Upgrade from i7 950 to Xeon W3690?

E. C. Yian

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Jul 8, 2015
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Hello,

My computer is used for Photoshop and music Creation.

I will upgrading form the Windows 7 to Windows 10 64 bit shortly and because of this it may be a good time to upgrade my computer. I plan to keep it for about 4 to 6 years. I may consider spending a bunch of money and build a 5930k or 5820k computer but let’s not discuss this yet.

My current computer which I built:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 - REV 2
http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3449&dl=1%20-%20ov#ov
Processor: Intel Core i7-950
Cooler: Scythe SCMG-2100 Sleeve CPU Cooler (Mugen 2 Rev. B)
Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
GPU: EVGA 012-P3-1470-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready
Hard Drives: 4 SATA in AHCI mode

Please help me with this question:
Is it worth to upgrade to a Xeon W3690. How much faster is the W3690 6 core over the current Intel Core i7-950 4 core. A used one at eBay runs $190. I understand the i7 990x is identical or nearly so but is much more expensive. It seem that I can still keep my current mobo and RAM. So if my thinking is correct I can remove the 950 and pop the W3690 in place and should work just fine.

Please help me decide.

Misc info:

Anyone in a similar situation may want to check out these links.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2586649/worth-upgrading-950-xeon-w3690.html
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/96/Intel_Core_i7_i7-950_vs_Intel_Xeon_W3690.html
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Xeon-W3690-vs-Intel-Core-i7-950
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Xeon-W3690-vs-Intel-Core-i7-950/m9677vs617

I used cpu-upgrade.com to see which processor will work with my motherboard
http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Gigabyte/GA-X58A-UD3R(rev._2.0).html
http://www.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=3449

Alternate choice which seems to be as fast as the W3690 is the i7-990X but it is very expensive. they are identical? http://www.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=209&t=12022&p=78973&hilit=w3690#p78973
 
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Burpo

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2013
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If you don't plan on overclocking then the W3690 is fine, and much less expensive than the I7-990X. If you don't mind overclocking a bit, there are even cheaper choices and better (IMO) too. The Westmere EP series are my favorite and I use mine daily for creating & editing video/music. They are 95 watt processors, instead of 130 and use less power & make less heat. They overclock well also. I've been using an X5650 for over 1 1/2 yrs now at 4.3Ghz and to improve render times, I would have to spend a lot and buy the 5930K & upgrade the whole platform. The X5675 is the highest clocked of the EP (Efficient Power) series, and is usually available for little more than $100 or so. The X5650, X5660 & X5670 even cheaper.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon-...190?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ee016e036

Your board & power supply are well suited for overclocking, and believe me, I've played with a few Gigabyte boards ;)


There's an extensive thread here about overclocking these hex core Xeons. You can check it out, but as I said, it is lengthy.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2335636&page=96

Other than that, Skylake is due out soon, and may be worth waiting for. A complete new system is always nice, but the LGA 1366 Hex Core CPU's are really holding up well. :)
 
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E. C. Yian

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Jul 8, 2015
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How much faster will the W3690 be over the 950?

Never overclocked a processor. Even though I have built my last two music computers I am still nervous about OC. So probably will not OC.

Here are my choices:
1. Do nothing to my current computer when I upgrade to Windows 10.
2. Swap the 950 for the W3690. Vey economical as I will use the current Mobo and RAM.
3. Build a 5930k or 5820k computer. The Skylake will likely be very expensive. But then perhaps the 5960X may drop in price. Trying to avoid this scenario to avoid spending money

So if the W3690 gives me a noticeable improvement I will likely go this route. But to make this decision please approximate what I will gain with it.
 

Burpo

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Sep 10, 2013
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Nov 26, 2005
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I have a Xeon X5690 in my daily machine and it's fast and runs very cool. The W3690 is basically the same chip except it only works in single processor configs, has a higher vcore max limit, and only has a single QPI link. In fact I am considering throwing one in my EVGA gaming rig
 

E. C. Yian

Member
Jul 8, 2015
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The W5690 will give you a noticeable performance bump. You're adding 2 extra cores & it has higher clock speed.

i7-950 benchmarks 5639
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7+950+@+3.07GHz

W3690 benchmarks 9742
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+W3690+@+3.47GHz

Not quite twice as fast.. BUT my X5650 overclocked is closer to 12,000.

and of course the 5820k at almost 13,000
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-5820K+@+3.30GHz
The 5690, 5620 nor the 5675 will work in the current motherboard GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R rev 2
http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Gigabyte/GA-X58A-UD3R(rev._2.0).html
Are you are recommending a brand new computer using the 5690?
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+X5690+%40+3.47GHz
Why is the 5690 better than the W3690?

You are very encouraging by saying that the W3690 (6 cores) will be almost twice as fast as the current 950 (4 cores). Anything over 60% better will take me down the path of upgrading using the current motherboard and the W3690. $190 for the W3690 vs $2,000+ with the 5930k or 5820k all new computer.

How much faster with the 5820k be over the 950? About 4 times faster?

I am asking as I am not good a reading the processor specs.
 

E. C. Yian

Member
Jul 8, 2015
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I have a Xeon X5690 in my daily machine and it's fast and runs very cool. The W3690 is basically the same chip except it only works in single processor configs, has a higher vcore max limit, and only has a single QPI link. In fact I am considering throwing one in my EVGA gaming rig

See if I got this right. You will put the W3690 in the gaming rig?

If I can almost double the speed of the current computer by replacing the processor with the W3690 for $190 I will go this route. The alteranive is building a new machine and then I can look at all the passible processors to use. In this scenario it will cost me over $2000 to do it right. It's a cost benefit ratio I am considering.

