# Intel Xeon vs i5 - for gaming PC



## beingGamer (Dec 15, 2013)

Hi everyone, I read in some other thread, there is another CPU names Xeon and it is without integrated graphics.
and i5 has integrated graphics.
so if someone wants to build a gaming pc with a graphics card, i5's integrated graphics has no use at all?

I think i read it in show off thread, the guy said Xeon is like having i7 at the cost of i5 without integrated graphics.

so my question is that, is it really good to go for Xeon for a gaming pc if you are going to buy graphics card?
or it wont make any difference?


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## ankush28 (Dec 15, 2013)

Xeon is meant for workstation and servers...
No point in getting xeon for gaming pc

Yes i5's IGP has little to no use when running with graphics card...
1.It will work as backup GPU if your GFXCARD went kaput.
2. You can use igp with LucidLogix 

If you are buying gaming pc start new thread in pc configuration sub-forum.


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## harshilsharma63 (Dec 15, 2013)

Xeons perform very good and are available for cheap too. As rightly mentioned, its an i7 without IGP at i5's price.


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## bikramjitkar (Dec 15, 2013)

I'm the guy.

Yes, if you have a dedicated graphics card, don't overclock and don't need quick-sync, Xeon beats i5 hands down.  Also consumes a little less power.


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## ankush28 (Dec 15, 2013)

harshilsharma63 said:


> *Xenons* perform very good and are available for cheap too. As rightly mentioned, its an i7 without IGP at i5's price.


We are not talking about gases
Just a typo I know


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## harshilsharma63 (Dec 15, 2013)

ankush28 said:


> We are not talking about gases
> Just a typo I know



Thanks for pointing that out. I pronounce it Xeon though, but I always end up typing Xenon.


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## ASHISH65 (Dec 15, 2013)

Get Xeon with Eyes closed


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## beingGamer (Dec 15, 2013)

ASHISH65 said:


> Get Xeon with Eyes closed



I am thinking, but *bikramjitkar* is the only person who i know has it for gaming , i searched a bit, and got to know that its mainly used for servers.
I wonder why no one suggests Xeon for builds anywhere in the forums


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## harshilsharma63 (Dec 15, 2013)

anikkket said:


> I am thinking, but *bikramjitkar* is the only person who i know has it for gaming , i searched a bit, and got to know that its mainly used for servers.
> I wonder why no one suggests Xeon for builds anywhere in the forums



Xeons aren;t generally recommended for gaming because:

an i5 is sufficient for just gaming.
people generally do not need the extra processing power provided by a Xeon over i5.
Xeons aren't generally available in local market.

They are equally good for gaming and provide much more processing power than an equally priced i5.


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## icebags (Dec 15, 2013)

^ so, next time u will suggest  xenon to someone who has local / online access to it ?


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## snap (Dec 15, 2013)

i too was wondering the same thing if it is an i7 at i5 price then aint it vfm


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## bikramjitkar (Dec 15, 2013)

anikkket said:


> I am thinking, but *bikramjitkar* is the only person who i know has it for gaming , i searched a bit, and got to know that its mainly used for servers.
> I wonder why no one suggests Xeon for builds anywhere in the forums



It's the best kept secret when it comes to CPUs. 

Xeons are server CPUs, but the E3 series are re-badged desktop parts with a few extra features such as support for ECC memory and are meant for low cost servers.

Availability is also a factor for them being uncommon as most local shops don't stock them. I had to order mine and wait for a couple of weeks for it to arrive.

Check out the reviews on Newegg: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 69W Quad-Core Server Processor BX80637E31230V2 - Newegg.com


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## icebags (Dec 15, 2013)

^how long u been using this and how is ur exp so far ? runs all games without any issues ?

says its socket lga 1155, so it goes into any desktop lga 1155 no problem ?


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## ankush28 (Dec 16, 2013)

icebags said:


> says its socket lga 1155, so it goes into any desktop lga 1155 no problem ?



AFAIK he has Gigabyte GA-B75m-D3H 
Update : look at his Sig.


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## root.king (Dec 16, 2013)

Nice conversation going on :thumbup:


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## icebags (Dec 16, 2013)

snap said:


> i too was wondering the same thing if it is an i7 at i5 price then aint it vfm



itdepot sells xeons, but their price is quite similar to lower tier i7s and k series i5s.


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## harshilsharma63 (Dec 16, 2013)

icebags said:


> ^ so, next time u will suggest  xenon to someone who has local / online access to it ?



No, unless he mentines the availability himself or a reliable e-tailer lists it.


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## bikramjitkar (Dec 16, 2013)

icebags said:


> ^how long u been using this and how is ur exp so far ? runs all games without any issues ?
> 
> says its socket lga 1155, so it goes into any desktop lga 1155 no problem ?



Been using it for around 8 months now. Stays very stable and cool even in the Kolkata heat . 

I don't game much, but it pretty much destroys anything you throw at it.

Most LGA 1155 boards support it.


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## icebags (Dec 16, 2013)

^ where did u source the proccy from ?

as per it depot price, its same category as i5 k series (~16k), the i5 are probably are better then xeon when overclocked as i read somewhere.

what u think ? i5 4670k vs E3 1230. both 16.5k.


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## harshilsharma63 (Dec 17, 2013)

icebags said:


> ^ where did u source the proccy from ?
> 
> as per it depot price, its same category as i5 k series (~16k), the i5 are probably are better then xeon when overclocked as i read somewhere.
> 
> what u think ? i5 4670k vs E3 1230. both 16.5k.



