The Intel 5930K is Intel's new middle tier Haswell-E prosumer CPU. This model has base/turbo clocks of 3.5/3.7 GHz and sports 6 physical cores with 12 hyperthreads. The 5930K offers enormous processing throughput but like its Haswell-E siblings it lacks in single and dual-core speed. Comparing the 5930K and 4790K shows that the 4790K offers nearly 20% more single and dual core throughput and is priced nearly 40% lower than the 5930K. The 5930K does win hands down on multi-core workloads but these are not generally relevant to consumers. Finally since the Haswell-E architecture is coupled with the X99 chipset it requires far more expensive DDR4 RAM with offers little upside over DDR3. [Sep '14CPUPro]
This was the ultimate niche CPU. At the time of its release, it had an optimal combination of multi-core performance without sacrificing as much single- and quad- as the higher-core CPUs, at an excellent price-point. It utilizes quad-channel RAM. If you were a content creator without external funding, had one machine in the budget, then this chip might even now in mid-2019 be what you're looking for.
The higher-end Threadrippers will throw more cores at you... for up to five times the price. If you've a home studio, running a DAW on the same PC you use for everything; or you do your own video editing; or you're an independent streamer; then those extra 12 or 18 cores aren't really going to help you that much anyway, for all that extra cash - AND those CPUs have lower performance in more common applications (single- low-thread apps). Not worth it. Intel isn't even on the table, of course.
If you're reading this in the future: these benchmarks have multiple categories for a reason. Read and think. Find the best combination for what you intend to do with it - not some arbitrary "the best" overall. There is no such thing, because you won't be using your computer for Overall, now will you? [Aug '19spacefiddle]
We calculate effective speed which measures real world performance for typical users. Effective speed is adjusted by current prices to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top CPUs. [CPUPro]
Welcome to our PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best value for money upgrades.