I am grateful to all for the help offered.
 

sm625

Diamond Member
May 6, 2011
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All those claims about "nearly twice the speed" are based on multithreaded workloads. Your cpu has to be at 100% to take advantage of that speed boost. Check your task manager and see what kind of usage you're running. If you cpu usage as reported by task manager is only 12-25% then you wont see much from upgrading to a W3690. It is about 20% faster for single threaded workloads. That isnt a bad upgrade, especially since you can sell the i7-950 on ebay and end up paying less than $100 for your upgrade.
 

Burpo

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2013
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The 5690, 5620 nor the 5675 will work in the current motherboard GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R rev 2

Just because the CPU's aren't listed on the manufacturers website doesn't mean they won't work. As I said before, I am familiar with Gigabyte & those processors WILL work in your board & are easily overclock-able. I prefer the 95 watt Xeons as they have more headroom for overclocking and run cooler. Multi thread performance isn't far behind a stock 5820K. Buy what you want, but any hexcore CPU that you drop in will yield a significant improvement over an i7-950. An overclocked i7-950 scores <7.5 in the same cinebench test. Difference is Quad core 45nm cpu w/8meg cache vs Hex-core 32nm cpu w/12 meg cache.

 
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E. C. Yian

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Jul 8, 2015
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Just because the CPU's aren't listed on the manufacturers website doesn't mean they won't work. As I said before, I am familiar with Gigabyte & those processors WILL work in your board & are easily overclock-able. I prefer the 95 watt Xeons as they have more headroom for overclocking and run cooler. Multi thread performance isn't far behind a stock 5820K. Buy what you want, but any hexcore CPU that you drop in will yield a significant improvement over an i7-950. An overclocked i7-950 scores <7.5 in the same cinebench test. Difference is Quad core 45nm cpu w/8meg cache vs Hex-core 32nm cpu w/12 meg cache.


Somehow I missed that you were saying the X5670 and X5675 will definitely work on the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 - REV 2 motherboard. Also ok on the DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)?
Your suggestion seem very good. So the best of your suggestion seem the X5670 and the X5675. On eBay they go for $100 to $150. The X5650, X5660 are not as fast.


X5670
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+X5670+%40+2.93GHz&id=1307&cpuCount=2
X5675
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+X5675+%40+3.07GHz&id=1309&cpuCount=2
My original suggestion W3690
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+W3690+%40+3.47GHz&id=1275
My current processor 950
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7+950+%40+3.07GHz&id=837


I do not plan to overclock. If OC can be done in three or less simple steps I will consider it. Looking at the OC link provided I will avoid OC. Even without OC the X5670 and x5675 outperform my original suggestion the W3690.

Wow. Things are looking up! :)
 
Nov 26, 2005
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If you don't plan on overclocking get the W3690, or X5680, or if you are willing to spend it, pay for an X5690.

Did you disable core parking yet?
 

zir_blazer

Golden Member
Jun 6, 2013
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Weren't there LGA 1366 6-Core Xeons that were dirt cheap? They were the low power ones (The ones that begins with L). Since via overclocking you would be able to match average overclocks with any of them, I would go for the cheapest 6-Core.
 
Nov 26, 2005
15,080
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Weren't there LGA 1366 6-Core Xeons that were dirt cheap? They were the low power ones (The ones that begins with L). Since via overclocking you would be able to match average overclocks with any of them, I would go for the cheapest 6-Core.

The member doesn't plan on overclocking
 

E. C. Yian

Member
Jul 8, 2015
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If you don't plan on overclocking get the W3690, or X5680, or if you are willing to spend it, pay for an X5690.

Did you disable core parking yet?

X5680 eBay $140
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+X5680+%40+3.33GHz&id=1312&cpuCount=2
X5690 eBay $230
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+X5690+%40+3.47GHz&id=1314&cpuCount=2

I made a note and highlighted it to disable core parking on the upgrade. Thanks. It looks like it will help performance by wide margin. Never heard of it before.
__________________
 

E. C. Yian

Member
Jul 8, 2015
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I am scratching my head
the W3690
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+W3690+%40+3.47GHz&id=1275
and the X5690
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+X5690+%40+3.47GHz&id=1314&cpuCount=2
Have very similar specs but the X5690 has a much higher performance rating. Looks like I should upgrade using the X5690!? And hope that it will work with my current motherboard and RAM. Yes it is within the price range I was willing to spend.


So now you know how little I know abut these matters! :(

So looks like the suggestions here have been extremely helpful. I will get a better performing computer with a small investment. Save money and time that it would it would have taken to build a new computer. :)
 

Burpo

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2013
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Yes, you will :) The X58 platform isn't dead.. for those who need the number crunching power of a hexcore at least ;)

BTW, the link you posted for the X5690 was for a dual cpu setup. That's why it shows a higher score..

The L5640 is a capable cpu, but limited by it's multiplier. An X5670 or X5675 has higher multiplier and overclocks well too. Heck my X5650 has seen 5Ghz on occasion :) $90 for a 95 watt X5670 is money well spent.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SLBV7-Intel...000?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33a590cf58
 
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Burpo

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Sep 10, 2013
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Problem is those 130 watt CPU's are clocked so high already, overclocking doesn't yield the results you'd expect.
That's a Gulftown CPU not a Westmere EP & heat becomes an issue really fast..
 
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Burpo

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Sep 10, 2013
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Again, the X5680 is Westmere EP NOT Gulftown! Gulftown (W3690) doesn't overclock as well.
 
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