Question i9-9900K vs i9-9920X (for gaming and 3D/2D work)

[R_G_S]

Hi all,

Looking to buy a new rig based around one of the above processors (plus an RTX 2080 Ti and 32 or 64 GB RAM). The usage, as stated in the title is gaming, 3D work (3ds Max) and 2D work (Photoshop), all at a resolution of 4K.

I will be using the machine full time as a work PC (3D content creation, games/flight sim).

Whilst tempted by the 12 cores of the i9-9920X, the price is ~£700 more than the i9-9900K and as I don't do a lot of rendering (mostly just lighting bakes and render to texture stuff) I'm tempted to go with the 8 core chip. The saving would also allow me to upgrade to 64 GB RAM as opposed to 32, though I might be able to stretch my budget if going with the more expensive processor, I'd rather not.

I will be using this machine for a long time, thus longevity and future-proofing is very important.

Would really appreciate any thoughts on the pros and cons of each,

Cheers!

 

[xSaturnityx]

Just save the money. The 9900k is more than enough for 3d content.

 

[DeauteratedDog]

In my opinion, the big difference between the processors isn't the number of cores, it is the memory capacity/bandwidth. The 9900k supports 64 GB of RAM and has a memory bandwidth of 43 GB/Sec. The 9920x supports 128 GB of RAM and has a memory bandwidth of 85 GB/Sec.

If your application can't take advantage of these additional capacities in the 9920x, you are probably better off with the 9900k and more memory (or more/faster storage, or a better monitor, or ...).

 

[R_G_S]

In my opinion, the big difference between the processors isn't the number of cores, it is the memory capacity/bandwidth. The 9900k supports 64 GB of RAM and has a memory bandwidth of 43 GB/Sec. The 9920x supports 128 GB of RAM and has a memory bandwidth of 85 GB/Sec.

If your application can't take advantage of these additional capacities in the 9920x, you are probably better off with the 9900k and more memory (or more/faster storage, or a better monitor, or ...).

Thanks for the info, I'll look into it further (bandwidth). Off the top of your head, would you say it makes much difference as regards games, both current and future releases?

Also, and purely games related, would you say the 9920X was the better option in the long run (say 4+ years from now), or are the extra cores and better bandwidth likely to remain untapped for the most part? Both processors appear to be neck and neck benchmark-wise right now at 4K (for gaming), but not sure if that's likely to remain the case going forward; the 9900K obviously has the speed advantage (5 GHz vs 4.5 GHz), but lacks the cores/memory bandwidth of the 9920X.

Thanks again for the help, much appreciated.

 

[R_G_S]

Sorry to bump this, but was hoping for a few more replies as I'll be making the purchase next week and am still undecided between the two processors.

Thanks.

 

[karenjoly]

AFAIK there are no games that benefit from > 64GB ram. Where a computer game performance will benefit is from using higher frequency , everything else being equal. The system that can use the highest cpu speed is the better choice. The turbo freq on the one is higher than the other, so chose the 9900k and figure out a way to run @ 5 GHz all the time.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

The 9900k is more than enough for what you need and is great in games. Id buy the 9900k.

 

[R_G_S]

Thanks guys.

With regards the 64 GB RAM, that's only needed for Photoshop and Max as I work with some very large files (plus, to a degree, future-proofing).

My primary concern with going for the 9900K is that if the 'next generation' of games/apps actually make better use of multiple cores, then the 9920X will blow it out of the water at 12 vs 8. Obviously no one knows what the future will bring, but with AMD adding more and more cores, Intel are likely to follow suit and if the processors powering the next line of consoles also have high core counts, there might be a considerable change, no?

So basically, which of the two do you feel is the safer bet for the long-term?

Thanks again.

 

[karenjoly]

No, no change anticipated. "More cores" does not change the basic C/T architecture.