Let’s face it, Threadripper CPUs are extremely fast - even if they “only” achieve 85% of a top-end Intel - how many of us actually need that horsepower? You’d be getting a very, very fast CPU for a much reduced system cost compared to a top-end i7 or i9. The only risk IMHO is real time audio spikes caused by immature firmware associated with the various motherboards and interfaces, even then, they’ve been out a while and the issues should be sorted by now, the same could be said of Intel X299.
I refreshed by PC recently and went for X99 on purpose (self-inflicted obsolescence?) I justify my choice (my PC was built with no budget limits but with an eye on the Windows 10 MMCSS thread limit) knowing I’ve gone for rock-solid, reliable, known hardware. Which brings me back to one of my bugbears! It’s about time Steinberg returned to publishing a recommended stable component list for Cubase.