# Intel i7-7800x vs i7-7820x



## lucor (Jan 21, 2018)

I'm due for a big PC upgrade in the next weeks, which I'm probably gonna let the guys at www.da-x.de build for me. They offer 4 CPU possibilities for a PC with 128GB RAM, which are:

Core i7-7800X 6 x 3,5 GHz, HT | Skylake-X (+140,00 €)
Core i7-7820X 8 x 3,6 GHz, HT | Skylake-X (+410,00 €)
Core i9-7900X 10 x 3,3 GHz, HT | Skylake-X (+790,00 €)
Core i9-7940X 14 x 3,1 GHz, HT | Skylake-X (+1.190,00 €)
Now the i9's are probably overkill for a DAW PC, but is it worth it to pay the additional 270€ for a i7-7820X? Does anyone have any experience? My DAW will be Cubase 9.5.

Thanks!


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## Architekton (Jan 21, 2018)

i9s are certainly not overkill for DAWs. My motto - you can never have enough cores. So, figure it out.  Buy the one which is in your budget with most cores, simple as that.


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## lucor (Jan 21, 2018)

Architekton said:


> i9s are certainly not overkill for DAWs. My motto - you can never have enough cores. So, figure it out.  Buy the one which is in your budget with most cores, simple as that.


I'm far from being an expert on this matter, but I thought I repeatedly read that more cores only have a minimal impact on DAW performance. Maybe I misunderstood?


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## Architekton (Jan 21, 2018)

Totally mistaken. If software is programmed well, than it will proportionally share the load on multiple cores, hence resulting in more power and free "space" for additional instruments, effects, etc. Kontakt is good at this, with its multithreading capabilities.


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## fraz (Feb 10, 2018)

I suppose if you seek to build a HOST machine then 40+ PCI-e lanes would be best for the CPU so you can use all the slots on the motherboard - When better boards arrive for Z370/1151 the 40 lane CPU is not relevant.

Another caveat is if you buy Asus X299 WS Sage (previously) X99-E WS as this has a PLEX chip that allows use of all slots irrespective of how many PCI-e lanes the CPU has. For example you could have 7820 X which is a good strong CPU but only has 28 PCI-e lanes but on the Asus WS board with 7 slots all can still be used due to the PLEX chip.

Just something to consider - If you want thunderbolt for UAD etc... the Asus WS boards (7 slots) Gigabyte X299 Designare and AsRock X299 OC Formula are the best of the bunch (humble opinion) though OC Formula only allows 64 GB RAM.

Designare has TH built in to motherboard whilst Asus needs the TH3 card.


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