So an 3950X or i9 10900K for CAD 2D & 3D work?

[ChrAyl]

Hello all,

Be great to have another 2 cents towards my next build.

I had my heart set on the 3950X, but the more I read about it, the more I hear that few get the 4.7GHz single threaded use, and as someone that wants to use single threaded software, this is as bit concerning. I get a stable 'autooverclock' with my Motherboard @ 4.8GHz, and I'm quite pleased with that, it's just that multiple tasking is chore. So I though the AMD would be great, until I heard of the actual max single threaded frequencies. I like to have a faster machine every time I upgrade, so I was a bit sad about that.

I'm now thinking of an Intel 10900K for the primary reason that 5.3GHz seems like a number that can be achieved.

I would put either in a workstation type board, as I use it for income and that can't stop, especially if I want food for the winter. From experience I have confidence in Intel, but a lot of media is pushing for the AMD offerings and I'm now kind of lost with my decision.

Interestingly I've noticed that the cost of having someone like PCSpecialist building it, seems sensible, as it's compared in cost to me buying the parts myself, but I would love them to build it. I've spent enough time building machines, I'm done now!

Any comments at all?

Thanks in advance!

Chris

 

[Stephen M]

You may get a slightly slower CPU with AMD but with Intel you get an old and end of life architecture, thermal problems and multiple security issues. AMD is not without vulnerabilities but is much more secure than Intel at the moment.

Unfortunately Intel have been left behind and it looks to be a few years before they catch up which is a great shame as a bit of competition may being prices down a little.

 

[ChrAyl]

You may get a slightly slower CPU...

That's really insightful Stephen, very much appreciated and thank you for your time. I have to say that those that raised concerns about the AMD speeds, also mentioned having successful RMA's via AMD directly and the replacement resolved the issue.

I'll likely stick to my original plan (AMD), I do like to have a spare workstation (began doing that from experience), so if Intel get their act together, I would have a spare Intel and use the one I prefer. Quite peculiar that AMD are a serious choice, last time I had one was in the Anthlon K6 days!

Thank you again

 

[Daniel Super]

You should pick AMD for now. A B450 and B550 will support Ryzen 4th generation. This means that you could upgrade to something with more cores and threads and maybe faster in the future. Also (like said above) there are some more security flaws found by experts that affect intel.

Intel still is quite good if you want an extreme computer but t is cheaper for amd

 

[keithbeaks]

A 3950x would need a decent 570 board

 

[keithbeaks]

That's really insightful Stephen, very much appreciated and thank you for your time. I have to say that those that raised concerns about the AMD speeds, also mentioned having successful RMA's via AMD directly and the replacement resolved the issue.

I'll likely stick to my original plan (AMD), I do like to have a spare workstation (began doing that from experience), so if Intel get their act together, I would have a spare Intel and use the one I prefer. Quite peculiar that AMD are a serious choice, last time I had one was in the Anthlon K6 days!

Thank you again

Post your full spec and people will take a look if you like? Might be able to help

 

[ChrAyl]

You should pick AMD for now. A B450 and B550 will support Ryzen 4th generation. This means that you could upgrade to something with more cores and threads and maybe faster in the future. Also (like said above) there are some more security flaws found by experts that affect intel.

Intel still is quite good if you want an extreme computer but t is cheaper for amd

Thank you Daniel, really kind of you to comment. I'm just looking for a stable platform at the moment and perhaps B450/B550 would provide that, though I do see Keith's comment suggesting a 3950X could do with 570 board.

That's certainly one more vote for AMD though, perhaps the speed that Intel offers isn't worth the risk of security flaws.

 

[keithbeaks]

Thank you Daniel, really kind of you to comment. I'm just looking for a stable platform at the moment and perhaps B450/B550 would provide that, though I do see Keith's comment suggesting a 3950X could do with 570 board.

That's certainly one more vote for AMD though, perhaps the speed that Intel offers isn't worth the risk of security flaws.

Please do not put a 3950x with a 450 board. And even 550 I don't think is enough.

Questions for @Scott and @SpyderTracks


Post your full spec

 

[SpyderTracks]

Please do not put a 3950x with a 450 board. And even 550 I don't think is enough.

Questions for @Scott and @SpyderTracks


Post your full spec

I would agree, the 3900x or 3950x both NEED the X570 as it's the only board with powerful enough VRM control.

 

[ChrAyl]

Post your full spec and people will take a look if you like? Might be able to help

Thank you for contributing Keith, very much appreciated.

Genuinely very kind of anyone to contribute a system spec. It's fairly loose at the moment and I'm happy to wait if something significantly better is just around the corner, but in general I was thinking of:

CPU: AMD 3950X (today!)
CPU Cooling: I like air, only because it's obvious when it goes wrong!
Motherboard: ATX, preference for Asus though ECC RAM support nice (only available using ASRock I believe), so I can use it as a file storage later (FreeNAS)
Onboard Wireless: No - cable connection used
RAM: 2 x 16GB at highest frequency usable by CPU/Motherboard
Graphics: Either RTX 4000 or RTX 2080 Super
(though I will have a spare GTX 1070 and my current workstation has a P2000 which does a lovely job, so I would probably re-use that)
SLI: Not needed
PSU: 750-850 Gold/Plat
PCI Other: 10 Gig card eventually
CURRENT DISPLAYS: 3 x 27 inch
CASE: Not fussed, might be going in 4U rack and I have 2 spare (very old but big) Antec 900's.

