General Intel HEDT Xeon/i7 Discussion

[bimmerman]

I posted some OC guides way back, take a look if you have the time. In them, the OP discusses 'BCLK holes' where stability just sort of disappears.

 

There were some tips: try odd BCLK (eg, 191, 195, etc), and also if nothing works, try going much higher. Eg, if you have issues getting stable at 1.35V at 180-190, put in 205 at the same voltage and see what it'll do.

 

Important: do NOT do this with your CPU multiplier maxed out, otherwise you'll just chase your tail. To figure out what your max stable BCLK is, you need to dial down your multi and memory to focus on only one set of knobs. Once you have a solid BCLK (most boards should do 200-210 at 1.35-1.4), then start adding cpu multiplier and uncore/memory mult back in.

 

This is the slow steady and pedantic method, but it worked for me (215 @ 1.32). If you still can't go higher after doing all that, then try another chip.

 

(also, I'm referring to QPI voltage, not CPU Vcore voltage here. you may need to add Vcore while doing this as well, or leave at 1.3V and see how high it'll go with a low CPU mult)

[XR6]

Hi,

I'm currently planning an X58 build and I can't decide what CPU and motherboard I should get.

My main usage will be gaming at 1080p High (GTA V, beamNG.drive, CS:GO, Payday 2 etc.) and I'll be using a GTX 980 Ti with it as well.

Budget is around 200 GBP (RAM and postage excluded), location is UK.

Any suggestions/recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks in advance  

[r2724r16]

5 hours ago, XR6 said:

I'm currently planning an X58 build and I can't decide what CPU and motherboard I should get.

For CPU, try to get a Xeon X5675. Those go for around C$45.

 

I recently built a X58 system and got a ton of advice from the people on this thread. I suggest you go all the way back to Page 72 and read up to the present. That should hopefully give you some ideas.

[Zando_]

4 hours ago, Geography said:

For CPU, try to get a Xeon X5675. Those go for around C$45.

 

I recently built a X58 system and got a ton of advice from the people on this thread. I suggest you go all the way back to Page 72 and read up to the present. That should hopefully give you some ideas.

^ X5675 for sure, it's the best bin for the buck (X5690 is another great bin but they're expensive) and with a decent cooler hitting 4.5Ghz shouldn't be too hard. If you wanna go cheaper, I got my X5670 for $14, about half what a '75 is and it runs 4.5Ghz fine, but I'm putting 1.45v through it so it makes a lot of heat (can push 4.74Ghz on about that voltage or a little more, but it won't pass CB20, only CB15), so your mileage may vary. Most X58 xeons will do at least 4.2Ghz with even a terrible bin though, and 4.5 is usually doable as well. 

 

@Troika actually has my OG Rampage III Formula and X5675 (I traded them to him with a bunch of other stuff) listed on the classifieds here right now IIRC. I ran that X5675 at 4.4-4.5GHz for a year and a half or so, paired with a 980 Ti most of the time and it was a great combo, solid mobo. IDK about shipping to the UK but you could ask him about it. 

[Crunchy Dragon]

Does it count as betrayal if I'm going for X99 instead of X58 for my PowerMac sleeper build?

 

I realized if I want to use it as a streaming PC/LAN party system, I'd probably want a more modern platform and X99 came to mind since it's still relevant but fairly cheap.

[Zando_]

21 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

Does it count as betrayal if I'm going for X99 instead of X58 for my PowerMac sleeper build?

 

I realized if I want to use it as a streaming PC/LAN party system, I'd probably want a more modern platform and X99 came to mind since it's still relevant but fairly cheap.

I don't discriminate against different X chipsets, my current main is X99 as well. I am considering blasphemy and a move back to peasantry with a 9900K on a Z series platform tho so maybe my opinion is flawed. 

[Intelfreak]

18 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

Does it count as betrayal if I'm going for X99 instead of X58 for my PowerMac sleeper build?

 

I realized if I want to use it as a streaming PC/LAN party system, I'd probably want a more modern platform and X99 came to mind since it's still relevant but fairly cheap.

Its alright. Not even X58 can keep going on for ever. In fact i am planning a new build for my selv as well some time next year. I really have getting every thing out of X58 i can and there are no more i can think of to do to my X58 rig either. I mean i have been on X58 for 10 years now and i have a I7 980X oc to 4.4 GHz, NVME SSD, GTX 1080 TI, 12 GB ram, a cooling setup i am fairly pleased with now, running windows 10 and so on. I think i litterly have pushed X58 as far its possible to take it. The only thing i can think of now to do is to get a EVGA SR-2 mobo and two xeons but i really can use the second CPU to much so i am not going that long on X58.

