What CPU can I upgrade to?

SLP Firehawk

Limp Gawd
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Jan 30, 2020
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Hi. I have a 2013 desktop and the Coolermaster Seidon 120mm Water cooler system is starting to make gargling sounds sometimes so I am going to replace it (I have a spare unit).
And while I am doing that I would like to see if I can upgrade the processor to something better. It's older tech so if something better is still available it may be affordable now.

My Motherboard is: ASUS P9X79 Pro X79 Quad Crossfire/3way SLI SATA 3 USB LGA 2011
My Processor is Intel i7 3930K 3.2Ghz 12MB LGA 2011 Retail
My GPU is Nvidia GTX 780 3GB GDDR5
System Ram is maxed at 64GB
Still running WIN 7 PRO 64
Except for all SSDs now the system is hardware-wise still like it was ordered back in 2013.

What I would like to accomplish is improving it's 3ds Max and Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 performance. My newer i7 Laptop actually performs a little better than the desktop (also has an 8GB quadro).

So what processor could I change to that would still be supported by my system?
and if I change processor will it break all my software licenses due to the hardware change?
 
You can view the CPU support list here: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/P9X79_PRO/HelpDesk_CPU/

On the normal CPU side of things, a 4960x would get you 300mhz and the slightly newer \ faster Haswell architecture but is still very expensive for an antiquated CPU.

Some of the Xeon options would give you a couple more cores if your software would take advantage of that. The Intel Xeon E5-2667 v2 would give you 2 more cores without a hit to the clock speed. While the Intel Xeon E5-2690 v2 would give you 4 more cores but you would lose 300mhz.

I would be more inclined to overclock your current build for free like mda said.
 
a 4960x would get you 300mhz and the slightly newer \ faster Haswell architecture

The 4800/4900s are Ivy Bridge-E, not Haswell, so only a 5% IPC bump and slightly more efficient AVX.

OP: Go for either the E5-2697 v2 (12 cores, 3GHz all cores, down to $200 off Ebay), or: If you are willing to overclock, the E5-1680 v2 (unlocked 8 core, can easily set all cores to 4GHz or more, $175-200 on Ebay) and if not, E5-2687W v2 (locked 8 core, 3.6GHz all core, $182 on Ebay).
 
Thank you all very much.
The Intel Xeon E5-2687W v2, and some other Xeons
and i7-4960X (3.6G, 6C)
look really tempting except for the price on the 4960x.

I've never OC'd one before. The CPU is already 6.5 years old and has done some pretty hard video editing and rendering. Should I expect OC to bring it to a soon death? How about stability? Will it be likely be crashing my computer if OC?
I should have paid more back then for a better CPU but they were a lot more so I didn't....

And yeah I'm wondering if my better performing notebook is largely due to 8GB Quadro and NVME data drives vs SSD. System drives are both same type SSD. Notebook has newer i7 but only 2.9GHz.

And then that brings the thought....instead of changing the CPU, change the GPU to an older (but better) GPU instead? That would be easier change...except the GPU has to be old enough to support Adobe CS6 which the new ones often have issues with CUDA and some old ray tracing stuff used back then
 
Honestly the CPUs were insanely more expensive when you built your PC. For the MSRP price of a 4960x (~$1000) or MSRP price of a E5-2687W v2 (~$2100) you still would have been better off with the 3930k then and spending that extra money now to build a new 3700 or 3900x based rig.

Do you have the actual model of your laptop's GPU and CPU? While it may have something to do with the NVME I suspect it also has a lot to do with a ~6 generation newer CPU and ~ 3 generation newer GPU. I'm sure it's more than enough to negate whatever clock speed advantage your desktop currently has.

Overclocking if done safely should net you decent gains without risking you cpu longevity. Just make sure you keep your voltages reasonable (under 1.5vcore iirc). 4-4.2ghz should be as simple as setting the multi to 40-42 and vcore to somewhere between 1.2 and 1.3. 4.5ghz+ should be obtainable if you really want to dive into it.
 
Skip the 4960x. The fact that it is still more expensive than the Xeon 1680v2 boggles my brain (6 vs. 8 core, both are unlocked, same TDP, the Xeon was 1.7x the cost at launch).

As Kardonxt said, the overclocking is really simple on these (given an unlocked CPU, the locked 26xx Xeons you might be able to set the all-core turbo to the same value as the single core turbo, but I wouldn't count on it). Keeping the OC'd CPU cool will go a long way towards stability and longevity, in addition to choosing a Xeon which had extra binning for accuracy and resilience.

