[SOLVED] Should I buy a Ryzen 9 or a Threadripper?

[AssortedRAM]

Hey there, I'm trying to build a PC for gaming and 3D rendering. I'm not sure which processor I should buy. Ryzen 9 is a good processor for gaming and the Threadripper is good for video editing. I have an unlimited budget and I need the best of the best.

 

[Barty1884]

Which R9 and which Threadripper are you considering?

Different objectives, so you're not going to get 'best of the best' for both tasks.

You should figure out the priority. Is it 3D rendering that is your job? Or a hobby?
Is extra gaming a performance a 'nice to have', or something you'll be taking advantage of multiple hours per day?

Either can do the tasks very well, just one will give you boost in gaming, the other in rendering.

Wtihout knowing if the rendering is Pro or Hobby-level, it's impossible to say. The R9's do strike a nice balance of performance and core count though, for what that's worth.

 

[AssortedRAM]

It's the R9 3950X and Threadripper 3990X. 3D rendering is my current job and I do gaming as a hobby.

Edit: yeah, a bit of extra gaming performance would be nice to have.

 

[beorn]

Hey there, I'm trying to build a PC for gaming and 3D rendering. I'm not sure which processor I should buy. Ryzen 9 is a good processor for gaming and the Threadripper is good for video editing. I have an unlimited budget and I need the best of the best.

If the 3D rendering isn't so important that you need the fastest possible times, I'd just go with the 3900X or possibly 3950X. If it is, then a threadripper

 

[Barty1884]

It's the R9 3950X and Threadripper 3990X. 3D rendering is my current job and I do gaming as a hobby.

Edit: yeah, a bit of extra gaming performance would be nice to have.

Then there's your priority. If your workload benefits heavily from core-count and it pays the bills, then your gaming performance needs to give a bit.

Ultimately, you can still game on a 3990X.... just not as well as you could on an R5/R7/R9.
I'd have to double-check some reviews, but especially if you're at 4K, it shouldn't matter too much. 1080p would probably be a different story.

Just throwing these out there and you'd have to figure out the pros/cons but:
1. If your workload only benefits from cores to a point.... perhaps stepping back to a 3970X and saving ~$1500 might make some sense. Cheap (relatively speaking) gaming system gives you best of both.

2. If money truly is no object, build your work system.... and consider a stand-alone gaming system too? When you're considering a ~$3600 CPU, what's another ~$1k overall, right? 🤣

 

[AssortedRAM]

2. If money truly is no object, build your work system.... and consider a stand-alone gaming system too? When you're considering a ~$3600 CPU, what's another ~$1k overall, right? 🤣

money is not an object for me and yeah, I guess that is another choice I can consider too.

I feel enlightened now, thanks for everyone's help. I appreciate it

 

[Barty1884]

money is not an object for me

Must be nice 🤣

But yeah, rather than kneecap one activity in favour of another - you'd probably be better served with dedicated systems for each task. Especially when money is no object.