Gawd
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Hi all,

So a bit of a strange question - I recently obtained a 3930k, RIVE combo that clocks extremely well (4910mhz). I had essentially been waiting for Coffee Lake to come back in stock (8700k specifically), but now I am starting to question whether I actually need the upgrade.

While I don't game nearly as much as I used to (I probably enjoy benching more than anything), I do still fire up the latest and greatest title on occasion, and donl't like worrying about whether my hardware is keeping up.

I presently have two other 6 core system (x5660 and 4960x - the latter doesn't overclock well), and a 4770k @4.5ghz that had previously been my primary gaming machine. The Xeon and Ivybridge E systems are relegated to data analysis work.

The 3930k at 4.9Ghz does 171 Cinibench SC, 1305 multi core, and 17600 in 3D Mark Firestrike Physics. Haven't really tested much of anything else using an overclocked GTX 1070.

Any thoughts/input would be much appreciated.
 
I personally wouldn't. I have a 3570K at 4.2 Ghz and the only reason I'm upgrading is because my motherboard is starting to fail. I'd rather just upgrade everything after 5 years than try to find a used (and reliable) Z77 board.
 
I have the same chip and run it at about 4.5GHz... everything I throw at it runs great. For me, there's no need to upgrade right now.
 
I noticed minor improvements in some games going from a 3930k @ 4.5ghz to a 7700k (stock) and some pretty decent gains in others. Heavily threaded applications did take a hit, but I realized I use this system to game WAY more often than anything else, plus I was bored with x79. That being said, if you're still rocking a 1070 I think your money would be better spent on a new GPU rather than a new mobo, cpu, and ram (assuming gaming is your top priority).
 
entropism said:
...the only reason I'm upgrading is because my motherboard is starting to fail. I'd rather just upgrade everything after 5 years than try to find a used (and reliable) Z77 board.
Click to expand...

This is the main reason to upgrade these days- overclocked boards/CPUs dying. It's why I jumped to the 2500k, otherwise I'd still be waiting for whatever replaces Coffee Lake!

capt_cope said:
I noticed minor improvements in some games going from a 3930k @ 4.5ghz to a 7700k (stock) and some pretty decent gains in others. Heavily threaded applications did take a hit, but I realized I use this system to game WAY more often than anything else, plus I was bored with x79. That being said, if you're still rocking a 1070 I think your money would be better spent on a new GPU rather than a new mobo, cpu, and ram (assuming gaming is your top priority).
Click to expand...

He specifically stated that gaming isn't his top priority, which easily pushes the recommendation into the 'wait' column.

Future releases should bring more cores, faster clockspeeds, and more IPC: from Intel and hopefully AMD as well. No reason to upgrade something that can keep up with the best today!
 
Thanks for the input everyone - I'll be honest, I love overclocking these older systems (x58, x79). While my love of tinkering has never gone away (first overclock was a celeron 300A), my patience and free time to play games is all but gone.

While I will always buy a bunch of titles during Steam sales etc, the last game I actually played through was Fallout 4.

The 8700k is still on my radar, but I will probably wait for it to come back in stock and see what other motherboard offerings come out. An alternative is to go x299, and make the case for my work to pay for it. I do ALOT of statistical modeling in my day job, so I legitimately have a reason to ask for a new system. The massive drawback is that I am stuck to using a list of pre-approved vendors (Dell, HP etc), so it's neither the greatest value or best parts being used.
 
caltech31 said:
Thanks for the input everyone - I'll be honest, I love overclocking these older systems (x58, x79). While my love of tinkering has never gone away (first overclock was a celeron 300A), my patience and free time to play games is all but gone.

While I will always buy a bunch of titles during Steam sales etc, the last game I actually played through was Fallout 4.

The 8700k is still on my radar, but I will probably wait for it to come back in stock and see what other motherboard offerings come out. An alternative is to go x299, and make the case for my work to pay for it. I do ALOT of statistical modeling in my day job, so I legitimately have a reason to ask for a new system. The massive drawback is that I am stuck to using a list of pre-approved vendors (Dell, HP etc), so it's neither the greatest value or best parts being used.
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I would wait til Icelake for personal built. CF is just a KL with 2 more core stuck on it. I know the feeling wanting to upgrade. I been having a itch to upgrade my 4770k to 8700k and would of when my MB died a few months back if CL was out. It doesn't hold back my 1080 so seems pointless. I am just going to save up for when Icelake comes out and do a new full system built. But hey if you can get work to buy it for you go for it. Those vendors won't let you do much tinkering tho which it seems is something you want to do.
 
Sorry to derail but what voltage are you feeding that thing? I bought one from eBay to replace a 3820 and can barely get 4.7 stable at 1.45v.
 
Use it and see if you need an upgrade. I still run a 3930K as well - they are fantastic chips. Mine never ran faster than 4.6 though.
 
Definitely wait.

If you had a 4-core I'd say maybe, but the 3930k being a 6 core, you will not see any differences in gaming especially at those clocks.

