X99 system build, which CPU?

[Deimos]

I'm building another X99 system, I want at least 8 cores, gaming performance is high priority, and I will be watercooling+overclocking (EK-CoolStream XE 480 for the CPU).

Simple question; 6900K or 6950X? Money is not a consideration.

 

[Bandalo]

If you're gaming, the extra cores aren't going to help, but the higher OC potential of the 6900k will. You might even go with the 6 core version to get the higher clocks.

Good review and comparison of the different revisions here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/10337...x-6900k-6850k-and-6800k-tested-up-to-10-cores

 

[Deimos]

Ugh, looks like Broadwell-E is a lame duck;
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i7-broadwell-e-6950x-6900k-6850k-6800k,4587-10.html

I may just transfer my 5960X in to the new build and give the office a cheap 6 or 8 core xeon.

 

[HDriscoll]

I say stick with the 5960X (I have mine overclocked to 4.2GHz). What video card are you using?

 

[Deimos]

I currently have a pair of 980tis but I'll probably get something newer, just waiting for AMD or nvidia to release their latest and greatest.

 

[strategyfreak]

Yeah the 6950x is about $170 cheaper ($1580 on pcpartpicker) than it was back at its launch date, making it a slightly better deal, but it's a terrible overclocker.

If you have a 5960x already, it's either get the 6950x or keep the 5960X. The 6900K is not worth it at all (it clocks similarly and there is a very small IPC increase). Only get the 6950x if you really need the 2 extra cores, because you won't hit the higher clocks that you can get with the 5960x. Then again, if you have a program that can make use of many cores, it might be better to get a Xeon instead.

 

[Charnelrot]

I wouldn't call it a lame duck. I just use a Corsair h115i with some Noctua NF-A14's on it for my 6950x and I've gotten it up to 4.4 at 1.38v with temps around 80c under stress. For every day use though I keep it at 4.3 with no issues, temps top out at 74c under stress (25-45c average during 4k gaming/streaming). I'd love to try and get more out of it but I'll have to build a custom loop for that...