 

So all in all, its time for me to move on as well. That dosent mean i am dropping X58. My plan is to keep my X58 rig and make a dual boot with Windows XP for retro gaming and install windows 10 and also use it as a secondary PC and for use to friends coming over.

[Zando_]

My plan is similar, I'm going to keep my X58 stuff to muck around with, since it won't be my main I can push it as far as I want and not worry about needing it stable for that night's gaming or something. Just haven't had the energy to fiddle with stuff lately (trying to overhaul my diet and start healthier habits and such) so thus why I'm probably moving to a 9900K for my main so I can just run it stock or at a light OC and have it 100% stable, then never mess with it again. Sucks to have random crashes 3 hours into a friday night gaming session or something because the OC isn't 100% stable yet. 

[Crunchy Dragon]

12 minutes ago, Intelfreak said:

Not even X58 can keep going on for ever.

This is the exact reason I decided against X58 for this build. I had noticed that its age is really starting to show, and wanted something a little more modern.

 

Also I can grab a Xeon E5 + motherboard for 350-400 USD, so it's not like I'm spending that much more than say dual X-series and an SR-2 or whatever else carries dual 1366. I won't be needing dual CPUs anyway; if I can secure a good enough X99 board, that'll go up to a 2699v3 and 18 cores, so I'm not too fussed about multiprocessing.

 

Although it would be nice to keep dual CPUs in this case...maybe if I can source another G5 case I'll end up doing that.

 

On the bright side, my relatives said I could borrow their dremel next time I see them, so I'll end up making some progress a fair bit earlier than I thought. Hopefully I can get the case gutted and ready for the hardware I have in mind, then it'll just be a matter of sourcing everything else.

 

I also figured I'd go with an SFX power supply since those will fit into the G5's case with less modding than a standard ATX. If power becomes a problem in the future though, I'll probably swap it out for an ATX unit. 600W should cover my CPU and GPU needs for a good while, though.

[Intelfreak]

3 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

My plan is similar, I'm going to keep my X58 stuff to muck around with, since it won't be my main I can push it as far as I want and not worry about needing it stable for that night's gaming or something. Just haven't had the energy to fiddle with stuff lately (trying to overhaul my diet and start healthier habits and such) so thus why I'm probably moving to a 9900K for my main so I can just run it stock or at a light OC and have it 100% stable, then never mess with it again. Sucks to have random crashes 3 hours into a friday night gaming session or something because the OC isn't 100% stable yet. 

Its not good with a unstable overclock. I can only say that my OC is 100 % stable. X58 has never failed me. In fact i have al ready pushed my rig to its limits before crash for CPU as well as GPU. see benchmark below here.

https://imgur.com/a/KPz7JNP

https://www.3dmark.com/spy/2333033

 

For when i move on to a new pc. That will be Intel´s next HEDT platform or AMD threadripper. 3. Just wainting an see what they will have to offer. I dont wanna buy a intel CPU now cause they are still on 14 NM. I will at least wait until they can offer a die shrink and also one time on HEDT as X58 is, there is no return for me to a little platform again.

[Zando_]

1 minute ago, Intelfreak said:

Its not good with a unstable overclock. I can only say that my OC is 100 % stable. X58 has never failed me. In fact i have al ready pushed my rig to its limits before crash for CPU as well as GPU. see benchmark below here.

https://imgur.com/a/KPz7JNP

https://www.3dmark.com/spy/2333033

 

For when i move on to a new pc. That will be Intel´s next HEDT platform or AMD threadripper. 3. Just wainting an see what they will have to offer. I dont wanna buy a intel CPU now cause they are still on 14 NM. I will at least wait until they can offer a die shrink and also one time on HEDT as X58 is, there is no return for me to a little platform again.

Yeah, the main disadvantage of a 9900K is it's on the consumer platform. I don't even use all the features of HEDT tho, mostly just game, but I just like them better. IDK why but I do. Could go X299 but that's apparently oof for gaming, and I'd have to go used to afford it. 

[Intelfreak]

3 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

This is the exact reason I decided against X58 for this build. I had noticed that its age is really starting to show, and wanted something a little more modern.

 

Also I can grab a Xeon E5 + motherboard for 350-400 USD, so it's not like I'm spending that much more than say dual X-series and an SR-2 or whatever else carries dual 1366. I won't be needing dual CPUs anyway; if I can secure a good enough X99 board, that'll go up to a 2699v3 and 18 cores, so I'm not too fussed about multiprocessing.

 

Although it would be nice to keep dual CPUs in this case...maybe if I can source another G5 case I'll end up doing that.

