Between the Intel Core i9-7900X and AMD Ryzen 7 1800X there is a $540 price difference.
But for that extra cost you get four more threads at a higher clock rate, twenty extra PCIE lanes, a 500 MHz higher turbo clock speed, and double the memory bandwidth.
Even with the lesser Intel Core i7-7820X you will get the same thread count but with a higher clock rate, four extra PCIE lanes, still a 500 MHz higher turbo clock speed, and double the memory bandwidth for only $140 more.
Now, of course, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X comes much closer to the i9-7900X price point.
However, you will sacrifice single core performance to gain twelve more threads at a lower clock rate. But, you will receive twenty more PCIE lanes, over twice as much L3 cache, and the same memory bandwidth as the i9-7900X.
So if your plan is to build a 3D render farm, the Threadripper seems quite appropriate.
Although, if you plan to build a workstation on which to model 3D assets and to perform preview renders--the Intel i9 series seems more apt.
Not to take away from your numbers, but you should consider the cost of the motherboard, too. The HEDT Intel motherboards tend to be more expensive than what the Ryzen ones are going for and much harder to find replacements for down the line. Microcenter seems to only sell one X299 and it's at $310. Depending on your desired feature set, you can get a Ryzen motherboard for < $100.
Fair enough. I listed Micro Center because they routinely have the best deals on CPU prices and often have incredible CPU & motherboard combo prices. For a while you basically could get a Ryzen motherboard for free with the CPU and they took $50 off the MSRP of the CPU. I ultimately didn't go for it, but I was looking at an 1800X + motherboard for $500, which is $100 less than the i7-7820X alone.
But I agree that a $200 - $400 difference may not be substantial for a workstation in heavy use. Personally, I do still have concerns about availability over the life of the CPU. I currently have an X79 and was looking to replace the motherboard in its 2nd year of ownership. eBay is really the only option available and with a scarce 2nd-hand market, the boards don't depreciate much. It's gotten better over time, but I was looking at paying $400+ for a used motherboard. I decided to just deal with the quirks of my current one. The X299 is early in its lifecycle, of course, so I'd hope availability for a few years.
Are there really that many people doing 3d model rendering?
My guess would be PC users by count are
gamers > programmers > 3d renderers
For most gamers, seems like i7 or maybe i9 wins in current benchmarks. For programmers maybe ryzen is a better fit, but I bet it depends on your language.
I cannot guess that the CGI industry is higher than either of these numbers.
Now very much they may pay for bleeding edge, and spend more dollars on hardware than programmers. But I am at least 95% confident there are less people in the US running a 3d program on their desktop compared to running eclipse/visual studio/atom/vim.
2) it seems like you are usually not CPU bound. The people I know doing this spend 20 minutes waiting for a video to render than 6 hours uploading it to youtube. In most cases their bandwidth is a limiter 10x over their CPU. (Plus most of those people are on Mac anyway, so they don't even get this choice)
how does AR impact this need? will it by default make everyone a gamer with regards to hardware needs? that is if someone one can make a compelling case for it becoming widespread.
But for that extra cost you get four more threads at a higher clock rate, twenty extra PCIE lanes, a 500 MHz higher turbo clock speed, and double the memory bandwidth.
Even with the lesser Intel Core i7-7820X you will get the same thread count but with a higher clock rate, four extra PCIE lanes, still a 500 MHz higher turbo clock speed, and double the memory bandwidth for only $140 more.
Now, of course, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X comes much closer to the i9-7900X price point.
However, you will sacrifice single core performance to gain twelve more threads at a lower clock rate. But, you will receive twenty more PCIE lanes, over twice as much L3 cache, and the same memory bandwidth as the i9-7900X.
So if your plan is to build a 3D render farm, the Threadripper seems quite appropriate.
Although, if you plan to build a workstation on which to model 3D assets and to perform preview renders--the Intel i9 series seems more apt.