Opinions on the Intel Xeon E5-2699 v3 for video editing?

I'm currently looking at workstation level machines for my university computer & I'm wondering if an enterprise level desktop with an Intel Xeon E5-2699v3 would be good for my needs. I'll need a computer that can do physical simulations (probably matlab) & video editing (personal, 1080p 60 fps or 2.7k at 30). The 18 cores are really appealing to me, even if they are older cores. Especially since I can get a strong, 18 core desktop for around $300. Never used Intel Xeons before, anyone have experiences with them?