I have two 3930k's, one running 4.0GHz all core, one running 4.2 all core under Noctua D14/D15's, the 4.0 has been doing that with nearly constant 100% AVX CPU usage for all 8 years, the 4.2 has been doing it for 6. Never have I had a crash or computation error that wasn't caused by some outside force (power failures, chiefly).

Run task manager and GPUz when you run Photoshop. What are the usage percentages for CPU and GPU? Whichever is pegged at 100% deserves the upgrade money most. If they both are, you can do both, or it may be time to consider putting the money towards a new rig.
 
Hi. I have a 2013 desktop and the Coolermaster Seidon 120mm Water cooler system is starting to make gargling sounds sometimes so I am going to replace it (I have a spare unit).
And while I am doing that I would like to see if I can upgrade the processor to something better. It's older tech so if something better is still available it may be affordable now.

My Motherboard is: ASUS P9X79 Pro X79 Quad Crossfire/3way SLI SATA 3 USB LGA 2011
My Processor is Intel i7 3930K 3.2Ghz 12MB LGA 2011 Retail
My GPU is Nvidia GTX 780 3GB GDDR5
System Ram is maxed at 64GB
Still running WIN 7 PRO 64
Except for all SSDs now the system is hardware-wise still like it was ordered back in 2013.

What I would like to accomplish is improving it's 3ds Max and Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 performance. My newer i7 Laptop actually performs a little better than the desktop (also has an 8GB quadro).

So what processor could I change to that would still be supported by my system?
and if I change processor will it break all my software licenses due to the hardware change?

The 4960X is the fastest CPU that motherboard will support. They are ridiculously expensive for what they are. I'd say, they aren't really worth it. I would wait until you can afford to do a new system rebuild or at least replace your motherboard, CPU and memory.
 
The 4960X is the fastest CPU that motherboard will support. They are ridiculously expensive for what they are. I'd say, they aren't really worth it. I would wait until you can afford to do a new system rebuild or at least replace your motherboard, CPU and memory.

Why won't the Xeon 1680v2 work? Unlocked 8-core 25MB cache. Mine will overclock to 4.6Ghz on air.
 
Honestly the CPUs were insanely more expensive when you built your PC. For the MSRP price of a 4960x (~$1000) or MSRP price of a E5-2687W v2 (~$2100) you still would have been better off with the 3930k then and spending that extra money now to build a new 3700 or 3900x based rig.

Do you have the actual model of your laptop's GPU and CPU? While it may have something to do with the NVME I suspect it also has a lot to do with a ~6 generation newer CPU and ~ 3 generation newer GPU. I'm sure it's more than enough to negate whatever clock speed advantage your desktop currently has.

Overclocking if done safely should net you decent gains without risking you cpu longevity. Just make sure you keep your voltages reasonable (under 1.5vcore iirc). 4-4.2ghz should be as simple as setting the multi to 40-42 and vcore to somewhere between 1.2 and 1.3. 4.5ghz+ should be obtainable if you really want to dive into it.

Thank you. The huge price difference was why I chose 3930K back then (I had forgotten how much extra it cost).
My laptop is i7 6820HQ 2.7GHz. GPU is Quadro M5000M 8GB. It has SSD system drive and M.2 Nvme media drives.
The desktop is i7 3930k 3.2GHz. GPU is GTX 780 3GB. It has all SSD drives.
Both have 64GB RAM and run WIN7 Pro 64 and identical software.

My notebook handles 4K footage in Premiere Pro CS6 better (smoother) than my desktop and it also handles viewport performance better in 3ds Max.
 
I really appreciate everyone helping me.
The 4960X is just way too expensive for what it is. Almost laughable.
So I'm thinking either OC my 3930k or get the Intel Xeon E5-2687W v2 (3.4G,150W,L3:20M,8C,HT)
which will get me 200MHz, 2 more cores and 8MB more cache.
But is that even a noticeable gain?

But I'm going to read over this thread again
 
Is Coolermaster Seidon 120mm enough cooler for stock Xeon E5-2687W v2 ?
This guy did some OC testing with the cooler
http://www.dvtests.com/cooler-master-seidon-120v-test-and-review/
Xeon is 150W vs 130w of my current i7 but I havent found TDP for Seidon yet

I have brand new in box Coolermaster Seidon 120 I bought previously as a backup for my system so that is why I'm trying to save money over having to buy another cooler. It would be a direct swap in for my 6.5 year old Cooleraster Seidon 120
 
Is Coolermaster Seidon 120mm enough cooler for stock Xeon E5-2687W v2 ?
This guy did some OC testing with the cooler
http://www.dvtests.com/cooler-master-seidon-120v-test-and-review/
Xeon is 150W vs 130w of my current i7 but I havent found TDP for Seidon yet

I have brand new in box Coolermaster Seidon 120 I bought previously as a backup for my system so that is why I'm trying to save money over having to buy another cooler. It would be a direct swap in for my 6.5 year old Cooleraster Seidon 120
it would technically work but run very hot. what kinda temps do you get now? add 10c+ minimum to that, i think.
 
