[Discussion] Is Xeon an actual platform to game/work on?

[RainbowPee]

I was browsing /r/buildapc on Reddit and someone wanted help with their build. I decided to help him and guess what he put as his CPU? A Xeon E3-1230 V3 priced at around $200. At first, I thought he had no idea what he was doing and I told him so. But he responded that the CPU was essentially a locked 4770/3770 without the iGPU. I was curious about his statement and checked forums and benches. Guess what. They are exactly the same thing. Which is not surprising considering that Intel does just re brand their products or disable their cores on their high end products. But back on topic, if this is the case, is a $200 "server" processor is comparable to a $330 "high-end" processor in gaming/work? 

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts and/or opinions on this topic.

 

Edit: People seem to think I am choosing the processors for myself. I am not, this is just a topic for debate and discussion. 

[NInety]

Yeah, it is basically a locked i7.

[Rheinwasser]

sure.

[RainbowPee]

Yeah, it is basically a locked i7.

If that's the case, then why do people buy a locked i7?

[AlwaysFSX]

Yeah, it is basically a locked i7.

...ninja....

 

This.

[flibberdipper]

If that's the case, then why do people buy a locked i7?

Price, no intention to overclock, they don't like the letter K.

[RainbowPee]

Price, no intention to overclock, they don't like the letter K.

You miss my point. I'm talking about comparing the Xeon to 4770.

[NInety]

If that's the case, then why do people buy a locked i7?

IDK.

[Sintezza]

the reason could be, for qsync.

 

The xeon has no igpu, so its not able to utilize qsync.

[RainbowPee]

the reason could be, for qsync.

 

The xeon has no igpu, so its not able to utilize qsync.

Does that justify the extra $100?

[Sintezza]

Does that justify the extra $100?

 

if you are a gamer + streamer then probably yes.

[Tech_Dreamer]

xeon cpu's does have quite an endurance benifit over the usual consumer chips, 24/365 non stop & it will still keep going with the same perfomance anyhow, probably good but not if an un-nessesary  thing but, the price reange is spot on for the perfomance, so, i guess he's making a good choice.

[macpro622776]

As @Tech_Dreamer has described briefly, Xeons are workstation, server grade components that are designed to run for longer in harsher conditions, with higher loads for long periods of time, unlike the consumer grade Core i series.

[RainbowPee]

As @Tech_Dreamer has described briefly, Xeons are workstation, server grade components that are designed to run for longer in harsher conditions, with higher loads for long periods of time, unlike the consumer grade Core i series.

So does that mean it is worth getting a Xeon an i7? 

[macpro622776]

So does that mean it is worth getting a Xeon an i7? 

 

No not really. No real point. That's why it's called server grade.

[RainbowPee]

No not really. No real point. That's why it's called server grade.

If it's performs just as good as a i7 4770 and lasts longer, why not take it?

[macpro622776]

If it's performs just as good as a i7 4770 and lasts longer, why not take it?

 

When I say lasts longer, I mean it'll outlive the rest of your components in terms of how up-to-date they are. It's unnecessary.

[RainbowPee]

When I say lasts longer, I mean it'll outlive the rest of your components in terms of how up-to-date they are. It's unnecessary

Is that bad thing? I mean it is $100 cheaper than the 4770 with same performance.

[macpro622776]

Is that bad thing? I mean it is $100 cheaper than the 4770 with same performance.

 

Doesn't sound right - it should be more expensive. Ultimately it's up to you but I would advise against it.

[LAwLz]

Well if you compare the E3-1230 v3 vs i7-4770 then the differences are:

• i7-4770 is clocked higher (100Mhz base and 200Mhz higher turbo).
• The Xeon has a very slightly lower heat ouput.
• The Xeon supports ECC memory as well as some other memory related features such as "Flex Memory Access" which lets you use difference sizes of RAM sticks without losing dual channel.
• The i7-4770 has an 4600 iGPU (which supports stuff like hardware accelerated video encoding/decoding with QuickSync and stuff like that).
• There is a risk that the Xeon won't be compatible with most regular motherboards. You might run into issues with it.

 

 

I am not so sure the Xeon E3-1230 v3 will last longer and tolerate higher temperatures than the 4770 because as far as I know, they are pretty much the same chip. Might even be the same chip but with different sections of the chip cut off (as in, they cut off the GPU on the 4770 and rebrand it as an 1230 v3).

[KPZ211997]

1. The Xeon (particularly E3 1230V3 or 1231V3) is basically a 100Mhz underclocked, locked i7, it uses the 1150 socket, so any 1150 mobo will do (but most people recommend a B85 for xeon)

2. It's a server CPU with lower TDP than i7

3. It lacks the onboard GPU, so discrete card is a must, if it breaks, you'r screwed

4. The Xeon is 60$ cheaper than i7 4770, so if you vouch for the risk of not having iGPU, the Xeon will be a viable pick

[macpro622776]

I am not so sure the Xeon E3-1230 v3 will last longer and tolerate higher temperatures than the 4770 because as far as I know, they are pretty much the same chip. Might even be the same chip but with different sections of the chip cut off (as in, they cut off the GPU on the 4770 and rebrand it as an 1230 v3).

 

It's not just about the chip being the same - the manufacturing and build quality is superior, with more stringent testing and quality control for server/workstation grade components. They're designed for stability and reliability, not tinkering.

[creativename]

Well if you compare the E3-1230 v3 vs i7-4770 then the differences are:

• i7-4770 is clocked higher (100Mhz base and 200Mhz higher turbo).
• The Xeon has a very slightly lower heat ouput.
• The Xeon supports ECC memory as well as some other memory related features such as "Flex Memory Access" which lets you use difference sizes of RAM sticks without losing dual channel.
• The i7-4770 has an 4600 iGPU (which supports stuff like hardware accelerated video encoding/decoding with QuickSync and stuff like that).
• There is a risk that the Xeon won't be compatible with most regular motherboards. You might run into issues with it.

 

 

I am not so sure the Xeon E3-1230 v3 will last longer and tolerate higher temperatures than the 4770 because as far as I know, they are pretty much the same chip. Might even be the same chip but with different sections of the chip cut off (as in, they cut off the GPU on the 4770 and rebrand it as an 1230 v3).

they're higher binned.

[ajlouni]

this is something that i wanted to know about for a long time finaly

[LAwLz]

It's not just about the chip being the same - the manufacturing and build quality is superior, with more stringent testing and quality control for server/workstation grade components. They're designed for stability and reliability, not tinkering.

they're higher binned.

[Citation Needed]

The E3-1230 v3 might very well be an 4770 with a broken iGPU. I couldn't find anything about the operation conditions for that particular Xeon on Intel's website.