No one is using X79 i7s anymore. They’re not popular for gaming these days.
No one is using X79 i7s anymore. They’re not popular for gaming these days.
He built me an FX-8350 system a while ago, but it’s starting to feel outdated. I’m considering getting an X79 board with a 3930K for a reasonable price, though I’m new to that platform. Passmark doesn’t give the 3930K a high score compared to newer models, but it’s still rated better than his current one. I’m trying to gather parts and surprise him for his birthday, which is a bit far off yet, but if it’s a good deal I might seize the chance.
From my perspective, the choice really hinges on your budget. If you can find it very affordable, the X79 platform was an excellent option for both gaming and workstations at the time. It was built for multi-threaded tasks, though with some overclocking it should handle most games smoothly. However, if the price only slightly beats a modern AMD Ryzen or Intel build, I’d prefer investing a bit more for a newer system. The gaming experience and future upgrades would be significantly better. It all comes down to how much you’re willing to spend.
Value tends to be a challenging decision, focusing on alternatives for the same budget. On the CPU side, the 3930k falls into the Sandy Bridge generation, which isn’t particularly impressive. With a 6-core setup running at 3.2 GHz base and 3.6 GHz boost, it’s not the fastest option, but it should handle gaming at 60+ frames per second when paired with a good graphics card. I’m curious if I have something comparable... I own an E5 2667 on a Chinese X79 motherboard, which was affordable back then. This is being added to my experimental file server, so I haven’t played much for it. The Xeon offers the same number of cores but a lower clock speed, yet it’s very affordable.
I'm looking for a first-generation Ryzen with specs around 1600 or 1700. If a solid offer comes along, I'd consider it. The X79 board and chip are priced at $140 with free 4x4GB RAM. I already have a 4GB RAM kit, so it's a good deal.
E5-2667 seems almost matching a 3930K, with a marginally slower turbo boost but very similar overall.