 

On the bright side, my relatives said I could borrow their dremel next time I see them, so I'll end up making some progress a fair bit earlier than I thought. Hopefully I can get the case gutted and ready for the hardware I have in mind, then it'll just be a matter of sourcing everything else.

 

I also figured I'd go with an SFX power supply since those will fit into the G5's case with less modding than a standard ATX. If power becomes a problem in the future though, I'll probably swap it out for an ATX unit. 600W should cover my CPU and GPU needs for a good while, though.

Yeah i agree. X58 is begin to struggle in the newest games as well. Metro Exodus and Far Cry New Dawn seems to push the old CPU to far so that i get a bit to many lag spikes. X58 has had a good long run, but now time has obtained even mighty X58.

[Crunchy Dragon]

1 minute ago, Intelfreak said:

Yeah i agree. X58 is begin to struggle in the newest games as well. Metro Exodus and Far Cry New Dawn seems to push the old CPU to far so that i get a bit to many lag spikes. X58 has had a good long run, but now time has obtained even mighty X58.

Time to upgrade to X79

 

X99 has the best balance of modern architecture and price that I've really found(also performance is great), I might pair it with a 980Ti or 1080.

[Intelfreak]

2 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Yeah, the main disadvantage of a 9900K is it's on the consumer platform. I don't even use all the features of HEDT tho, mostly just game, but I just like them better. IDK why but I do. Could go X299 but that's apparently oof for gaming, and I'd have to go used to afford it. 

Yeah i can see your point. I also mostly just game, but for me there are only one way and that is HEDT even throw i might not need it right now, but i tend to keep my right for years lets 6 to 10 years, so i need a platform that can be build on to in the future like cpu´s with more cores. The little platform dosent offer cpu with more than 8 cores as it is now.

 

Also X58 has keep me going for so long because of all the features it has or had. Like 4 and 6 cores, USB 3.0 and sata 3 (the small platform back then, dit not offer that if i remember correct). HEDT simply gives me a better solution for future upgrades.

[Zando_]

2 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

Time to upgrade to X79

 

X99 has the best balance of modern architecture and price that I've really found(also performance is great), I might pair it with a 980Ti or 1080.

X99 is pretty swell, my 5820K keeps up pretty well with my Radeon VII. Want to yoink a 5960X or 6950X once prices come down though. 6950Xs still go for $700 (and there's a guy on there selling a 7900X and FTW K for $800), and 5960Xs hopped suddenly from $350 or so to $450. 

[Zando_]

Just now, Intelfreak said:

Yeah i can see your point. I also mostly just game, but for me there are only one way and that is HEDT even throw i might not need it right now, but i tend to keep my right for years lets 6 to 10 years, so i need a platform that can be build on to in the future like cpu´s with more cores. The little platform dosent offer cpu with more than 8 cores as it is now.

 

Also X58 has keep me going for so long because of all the features it has or had. Like 4 and 6 cores, USB 3.0 and sata 3 (the small platform back then, dit not offer that if i remember correct). HEDT simply gives me a better solution for future upgrades.

Mainstream also doesn't give me more than dual channel so my 4x8GB kit of DDR4 is just more stress on the IMC or whatever instead of an advantage in RAM bandwidth heavy games or tasks. Mebbe I should look into if a 7900X on a conservative OC can do 144Hz gaming fine or not, just to keep on the HEDT platforms. 

[Intelfreak]

6 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

Time to upgrade to X79

 

X99 has the best balance of modern architecture and price that I've really found(also performance is great), I might pair it with a 980Ti or 1080.

Yeah i cut do that. Its just i miss the smell of brand spanking new hardware and build a pc from buttom and up. My goal is to get a complete new build. I think i deserve that after being so loyal to X58.

[Zando_]

2 minutes ago, CUDAcores89 said:

As far as betrayal goes, I would say not so much. This thread is about i7's and xeons after all and this discussion really isn't supposed to be chipset dependent.

Facts, if there's any real chipset favor then it's any of the X series platforms. I can even update the title to reflect that if y'all want me to. 

 

also the 7900X at stock does seem to handle 144fps pretty well in Apex, now time to see if there's any results for Destiny 2

 

 

[Intelfreak]

4 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Mainstream also doesn't give me more than dual channel so my 4x8GB kit of DDR4 is just more stress on the IMC or whatever instead of an advantage in RAM bandwidth heavy games or tasks. Mebbe I should look into if a 7900X on a conservative OC can do 144Hz gaming fine or not, just to keep on the HEDT platforms. 

Yeah dual channel is also a good point. X58 is triple channel and X79 to now is Quad channel. And the more channel memory also helps to keep it more relevant for longer time.

