Choosing the right setup for my PC and end user case.

RenegadeRailz

I'm trying to upgrade my current PC build however my use for my pc is varied and somewhat in a niche userbase. I currently run mostly train sims such as Trainz 2019 and TrainSim along with some online games such as World of Tanks and others like Cities:Skylines. As for the workstation part I work with blender alot along with gimp and adobe photoshop for texturing and painting 3D models for said simulators. I want to build a system that will be growable if I need more capacity and to be able to shred anything I throw at it. Currently I have a budget of about 2000 I'm prepared to spend for CPU, MB, RAM, NVME, and CPU cooling. I already have a decent GPU a GTX 1080TI aorus xtreme edition.

My Current build Sheet:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/84dGWD

CPU: AMD FX-9590 4.7 GHz 8-Core OEM/Tray Processor  ($373.30 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.69 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($379.31 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme9 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($107.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 860 Pro 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($296.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($32.59 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive  ($82.84 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda Pro 12 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($476.85 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11 GB AORUS Xtreme Edition 11G Video Card  ($1100.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF Stacker 935 ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 1300 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($232.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter  ($175.34 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Dell AW3418DW 34.1" 3440x1440 120 Hz Monitor  ($700.16 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech G910 Orion Spectrum RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum Wired Optical Mouse  ($49.98 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum 7.1 Channel  Headset  ($115.44 @ Amazon)
Total: $4369.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-25 11:14 EST-0500

My current options as of now are as far as CPU's are the 2950x, 3950x, or the 3970x from amd for a workstation/gaming rig. Can someone help me with deciding on my upgrade path of which would benefit me more?

TSTonyV

Any of the CPU options would be huge upgrade over your current system. However if your budget is $2000 for the upgrades altogether, the 3970x  is definitely out of the question at $1900. The 3960x is probably also out of the question at $1400 since the cheapest TRX40 board we have is about $370 and you would be forced to purchase a new cooler with it on top of the new memory.

The 3950x will be better for gaming vs. the 2950x since it has higher single thread performance, though the 2950x would still also be a huge upgrade in every category over the FX chip. One thing to consider for future-proofing is that boards for the 2950x are still PCIe 3.0, whereas the X570 and TRX40 boards for the third-gen Ryzen CPUs have PCIe 4.0 support. 

This would be an example of a configuration you could go for with the 3950x:

https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=db7c1d22-e25c-430d-8ace-3d54531cca69

If you don't care about PCIe 4.0 that much, you can easily jump down to a PCIe 3.0 NVME drive rather than the PCIe 4.0 drive and save a good chunk of change or add more storage capacity. I did include a new liquid cooler for your CPU in that configuration which should work with your case, however you could continue to use your current cooler if you pick up Corsair's AM4 mounting bracket kit for it: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Accessories-%7C-Parts/PC-Components/Cooling/AM4-AMD-Retention-Bracket-Kit-for-Hydro-Series%E2%84%A2-Coolers/p/CW-8960046

RenegadeRailz

I have another option with a spare 2000$ I can use if its worth going to the STR4 3970x or 3960x for future proofing but I'm also trying to lower the total wattage draw of my system.

TSTonyV

In terms of "future proofing" the Threadrippers will certainly have the best longevity for workstation tasks. One thing I would consider would be, are you using this as a workstation to make money, and would having speedier performance increase your monetary gain? If your time is money then the Threadrippers would probably be worth it. But the Threadrippers have very high power draw, and there's no way around that. If lowering your power draw is really, really important it'd be better to stick with non-Threadripper parts.

PowerSpec_MikeW

Within your budget the 3950X with an X570 board sounds like your best option. You'll drop the TDP from 220W down to 105W. The X570 board gives you PCIe Gen4 for future proofing. Also, it's easy to push your memory clocks the third gen Ryzen's. 3600mhz is optimal clockspeed with infinity fabric clock. I would focus on those components. Your PSU, case and cooler are all solid. You just need to order an AM4 bracket for the H100i. They're $4.99 on the Corsair website. 

For storage, you could upgrade your SSD's. Gen4 NVME is available. Around $200 for a 1TB SSD, but the speeds are considerably increased. 5GBps read, 4.3 write on the drives I've tested.