Compare the I7 5820K and 6950X in the context of music production.
Compare the I7 5820K and 6950X in the context of music production.
Hey there, I've got a bit of a situation with my old PC setup. I bought it about five years ago with an i7-5820k and am thinking about swapping it out for a faster CPU. My motherboard is also quite outdated—MSI X99 SLI PLUS—and I checked their website to see what CPUs they currently support. The link you shared points to the latest supported models, but it doesn’t mention my 5820k at all.
I’m curious about two things:
1. Is it safe to assume that i7-6950x is the newest CPU they list for this board?
2. Should I go from the 5820k to the 6950x? Would it really make a difference? And if not, should I look into a new motherboard with an i7-8700k?
Since I’m mainly using my system for music production and need to handle CPU-intensive VSTs, I want to make sure I’m making the right choice. Thanks in advance for your help!
You should definitely avoid Intel and those outdated X99 CPUs from five years back. Opt for a Ryzen 7 3700X paired with a B550 motherboard. It offers better performance than the 6950X and 8700K while being more affordable. Plus, it will run cooler and consume less power.
I made a mistake with the naming again. Sorry about that. I don’t really know much about music production or how tough it can be, but this is definitely an improvement. Not sure if the 8700k would actually count as an upgrade in certain situations—stick with your current board or wait for Zen 3 and see what it offers before deciding to switch platforms. Edited July 20, 2020 by TofuHaroto
For music production, the choice of software plays a significant role.
Broadwell-E performs better on single-core tasks compared to Haswell-E when measured directly. The gap isn’t huge, but it’s noticeable especially with higher-end chips like the 6950X. The Haswells tend to run faster and match the performance. The 6950X is great for applications needing many cores, though I’m still unsure if it’s a solid investment. I secured a good price on mine—still around $500—which is significantly lower than the typical $750–1000+ range. For those who don’t need strong single-core speed, Xeon models are usually more affordable, but higher core versions remain costly. Avoid ES-based chips; they often don’t fit most motherboards. You’ll want a QS or full release chip if you need top performance.
Sky Lake-X isn't compatible with this setup. It was designed for the LGA 2066 connector, while the X99 chipset works with the LGA 2011-3 socket.