 

Intels next platform might even be six/hexa channel or what ever the name is. I know for sure, that i will regret if i move to a I9 9900K and the little platform in the long run, cause that will simply not keep me going for nearly as long as the HEDT will keep me going.

[Zando_]

Just now, Intelfreak said:

Yeah dual channel is also a good point. X58 is triple channel and X79 to now is Quad channel. And the more channel memory also helps to keep it more relevant for longer time.

 

Intels next platform might even be six/hexa channel or what ever the name is. I know for sure, that i will regret if i move to a I9 9900K and the little platform in the long run, cause that will simply not keep me going for nearly as long as the HEDT will keep me going.

Yeah. Also oho the 7900X isn't too far behind an 8700K (both at stock) in this test: 

 

 

May go for one of those instead of a 9900K, most games I play aren't incredibly CPU intensive, and the ones that are I can play at 30-60fps easily and this won't get near that low.

 

Intel's newest HEDT stuff is indeed Hexa-channel as well, they have new OCable Xeons and that one monstrous ASUS board so far IIRC. I don't think there's a die shrink yet though. 

[Crunchy Dragon]

9 minutes ago, CUDAcores89 said:

If you can wait until May I can sell you my old X99 rig for a good price. I've also got some Lenovo Thinkstation D30s but those I really wouldn't be able to give you a huge discount on because it's for running my business.

 

As far as betrayal goes, I would say not so much. This thread is about i7's and xeons after all and this discussion really isn't supposed to be chipset dependent.

I don't know if I'd be able to afford it by then, plus it defeats the purpose of me doing this mod

I'll definitely hit you up if I change my mind though.

10 minutes ago, Intelfreak said:

Yeah i cut do that. Its just i miss the smell of brand spanking new hardware and build a pc from buttom and up. My goal is to get a complete new build. I think i deserve that after being so loyal to X58.

That's the reason I'm gonna be building a new gaming rig this year actually lol. And how knows, I may even run the G5 sleeper as my main rig for a while since it sounds like it'll outperform my current system

[Intelfreak]

9 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Yeah. Also oho the 7900X isn't too far behind an 8700K (both at stock) in this test: 

 

 

May go for one of those instead of a 9900K, most games I play aren't incredibly CPU intensive, and the ones that are I can play at 30-60fps easily and this won't get near that low.

 

Intel's newest HEDT stuff is indeed Hexa-channel as well, they have new OCable Xeons and that one monstrous ASUS board so far IIRC. I don't think there's a die shrink yet though. 

Yeah i will go for 7900X or wait until intel gets a die shrink and yes they have that crazy 3000 USD xeon cpu with 28 cores that is overclockable (a very rare breed among Xeons) and also yes that CPU is still 14 NM fabrication.

 

I will wait bying any thing until AMD release threadripper 3 and intel release a 10 or 7 NM die shrink (rumors says that intel might drop there 10 Nm and go right to 7 NM).

 

7 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

That's the reason I'm gonna be building a new gaming rig this year actually lol. And how knows, I may even run the G5 sleeper as my main rig for a while since it sounds like it'll outperform my current system

haha yeah. Thats the problem. I like keeping old hardware running as X58, but i also like new stuff. So by doing what i do know. I will have and old X58 rig to mess around with and keep running + a new rig that will keep me going with out the konstant fear of hardware failure.

[Crunchy Dragon]

1 minute ago, Intelfreak said:

haha yeah. Thats the problem. I like keeping old hardware running as X58, but i also like new stuff. So by doing what i do know. I will have and old X58 rig to mess around with and keep running + a new rig that will keep me going with out the konstant fear of hardware

I'm actually gonna be doing this mainly because I can(if the G5 wasn't dead, I wouldn't be considering this). Also because I want a streaming PC and a gaming rig I can take places for LAN parties and whatnot.

 

It just so happens that the G5 case is nice to take places(aside from weight).

[Zando_]

42 minutes ago, Intelfreak said:

Yeah i will go for 7900X or wait until intel gets a die shrink and yes they have that crazy 3000 USD xeon cpu with 28 cores that is overclockable (a very rare breed among Xeons) and also yes that CPU is still 14 NM fabrication.

Apparently they have a hexa-core one as well, a guy on the LTT discord was talking about it (with another dude who got a 9900K to 5.5Ghz on a chiller apparently, and it's stable enough to game and everything). 

 

And yee, definetely gonna look around for a 7900X instead once I have the mons. Only issue with them is they run really hot, but IDK if they're hotter than the 9900K or not. Don't want to delid such an expensive CPU though, couldn't afford to replace it. 

[Crunchy Dragon]

On the really bright side, I'm super close to finishing this mod.

 

The hardest part now is just sourcing(and more importantly, affording) the hardware I'm putting in it.