Question Which is better for multi-threaded simulation purposes: Dual Xeon E5-2699 v3 or Intel Core i9-13900K?

[fery007]

Hi everyone,
I'm planning to build a PC for multi-threaded simulation work (gaming is not a priority) and have narrowed it down to two options. I’d greatly appreciate guidance on which choice would be better suited for my needs. Here are the details:

1. Option 1: Dual Xeon E5-2699 v3
   • Total of 36 real cores (18 cores per CPU).
   • Maximum all-core frequency: 2.8 GHz (36 × 2.8 = 100.8 GHz combined).
   • Older hardware, but significantly cheaper due to the availability of low-cost used CPUs and LGA2011-compatible motherboards.
   • Limited to DDR4 2133 MHz memory in quad-channel configuration. (and I am going to use ddr4 instead of ECC rams)
2. Option 2: Intel Core i9-13900K
   • 24 cores in total: 8 performance cores (5.4 GHz max) and 16 efficient cores (4.3 GHz max).
   • Combined frequency: 8 × 5.4 + 16 × 4.3 = 112 GHz total.
   • Supports DDR5 5600 MHz memory in dual-channel mode.
   • More modern architecture and higher single-thread performance.

While the first option is cheaper due to the availability of used CPUs and used motherboard (or new chines brand motherboard) , the second offers more modern features and faster memory.

Which option would be better for multi-threaded simulation tasks, considering the trade-offs in cost, core count, clock speed, and memory performance?

Thanks in advance for your insights!

 

[COLGeek]

What applications do you intend to run on this system?

 

[fery007]

What applications do you intend to run on this system?

Thank you for your response. Scientific simulation software such as LAMMPS, Quantum ESPRESSO, VASP, and similar tools, which are primarily designed to support parallelized calculations.

 

[COLGeek]

Thank you for your response. Scientific simulation software such as LAMMPS, Quantum ESPRESSO, VASP, and similar tools, which are primarily designed to support parallelized calculations.

I would suggest looking at the apps' requirements to assess whether more cores, or faster cores, would be preferable in terms of performance. You may find it is a mixed bag for the apps in that assessment.

If that is the case, I would suggest the newer tech will be more viable going forward.

Of course, you need to weigh this against your budget.