I really appreciate everyone helping me.
The 4960X is just way too expensive for what it is. Almost laughable.
So I'm thinking either OC my 3930k or get the Intel Xeon E5-2687W v2 (3.4G,150W,L3:20M,8C,HT)
which will get me 200MHz, 2 more cores and 8MB more cache.
But is that even a noticeable gain?

But I'm going to read over this thread again

Unless I'm missing it, I do not see the 1680V2 on the supported list for my X79 motherboard

If the E5-2687W v2 is supported for your motherboard then surely the 1680v2 would be supported. The 2687 is not going to be overclockable but maybe 3-5% via base clock.

See here - says your motherboard is compatible:
https://www.pc-specs.com/cpu/Intel/Xeon_E5_v2_Series/Xeon_E5-1680_v2/1982/Compatible_Motherboards

Manufacturer CPU compatibility lists are just about as useless as the RAM compatibility lists. They only list what they have tested. Just because something isn't on their dumb lists doesn't mean it won't work.
 
Thank you very much.
So why the 1680 v2 over the 2687W v2?
The 1680 is only 3.0GHz vs 3.4. But the 1680 is 25MB cache vs 20MB.
I am guessing idea is to overclock the 1680 beyond the 2687 and it's only 130watts also, and lower cost?

Dumb question but if I OC my 3930K to say 3.5-4.0GHz will there still be significant difference between it and stock 2687w v2? 2 cores and 10MB cache more on the 2687

It's looking like changing processor will break some of my software licenses (mainly 3ds max) so it may be much less hassle to OC the 3930K unless that introduces instability.

regarding the GPU: Adobe CS6 (2012) supports ray tracing on old GPUs and not the newer ones which cause an error so I think the only supported GPUs I can get better than my GTX 780 are the first generation Titan (2013) or the GTX 780ti (2014?) and it's questionable as to the gain. Maybe the Titan is significant enough but again it may break my software licenses too
 
Yeah, overclocking and the extra cache is the big thing. On top of that , the 1680 v2 can be had for cheaper.

Why would changing the CPU break the 3ds max license? Even if it did, you can just use the LTU - License Transfer Utility to deactivate on the machine before the CPU change and then use it again to re-activate it after the CPU change.
 
Yeah, overclocking and the extra cache is the big thing. On top of that , the 1680 v2 can be had for cheaper.

Why would changing the CPU break the 3ds max license? Even if it did, you can just use the LTU - License Transfer Utility to deactivate on the machine before the CPU change and then use it again to re-activate it after the CPU change.
Thank you. I don't know for *sure* that changing the CPU will break my license. I can't get an answer from Autodesk other than it *may* and they state that a hardware change "might" cause the license to fail.
Yes the LTU is what I am thinking of doing but there is a problem. I have current version and also old version 2016. I believe the LTU will require reactivation and they are no longer activating v 2016 which I need. So if I break that license I also lose access to plugins I have paid for that only work on 2016. Autodesk is killing all perpetual licenses and also killing all activations so perpetual license users will soon not be able to activate their software in the event of switching to a new computer or a hardware change or OS change or if it decides to try to ping the server randomly due to time.
So I'm basically stuck on this old 2013 PC because I cannot transfer or install 2016 to another machine. My hope is upgrading the CPU of the machine so it works a little better but then it still may break the license.
I have one small thing to help me - I have a clone of my system drive. So if I change the CPU and it breaks all my licenses I think I could change the CPU back to the old one and swap back in the clone system drive and be back as I was before I tried the upgrade....maybe. So that way I could attempt the risk without ruining everything if it didn't work.
 
it would technically work but run very hot. what kinda temps do you get now? add 10c+ minimum to that, i think.
I checked it with Coretemp and it says I'm running at 3501MHz, and working with a 4K sequence in Premiere Pro the CPU core loads were around 70-100%, mostly between 80-100. The temps of the cores got into the 85-90 degrees C after only a few minutes.

Doing a v-ray render in 3ds Max all cores mostly stay at 100% and the temps climbed to upper 80 degrees and mostly stayed there, but even hit 90 and 91 C occassionally on all 6 cores, and they all changed orange and stayed orange(?)
It seems the temps change orange once they hit about 85 for a little while and change back to black once they drop into low 80s high 70s (or less).

