As some of you know, I am building a new rig and all the parts came in today, except my colored Corsair power cables.   I came home from lunch and ordered a I73930x CPU for delivery tomorrow even though in my package today I received the I73960x.
 
My delima is this...even though money is not an issue, it seems like for about $450.00 more for the 3960x it seems like I might not be gaining that much over a 3930x.  I know many of you have eathier processor and was hoping for some feedback on if I should go forward and start building using the 3960x or go for the 3930x build.  Here are the part list for this new rig and I just need some advice on the processor.
 
Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition Sandy Bridge-E 3.3GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 2011
ASUS Rampage IV Extreme LGA 2011 Motherboard
EVGA 02G-P4-2680-KR GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 X2 in SLI ***
G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000)
1ST PC CORP. FC-FC6-B Lamptron Fan Controller, Black Color
CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX1200 (CMPSU-1200AX) 1200W ***
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner ***
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" HDD x2 ***
Samsung 830 Series 256GB SSD ***
Antec P280 Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Noiseblocker NB-Multiframe M12-P 120mmx25mm Ultra Silent PWM Fan x3
*** - Denotes parts coming from existing rig.
I game at 1080p as well...and damn..I am just not sure what I should do, so any input is greatly appreciated. 
 
 

The extra 3MB on the L3 cache will honestly not give you any noticable difference in regular applications/games/use.
May see a difference in high end video rendering/3D rendering/CAD.
I'd save the $ and buy some beers :)

Macros


The extra 3MB on the L3 cache will honestly not give you any noticable difference in regular applications/games/use.
May see a difference in high end video rendering/3D rendering/CAD.
I'd save the $ and buy some beers :)

 
Thanks for the feedback.  I see that you have a 3930...how easy has it been to overclock and what are your temps like for you? 

3930K is the most popular option as seen by X79 users here and in other forums, while having easier overclocking by multiplier.   3960X while has more L3 cache and has more variables for overclocking than just multipler; it exists mainly for the majority that either don't overclock and want the fastest or those enthusiasts push for extremes beyond everyday overclocks.  Both CPUs' are capable of 5GHz on everyday overclocking.
 
Note: If all you do is game, then I would have suggested an i7-3820 quad-core and push it to 4.5-5.0GHz because 6-core processor won't benefit on most games. Sure it isn't a K processor, but you can still raise the strap ratio to 1.25 and raise multi up to 43x, so 5GHz is still possible. Quad-cores have been around for six years yet we are only now starting to see games that use more cores. By the time a 6-core becomes the mainstay for gaming, you would have upgraded the whole system a few times over.
 

hawk269

As some of you know, I am building a new rig and all the parts came in today, except my colored Corsair power cables.   I came home from lunch and ordered a I73930x CPU for delivery tomorrow even though in my package today I received the I73960x.

Hold on, did they accidentally give you a more expensive processor?  Either keep it as their mistake or do the moral thing and return it.  It is your call, to me any return is a hassle I avoid so I'd rather keep it unless I was asked to return it.

lehpron


3930K is the most popular option as seen by X79 users here and in other forums, while having easier overclocking by multiplier.   3960X while has more L3 cache and has more variables for overclocking than just multipler; it exists mainly for the majority that either don't overclock and want the fastest or those enthusiasts push for extremes beyond everyday overclocks.  Both CPUs' are capable of 5GHz on everyday overclocking.

Note: If all you do is game, then I would have suggested an i7-3820 quad-core and push it to 4.5-5.0GHz because 6-core processor won't benefit on most games. Sure it isn't a K processor, but you can still raise the strap ratio to 1.25 and raise multi up to 43x, so 5GHz is still possible. Quad-cores have been around for six years yet we are only now starting to see games that use more cores. By the time a 6-core becomes the mainstay for gaming, you would have upgraded the whole system a few times over.

hawk269

As some of you know, I am building a new rig and all the parts came in today, except my colored Corsair power cables.   I came home from lunch and ordered a I73930x CPU for delivery tomorrow even though in my package today I received the I73960x.

Hold on, did they accidentally give you a more expensive processor?  Either keep it as their mistake or do the moral thing and return it.  It is your call, to me any return is a hassle I avoid so I'd rather keep it unless I was asked to return it.

No, I originally purchased the 3960x and was delivered today with some of the other parts from Amazon.  At lunch, I ordered the 3930x with next day delivery and it will be here tomorrow.  Since I came home from lunch with not sure what to do, I decided to order it just to have it and then post on the forums for feedback from others...then return the one I don't want.  The return process seems very simple with Amazon...I prefer not to return stuff, but being that I was unsure of which direction to go I did what I did.  Also the fact that I am off of work for the rest of today, am off on Wednesday and dont go back to work untile mid-afternoon on Thursday, gives me time to build the rig slowly and enjoy it...that was the main reason I ordered the 3930x with next day so I would have it tomorrow and then decide which CPU to go with.
 
Again..I appreciate your respone and thank you very much for taking the time to help me out.