Thanks for the response. I had looked at those specs but since this is a new build, I'd like to go with more than the minimum. I am especially interested if hyperthreading is worth the extra investment in an i9 rather than an i7.

Here's a look at what hyperthreading could do while encoding in an app that will keep the processors very busy.

Performance Difference 229-194=35 35/194=0.18x100=18%

Cost Difference 488-374=114 114/374=0.30x100=30%

Intel's processor specs page comparing the two processors. Example only. I'm not proposing either of these two processors.

Sly Post Analysis Quip

If Apple was configuring the systems they would probably spec the processor without hyperthreading and pocket the money. In my case, I'd probably pay the one-time premium for the chance at 18% extra processing performance over the four year life of my system.

Threadripper is it, is there really a comparison any longer?

As noted in my other posts, last April I upgraded an aging Xeon workstation to a 9900K @ 4.9ghz, Asus Z390 WS workstation class motherboard, 32GB DDR4, Liquid Cooled VEGA 64 & Corsair H150i liquid CPU for $1350. This system matched the pricier AMD Threadripper 2950X or 1950X systems in Vegas performance and was less expensive.... At the time, the AMD 3950X was 3/4 of a year away & my Intel system supports Thunderbolt 3 for my fast external RAID enclosures.

If I were upgrading a 2nd workstation today, I would consider the $750 AMD 3950X processor & $500 Radeon 7 GPU. However, if you need Thunderbolt 3 for external RAID enclosures, like I do, there are limited AMD motherboard choices... I think ASROCK has an X570 board & TB3 add-on card but Intel doesn't like to license TB3 on AMD motherboards... I prefer ASUS workstation class motherboards - my older Xeon P6T6 motherboards have given me trouble-free, heavy usage for 10 years..

I can't find any 3950X Vegas benchmarks yet, but in Adobe Premiere, the 3950X is about 15% faster than a stock 9900K, so maybe 10% faster than my overclocked 9900K... You will have to decide if that 10% gain is worth paying 50% more for the CPU ($750 vs. $500). However, other apps, like Handbrake, are better written to take advantage of larger multi-core CPUs...

Rather than upgrading a 2nd workstation, I ended-up getting a Evoo 17" laptop at Walmart for $999 with I7-9750H 6-core CPU, GTX 2060 GPU, 16 GB, room for (3) M.2 drives & (1) SSD drive, (2) mini display ports & 1 (HDMI), etc. It's faster than my 6-core Xeons & I am using it to edit family videos from the comfort of my living room Laziboy recliner vs. having to spend more time in the studio... If I spend any more money this year it will be on camera gear because I am happy with my current editing capabilities... Then, the next workstation can be upgraded when PCIe 5.0 & USB 4.0 & TB3 are present on the motherboard...

It just completed an Intel HEDT build. I am very happy with the results. See details in my signature line below. I went with the 14 core processor largely due to availability as of December 2019. I wanted a platform that could last me 5-10 years (I squeezed 11 years out of my last rig)

--Rob

@rtbond Hi Rob, do feel free to add to the benchmarking thread with your new build, located here.