I also noticed that the Frequency fluctuates between about 2900MHz to about 3500MHz during 100% render load. But when the load is low the frequency stays consistant 3501.57MHz. Is that normal?

So it looks like my cooler isn't enough already? And my CPU is struggling too?
 
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I checked it with Coretemp and it says I'm running at 3501MHz, and working with a 4K sequence in Premiere Pro the CPU core loads were around 70-100%, mostly between 80-100. The temps of the cores got into the 85-90 degrees C after only a few minutes.

Doing a v-ray render in 3ds Max all cores mostly stay at 100% and the temps climbed to upper 80 degrees and mostly stayed there, but even hit 90 and 91 C occassionally on all 6 cores, and they all changed orange and stayed orange(?)
It seems the temps change orange once they hit about 85 for a little while and change back to black once they drop into low 80s high 70s (or less).

I also noticed that the Frequency fluctuates between about 2900MHz to about 3500MHz during 100% render load. But when the load is low the frequency stays consistant 3501.57MHz. Is that normal?

So it looks like my cooler isn't enough already? And my CPU is struggling too?
that all sounds normal for the cooling you have. its just not enough.
 
that all sounds normal for the cooling you have. its just not enough.
Thank you. The questions now are:
My AIO is about 7 years old and has been used a lot. Maybe it's not performing nearly as good as it once did. I have another same unit brand new in box. Worth trying or a waste of time and get a bigger one? I have no idea what the temps were 7 years ago.
Is it pretty certain that even my brand new in box Coolermaster Seidon 120mm cannot handle OC my 3930k or a Xeon replacement?
 
Thank you. The questions now are:
My AIO is about 7 years old and has been used a lot. Maybe it's not performing nearly as good as it once did. I have another same unit brand new in box. Worth trying or a waste of time and get a bigger one? I have no idea what the temps were 7 years ago.
Is it pretty certain that even my brand new in box Coolermaster Seidon 120mm cannot handle OC my 3930k or a Xeon replacement?
i doubt there'd be much of a difference. id move up to a 240 or 280 aio.
 
Thanks guys. The Xeon 1680v2 looks like a good option if OC around 4GHz. Looks like a gamble buying it on ebay. Going to try to OC the 3930k first but in the meantime I'm watching for Xeons. Any advice?
 
There are several detailed overclocking guides for the 3930k \ X79 if you give it a quick google. Some of them go extremely in depth so don't be intimidated if shooting for a mild OC.

Even before your upgrade your cooling you may want to play with your vcore settings. Some boards auto detect way too high. Force a manual target and test for stability \ temps. Keep testing and adjust down or up as needed. (I typically start at the auto vcore voltage and work my way down) Once you find a sweet spot you can start playing with your multiplier and increase vcore as needed. If you find you are still throttling even at the lowest possible vcore then you will need a cooling upgrade for sure.

Like I said previously 4-4.2ghz should be as simple as setting the multi to 40-42 and vcore to somewhere between 1.2 and 1.3. 4.5ghz+ should be obtainable if you really want to dive into it.

Most cheap AIO coolers only come with one fan, you may be able to improve temps a bit by adding another fan to the other side for a push \ pull setup.
 
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Thanks guys. The Xeon 1680v2 looks like a good option if OC around 4GHz. Looks like a gamble buying it on ebay. Going to try to OC the 3930k first but in the meantime I'm watching for Xeons. Any advice?
I'm use my 2658v3 - this is example in Doom 2016. I'm think that this is not bad for games ... I'm can play on hight or normal settings without "Full ultra" for new games ...But this is only my opinion and needs. This is video of 2.00Ghz and 12 Cores / 24 Theads!!!
 
Well, I checked the rear of my PC and discovered the fan on the original AIO not working. LED light is on but it's not spinning. So there were no attached fans pushing or pulling air through the AIO. That's why it was running hot. Funny thing is the 200mm at the front of the case was strong enough it actually moved some air through it.
So I replaced the original AIO fan with a new one and added a 2nd for push pull. The PC now runs 40s and 50s even at 100% load on a short render test with the orginal old Seidon 120mm AIO.
So I'm going to experiment with OC to see if it helps my peformance some and if not probably proceed with the processor switch, probably a 1680 v2 OC to about 4GHz.
I couldn't get a confiirmed answer from Coolermaster as to whether the 240mm AIO still uses the same backplate so if not I see that I will surely have to remove the MB to change the backplate as there is only a small access hole from the backside that is not big enough to do any good.
 