My current computers:
Xeon E5-1650v4, Asus X99-E W/S, 2 x 8GB ECC Reg, GTX 1070
(this machine is going to be re-purposed as a file and plex server)
i7-7700k, Gigabyte_GA-Z270-HD3P, 2 x 8GB Non-ECC, P2000 (preferred machine, lacks threads for rendering though)
(this will become my new spare workstation)

Use:
I mainly use CAD (2D), but I often have to use SketchUp - the latter is a poor workflow but it makes my job fun so I don't mind. I have to create videos normally of 3D work. At the moment I normally have 2 dozen tabs open in 2 chrome profiles, site images and videos, CAD files and so on. If I had more horsepower (cores) it would allow me to create better/quicker 3D renders and help with video editing/creating. Many of my render apps welcome GPU usage, but I like having a CPU that can work with many apps and not just the ones that favour the GPU. Something that appeals to me is having more than enough cores to be able to let one app continue while I use another. Even with my 6C/12T Xeon, if it's rendering I can't really do anything else with the machine and have to patiently wait...or have lower quality renders.

Hope that's not too much information, really didn't mean to go on!

 

[ChrAyl]

Please do not put a 3950x with a 450 board. And even 550 I don't think is enough.

Thank you very much for that definitive answer, 570 it is

 

[SpyderTracks]

Just to note, ECC RAM is only available on HEDT platforms which would be the threadripper config s. They’re significantly more expensive.

 

[ChrAyl]

I would agree...

Thank you Mr Spyder, I did wonder about the VRM's, genuinely appreciate your contribution

 

[ChrAyl]

Just to note, ECC RAM is only available on HEDT platforms which would be the threadripper config s. They’re significantly more expensive.

You've saved me a lot of time, thank you so much - I did think about TR before Ryzen came along, then I saw the single thread speed.

 

[SpyderTracks]

You've saved me a lot of time, thank you so much - I did think about TR before Ryzen came along, then I saw the single thread speed.

The 3950x is an absolute monster of a CPU, it's incredibly capable. It thrashes most of intels HEDT chips, it's just that good. The threadrippers are just another league entirely, insanely powerful, they beat most of Intel's server grade chips.

 

[ChrAyl]

The 3950x is an absolute monster of a CPU, it's incredibly capable. It thrashes most of intels HEDT chips, it's just that good. The threadrippers are just another league entirely, insanely powerful, they beat most of Intel's server grade chips.

That's certainly what I've heard and read, it would be superb to have the multi-core performance and almost be like having two machines. Time is money with what I do and it'll be great not having to patiently wait!

 

[SpyderTracks]

That's certainly what I've heard and read, it would be superb to have the multi-core performance and almost be like having two machines. Time is money with what I do and it'll be great not having to patiently wait!

Forgive me if you've already stated it, but what's your max budget and we'll draw something up?

 

[ChrAyl]

Forgive me if you've already stated it, but what's your max budget and we'll draw something up?

I have neglected to mention my budget, sorry about that. I'm allowing £1500-2000 without GPU, as I'm likely re-using from the current machine. Thank you very much in advance.

 

[SpyderTracks]

As a preliminary suggestion, with notes by components:



Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY C BLACK GAMING CASE (Window) Just selected a basic looking one that I know is superb for cooling
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16 Core CPU (3.5GHz-4.7GHz/73MB CACHE/AM4) Absolute monster, will blow away your current setup
Motherboard
ASUS® CROSSHAIR VIII HERO (DDR4, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX/SLI) - RGB Ready! Normally I wouldn't suggest this board, but with this CPU I think it's warranted as has superior VRM capabilities which is very important with high end Ryzen
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 16GB) Only selected as a place holder. I would suggest placing the order with this, and then calling PCS and ask if you can upgrade it to 2 x 16 of 3600MHz, I know they've done that in the past.
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE Again, not sure on your storage requirements, may need amending
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W) Fast M2 drive for OS and programs and likely project files
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Configured as a placeholder, the 750W RMx model is back in stock on tuesday, you can place the order with this and then amend it when they're back in stock
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i RGB PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler I realise you prefer air cooling, but with this chip to maintain optimum boost clocks, it really requires an AIO. This is a completely sealed unit so requires no maintenance other than dusting the fans. It's also software linked, so you can monitor fans, pumps and temps through iCue and also set alarms and autoshutdowns should antyhing terrible happen. But they're extremely robust these days, any kind of failure is very rare.
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING Cooler comes with high quality paste pre applied
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003] Assumed you may benefit from Pro, can save some cash here if not
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 20 to 22 working days

Price: £2,004.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/E9QTa7yttY/

 

[SpyderTracks]

Just a further comment, not sure if you may have a windows license available on another computer that you could transfer. You can actually tie any windows 10 license to a microsoft and legally transfer it to a new build these days, just worth mentioning in case that's another area you can save some cash on.