I personally have a 4930k at 4.6 Ghz. I ask myself if it's worth upgrading CPU/Mobo/RAM combo, but always talk myself out of it within seconds. GPU is the only real world differences at higher resolutions when you have a CPU on that level
 
45454asasa said:
Sorry to derail but what voltage are you feeding that thing? I bought one from eBay to replace a 3820 and can barely get 4.7 stable at 1.45v.
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1.43v, but Load Line Calibration is set to extreme (so it will occasionally spike to 1.47 during load).

What really helped my OC was setting CPU PLL *lower*. Default is 1.8v, but I run it at 1.65v - I couldn't tell you why it helps my OC, but I remember from overclocking my x58 that people recommended a lower PLL to help stabilize overclocks.
 
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Its all depends really, load up your favorite game, max out the graphics, and check your CPU utilization. If it hits the maximum and its starting to hitch, then you can consider upgrading. I know my 2500K ran out of legs recently and adding 4 more cores would really help me, even if theyre just virtual cores. For you already being at 8, maybe 12 could help if youre loading up your favorite games and theyre hitching.
 
greyboxer said:
Its all depends really, load up your favorite game, max out the graphics, and check your CPU utilization. If it hits the maximum and its starting to hitch, then you can consider upgrading. I know my 2500K ran out of legs recently and adding 4 more cores would really help me, even if theyre just virtual cores. For you already being at 8, maybe 12 could help if youre loading up your favorite games and theyre hitching.
Click to expand...
He's at 6+6 already.
 
caltech31 said:
1.43v, but Load Line Calibration is set to extreme (so it will occasionally spike to 1.47 during load).

What really helped my OC was setting CPU PLL *lower*. Default is 1.8v, but I run it at 1.65v - I couldn't tell you why it helps my OC, but I remember from overclocking my x58 that people recommended a lower PLL to help stabilize overclocks.
Click to expand...


Pretty hardcore, I keep my Core V @ 1.40 max and my LLC @ Medium. 4.4 GHZ is enough for me. Absolutely no reason to upgrade even running 2 Core Linux VMs on it and running older games. Never dreamed of being on this CPU/MB combo so long. I remember back in the day upgrading twice a year. So much for Moore's Law.
 
Russian language but graphs are universal. Skip to the 2:40 mark to see how the systems are configured or 3:30 to see the start of the benchmarks. He has Hyperthreading off on the Xeon.




Saw it over here.

 
^ that is an often overlooked tip - lowering PLL voltage, when its not needed, is similar to reducing core voltage, although to a lesser magnitude. For this spicy hot ivy bridge chips, lowering package temperature helps loads.
 
My advice is certainly don't waste your money for the application you described. I'm actually revisiting my OC on my 3970X myself. What are you using to stress test for stability?
 
Mega6 said:
Pretty hardcore, I keep my Core V @ 1.40 max and my LLC @ Medium. 4.4 GHZ is enough for me.
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That's quite a lot for 4.4. What are your temps?

greyboxer said:
^ that is an often overlooked tip - lowering PLL voltage, when its not needed, is similar to reducing core voltage, although to a lesser magnitude. For this spicy hot ivy bridge chips, lowering package temperature helps loads.
Click to expand...
Sandy Bridge

Lower PLL works for many, but neither my X79 i7 nor Xeon benefited.
 
Meeho said:
That's quite a lot for 4.4. What are your temps?.
Click to expand...

Yep, maxed it out. I have it running under SpeedStep and the Vcore is always throttled with the CPU using offset. Right now CPU is 35-42*C.
 
caltech31 said:
Hi all,

So a bit of a strange question - I recently obtained a 3930k, RIVE combo that clocks extremely well (4910mhz). I had essentially been waiting for Coffee Lake to come back in stock (8700k specifically), but now I am starting to question whether I actually need the upgrade.

While I don't game nearly as much as I used to (I probably enjoy benching more than anything), I do still fire up the latest and greatest title on occasion, and donl't like worrying about whether my hardware is keeping up.

I presently have two other 6 core system (x5660 and 4960x - the latter doesn't overclock well), and a 4770k @4.5ghz that had previously been my primary gaming machine. The Xeon and Ivybridge E systems are relegated to data analysis work.

The 3930k at 4.9Ghz does 171 Cinibench SC, 1305 multi core, and 17600 in 3D Mark Firestrike Physics. Haven't really tested much of anything else using an overclocked GTX 1070.

Any thoughts/input would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Curious, what are the benchmark numbers for your other two systems?
 
CookieFactory said:
Curious, what are the benchmark numbers for your other two systems?
Click to expand...

My most recent system 7820x @4.95ghz (it is mostly stable at 5ghz, but it crashed during PRIME) =

CB Multi= 2171
CB Single = 218 (the system turbo boosts to 5.05 during single core load)
Firestrike Physics: 26355

My [email protected]
CB Multi = 921
CB Single = 188
Firestrike Physics = 13100

[email protected]
CB Multi = 1055
CB Single = 141
Firestrike Physics = 15800

I have never benched by 4960x, but I imagine the scores are close the x5660
 
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