Another CPU to consider if you just wanted more cores: Xeon E5-2690

they are around $65 on ebay

I would def say try overclocking as well. Worst case you don't get much out of it and upgrade the cpu anyway. You may want to re-apply thermal paste too, just to help with temps if they get high when doing the overclock.

Let us know the results!
 
Another CPU to consider if you just wanted more cores: Xeon E5-2690

they are around $65 on ebay

I would def say try overclocking as well. Worst case you don't get much out of it and upgrade the cpu anyway. You may want to re-apply thermal paste too, just to help with temps if they get high when doing the overclock.

Let us know the results!
Thank you. The Intel Xeon E5-2690 v2 (3.0G,130W,L3:25M,10C,HT) looks like a good choice getting more cores but I lose at least 200MHz from my 3930k so I don't know how that would work out in the end. I don't know if more cores or more frequency helps most?
 
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So I was wondering why my Laptop handles editing 4K footage better than my desktop and it also handles 3ds Max better. I thought the processor was better because it's newer but I looked up the specs and that is not so.

Laptop: i7 6820HQ
4 Cores, 8 Threads @2.7 GHz, Skylake.
Release date ≈ Q4 2015.
64 GB RAM

Desktop: i7 3930k
6 Cores, 12 Threads @3.2GHz, Sandy Bridge-E.
Release date: Q4 2011.
64GB RAM


The old Desktop CPU is better. So that would seem to mean that the difference is either due to the SSD drive speeds and/or GPU.
The Laptop has C:\ SSD and the other drives are NVME
The Desktop has all SSD drives.
They both run Win 7 Pro

Laptop GPU Quadro M5000M 8GB
Desktop GPU GTX 780 3GB

The reason I'm looking at this is I've been looking how involved it will be to change the processor to Xeon and cooling in my desktop and am dreading it. If I could get my desktop performance a little better I would be happy. If it were as good as the laptop that would be ok.
I do not know if the speed is due to drive speed or GPU?
I can't just slap a new GPU into the desktop because some Adobe CS6 features aren't supported in the new GPUs so I am most likely limited to using an old model GPU like original TITAN 6GB?
Thoughts? Changing CPU to Xeon with 8/10 cores and 20/25MB cache still best way to go?
 
The 6820HQ is likely faster than the 3930k in encoding tasks due to IPC and instruction set improvements like AVX-2/512 etc.
 
Not to necro this thread, but if anyone is still rocking a 2011 like myself and the OP...

I just received a 1680v2 from eBay today. Dropped it in, smeared some MX4, and went into the BIOS - 1.25v and said "meh, lets try a 45 multiplier" and booted.... right up. Benchmarks, 3dmark, etc and everything is stable. Temps are higher than my 3930k and hit low 70s under the benchmark load - CPUmark is about 19200 - this isn't too far off from a 3800x which (rounding up) is about 24k. For a CPU that's seven years old, that's pretty amazing. Totally worth the $180.
 
Not to necro this thread, but if anyone is still rocking a 2011 like myself and the OP...

I just received a 1680v2 from eBay today. Dropped it in, smeared some MX4, and went into the BIOS - 1.25v and said "meh, lets try a 45 multiplier" and booted.... right up. Benchmarks, 3dmark, etc and everything is stable. Temps are higher than my 3930k and hit low 70s under the benchmark load - CPUmark is about 19200 - this isn't too far off from a 3800x which (rounding up) is about 24k. For a CPU that's seven years old, that's pretty amazing. Totally worth the $180.
Thanks for sharing. I was actually looking at these online again about an hour ago. Trying to determine how to make a good choice since they are all used CPUs. I will have to remove my motherboard (uhhgh!) to change cooler and CPU since there isn't access to the backplate. That is really making me question doing the upgrade since it won't be a major performance boost....but I still am wanting to
 
Thanks for sharing. I was actually looking at these online again about an hour ago. Trying to determine how to make a good choice since they are all used CPUs. I will have to remove my motherboard (uhhgh!) to change cooler and CPU since there isn't access to the backplate. That is really making me question doing the upgrade since it won't be a major performance boost....but I still am wanting to

I’m not sure you can make a good choice- they’re all used and all from servers, but at least on that point they were $2k CPUs, so odds are they were well cared for and in a temp controlled environment run at stock for their entire service lives. They’re high binned chips as well, so you also have that going for you as well. It’s not much money, and it could be a decent upgrade. For me at least, this’ll keep me going at least another year.
 
Was your 3930k overclocked? So the temps are higher with the overclocked 1680v2 vs the overclocked 3930k?
Aren't some of the 1680v2 out of Mac Pros? Those are ok to use in a X79 PC too, right?
 
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