What processor for 3D design and gaming?

[tusker]

Hey there! I spend about 50% of my time using (mostly) 3dsMax, Maya, Zbrush, AfterEffects, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Roughly the other 50% of the time I'm gaming.

I've been debating on what processor to get to meet both needs. I was originally going to get an 8700k, but I have the budget to go beyond that (if it makes sense to), and I wasn't sure if I should get a processor with more cores (e.g. i9, 1950x, etc.), or potentially wait for something new to come along later this year.... or perhaps the 8700k is the sweet spot?

I have a good idea the rest of the components that I'll be getting, but my main question for this build really revolves around the processor, which has left me a bit stumped (i.e. should I really push for more cores?).

I'm in USA. I don't have a very restrictive budget -- for example, I can go beyond $3k if needed for the entire build (not including monitors -- I already have two 27" 1440p monitors).

If anyone could lend some insight here I would really appreciate it If you have any questions or want more details on the type of 3D work I'm doing, or about the gaming, just let me know.

 

[beinik6]

The 8700k is still the very best for Gaming(!), but its also good for rendering things because of its 6C 12T.

If you dont need the MOST gaming power, and want more power for Rendering/editing, you should probably go with a Ryzen CPU. Threadripper is defenelty overkill, so one of the Zen+ ones should do the trick (2700x?). <-- It beats the 8700k in Rendering, for gaming its not too far behind it, but you will still see better gaming results with the 8700k.

It's really a mixed thing for you, what do you like more, gaming or editing (Probably both the same he?).

I would go with the 8700k, because even if its not AS good in rendering as the Ryzen one, its still better in games, and with a good OC you can get even more out of it.