OK, I run a Q9650 in my digital audio workstation. My buddies have been saying I should upgrade to an AMD 1090T or an Intel 980X...of course, they haven't volunteered to pay for the upgrade. LOLI am not talking about benchmarks, I am talking about real world audio/visual performance, as well as using programs like Maya.I know that the 980X is the uber beast CPU now...but, in reality, is it worth dropping $1K for it. The AMD 1055/1090 are also 6-cores...and are cheap...but, what would I gain upgrading in either case. Does bucks spent = improvement seen? I mean, my Q9650 is still ranked in the 1st tier, so...whaddya think?
Keep your Q9650, Yes the i7 980X is a beast and will devour anything you throw at it. For the AMD 1090T, AMD are good for there GPU's but however compared to Intel CPU's they cannot compare. Also check that your software supports Multi-Threaded CPU's.
Not much. AMD 1090T would be the same as Q9650 except with 2 extra cores. Only with 980X you would have noticeable changes in speed, but it's still not worth 1k. Upgrade next year when Intel releases its mainstream 6 core cpu series to save some money.
Well the 9650 in passmark scores ranks #52 ...the 1090T ranks #15 the 980X of course ranks #1 So yes either of the two are a bit superior to your CPU....that said...you would need to get a completely new mother board for either of those CPUs...new RAM..etc. in essences...a completely new system. IF you are getting all you NEED now with what you have...I don't see spending big bucks to gain a few more nanoseconds. You right about the law of diminishing returns...True a 980X would give you a gain..but how much real world gain as compared to price? Many of the people who say I want the 980X have no idea how to use it...they just want bragging rights! I'd hold off a bit longer. I want better video...I'm sitting on my hands right now till the new PCIe x16 version 3.0 standards comes out in the mother board and video card! Dubbling the band with should certainly have a big gain in video card performance!
