Is the i7 3960x worth it

[shamsmu]

Currently I have a maximus gene Iv motherboard with a i7 3770k. For some reason my motherboard has been acting up(the PCI express x16 slot performs faulty) and I have decided to look for a new motherboard. However, in the process I came across a deal with asus rampage formula motherboard and i7 3960x combo for $650 AUD. is that something that would help me in the long run? I wish to make sli set up in the future with 2x gtx980 ti. Should I opt for the deal because the rampage motherboard has 4 PCI express slots and is it worth the money? Thanks in advance

 

[i7Baby]

See http://www.anandtech.com/show/8426/the-intel-haswell-e-cpu-review-core-i7-5960x-i7-5930k-i7-5820k-tested/6

The 3960x will run most games within a few fps of the 3770k.

 

[synphul]

That doesn't sound like a terrible deal but keep in mind it's also 4yrs old already too. Hard to say, it'd probably be worth keeping if you already had it but I'm not so sure about that large of an investment into hardware that old. Current z97 and soon to be released z107 will be plenty to sli two 980ti's. The 2011 platform is more for triple/quad crossfire/sli. When looking to make that big of an investment and hoping for the 'long run' I think current parts would serve you better. Not sure what you're considering the long run, 3, 4yrs? By then those parts will be 7-8yrs old.

For roughly the same price you could get a 4790k, z97 motherboard and cooler and it will run games better than the 3960x unless you do a lot of serious video editing. Plus new parts would be built on newer tech and come with a warranty.

For that matter why not just get a new motherboard for your current gear? Should last you quite awhile and it will also run 980ti's in sli.

 

[lazyboy947]

The 3960x will have the pcie lanes to run full x16 sli, not that x8 sli hurts performance, and its a a six core, 12 thread cpu, and should probably outperform the 3770k, but technically is a slightly older cpu, as its sandy bridge E from ivy bridge, but from what i can tell that setup is cheaper than going 5820k and x99, or z97 and 4790k.

I dont think it will help in the long run because it is techically quite old, and most people with those system probably considered going to x99 and hasewell e, but it is a good platform yet, im just not too sure on how much longer it would last. Since it is a extreme edition 6 core on x79 that it should handle sli 980ti no problem, as many are still using p67 and z68 boards and sandy bridge i5 and i7s no problem and can probably last long enough till another upgrade