Xeon E3-1230 V3

[Silver]

This is a CPU that people don't really seem to talk about... There aren't really any benchmarks with it either. So I'm wondering... I've read that it has the rendering performance of a 4770, with the gaming performance of an i5, for $245... Besides overclocking (Which I will miss), what am I missing with this CPU??

[miyabwah]

People don't use Xeons for gaming..

[nsyedhasan]

Just think of it as a 4770 but not as much gaming performance.

[Silver]

People don't use Xeons for gaming..

But... Can it be done? Using things for what they're not supposed to be used for is kind of my specialty.

[Tmh85]

But... Can it be done? Using things for what they're not supposed to be used for is kind of my specialty.

Well you could but Xeons are used for Workstations and Servers

[Silver]

Well you could but Xeons are used for Workstations and Servers

I know, but they're cheaper than the i7 line.

[DoubleY]

I know, but they're cheaper than the i7 line.

If you're just gaming. Just get an i5. If you're rendering, sure, why not, get the Xeon

[Tmh85]

I know, but they're cheaper than the i7 line.

I'm sure you can game on it with good performance. But please correct me if i'm wrong but don't you need a special motherboard for Xeons?

[Silver]

If you're just gaming. Just get an i5. If you're rendering, sure, why not, get the Xeon

Thank you! And yeah, my main goal is rendering, so I think I'll get the Xeon!

[Sheldon_King]

But... Can it be done? Using things for what they're not supposed to be used for is kind of my specialty.

There is absolutely no reason it can not be done. The major difference between the xeon and the i series is the Xeon can use ECC memory, and iirc they have a few more instructionsets.  To the OS, and the game, it is not going to matter a single bit that it is not intended to operate in games. 

 

It is only marginally different than using a Quadro/Firepro to game. (Major difference being that CPUs don't have specialized drivers, while the cards do). For the price, you will not get a much better chip out there (If you need the threads). 

 

Edit: You and me both. I use workstation laptops all the time, but not for their intended usage of rendering/encoding/etc. Just for basic tasks. 

[Silver]

I'm sure you can game on it with good performance. But please correct me if i'm wrong but don't you need a special motherboard for Xeons?

I guess for some, but this one runs on 1150!

[Silver]

There is absolutely no reason it can not be done. The major difference between the xeon and the i series is the Xeon can use ECC memory, and iirc they have a few more instructionsets.  To the OS, and the game, it is not going to matter a single bit that it is not intended to operate in games. 

 

It is only marginally different than using a Quadro/Firepro to game. (Major difference being that CPUs don't have specialized drivers, while the cards do). For the price, you will not get a much better chip out there (If you need the threads). 

Thank you for the advice. I'm pretty convinced this is the best CPU for me.

[Sheldon_King]

And to answer @Tmh85 Not always the case. It is more a BIOS issue now a days than a motherboard issue. I know the Z77 Extreme 4 and Asus P8P67 WS Rev both carried BIOS support for Xeon processors. 

[Tmh85]

And to answer @Tmh85 Not always the case. It is more a BIOS issue now a days than a motherboard issue. I know the Z77 Extreme 4 and Asus P8P67 WS Rev both carried BIOS support for Xeon processors. 

Ok thank you for clearing that up!

[piplupgao]

I'm sure you can game on it with good performance. But please correct me if i'm wrong but don't you need a special motherboard for Xeons?

officialy yes but many motherboard work with them

[WoodenMarker]

But... Can it be done? Using things for what they're not supposed to be used for is kind of my specialty.

Well you could but Xeons are used for Workstations and Servers

Just think of it as a 4770 but not as much gaming performance.

They work just fine for gaming. The 1230 v3 performs just like a 4770 but without an iGPU and with more stability.

Whether it's gaming or not doesn't make a difference.

But please correct me if i'm wrong but don't you need a special motherboard for Xeons?

Not at all for the E3 line. 

[Glenwing]

The reason not many people get it instead of the i7-4770 is because not many people are getting the i7-4770 in the first place.  Most people go for the i7-4770K, and when overclocked it gains extra performance that the Xeon cannot match.

 

But yes, it does perform just like the i7-4770 and you can use it on any consumer LGA 1150 board.