Yes, consumer i5s are better overclockers, but you will not need to overclock the Xeon because of it's stock performance


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## ankush28 (Dec 17, 2013)

Just one question...!!!
We buy i5-k series + a good cooler(2-3k)+A good overclocking board(+3k) all in all we spend more then whats needed for i7-4770+B85 board so does it worth at all
and obviously some problems of overclocking :'D


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## harshilsharma63 (Dec 17, 2013)

ankush28 said:


> Just one question...!!!
> We buy i5-k series + a good cooler(2-3k)+A good overclocking board(+3k) all in all we spend more then whats needed for i7-4770+B85 board so does it worth at all
> and obviously some problems of overclocking :'D



For the love and fun of overclocking


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## bikramjitkar (Dec 17, 2013)

icebags said:


> ^ where did u source the proccy from ?
> 
> as per it depot price, its same category as i5 k series (~16k), the i5 are probably are better then xeon when overclocked as i read somewhere.
> 
> what u think ? i5 4670k vs E3 1230. both 16.5k.



I got mine from MD Computers, Kolkata for around 15k back in April. 

Overclocked i5 would be slightly better in gaming only, but then you will need to invest at least 10k more for a good cooler and z87 mobo than a Xeon and B85 board. That extra 10k can get you a much better graphics card which is much more important than the CPU for gaming.


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## ASHISH65 (Dec 17, 2013)

bikramjitkar said:


> Overclocked i5 would be slightly better in gaming only, but then you will need to invest at least 10k more for a good cooler and z87 mobo than a Xeon and B85 board. That extra 10k can get you a much better graphics card which is much more important than the CPU for gaming.



Exactly


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## icebags (Dec 17, 2013)

^unless some bf3/4 like game shows up that requires a cpu more expensive than the gfx card to even play in lower settings.

i think this video has the ultimate answer. if u want to run thinks cool and quiet, want to save electricity bills and keep things running for most of the time of the day, then xeon is what u need. else if u want a power hungry monster, got for i5k.

overclocked i5k basically beats stock xeon and i7s as it seems.


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## beingGamer (Dec 18, 2013)

Great finding, explains it very well.


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## demonicpriest (Dec 28, 2013)

dont Xeon cpu's have a 1 year warranty compared to 3 years of the i5 and i7's ?


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## harshilsharma63 (Dec 28, 2013)

demonicpriest said:


> dont Xeon cpu's have a 1 year warranty compared to 3 years of the i5 and i7's ?



Newegg states the warranty period as 3 years. no information available on official profuct page.


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## bssunilreddy (Dec 28, 2013)

The problem with Intel Xeon E3 1230V2 compatible MB is that it does not have sufficient SATA3 ports.2 is not at all sufficient.Can anybody specify any 1155 compatible MB which has SATA3 ports more than 2.I mean all the MB's have only 2 ports.

In the long run Xeon is best when compared to i5.


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## ASHISH65 (Dec 28, 2013)

bavusani said:


> The problem with Intel Xeon E3 1230V2 compatible MB is that it does not have sufficient SATA3 ports.2 is not at all sufficient.Can anybody specify any 1155 compatible MB which has SATA3 ports more than 2.I mean all the MB's have only 2 ports.
> 
> In the long run Xeon is best when compared to i5.



SATA 3 is only useful if you plan to install SSD.Harddrive can't utilize the Sata 3 speed


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## mooseontheloose (Dec 29, 2013)

Guys, looks like E3 1230 is a very good choice. Any similar Xeon processor for the LGA1150 socket?


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## rijinpk1 (Dec 29, 2013)

mooseontheloose said:


> Guys, looks like E3 1230 is a very good choice. Any similar Xeon processor for the LGA1150 socket?



e3 1245 v3 which has p4600 igpu too


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## bssunilreddy (Dec 29, 2013)

mooseontheloose said:


> Guys, looks like E3 1230 is a very good choice. Any similar Xeon processor for the LGA1150 socket?



Intel Xeon E3 1230 v3 is a similar CPU for LGA1150 socket. The only difference between v2 and v3 is that v3 has iGPU which is a waste but v2 supporting MB's does not have sufficient SATA3 ports & does not have hyper-threading.Max LGA1155 MB's get is 2xSATA3 & 3xSATA2 otherwise v2 is an excellent CPU in the long run and also consumes less power and have hyper-threading.


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## rijinpk1 (Dec 29, 2013)

bavusani said:


> Intel Xeon E3 1230 v3 is a similar CPU for LGA1150 socket. The only difference between v2 and v3 is that v3 has iGPU which is a waste but v2 supporting MB's does not have sufficient SATA3 ports & does not have hyper-threading.Max LGA1155 MB's get is 2xSATA3 & 3xSATA2 otherwise v2 is an excellent CPU in the long run and also consumes less power and have hyper-threading.



search these processors on intel website and edit your post accordingly 
xeon e3 1230v2
e3 1225
e3 1225 v3
e3 1230 v3
e3 1245v3


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## bikramjitkar (Dec 30, 2013)

bavusani said:


> Intel Xeon E3 1230 v3 is a similar CPU for LGA1150 socket. The only difference between v2 and v3 is that v3 has iGPU which is a waste but v2 supporting MB's does not have sufficient SATA3 ports & does not have hyper-threading.Max LGA1155 MB's get is 2xSATA3 & 3xSATA2 otherwise v2 is an excellent CPU in the long run and also consumes less power and have hyper-threading.



Both 1230 V2 (which I own) and V3 have hyperthreading. About the SATA3 ports, yes lga 1155 boards have 2 native ports, but there are many boards with extra ports via 3rd party SATA controllers.


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## bssunilreddy (Dec 30, 2013)

bikramjitkar said:


> Both 1230 V2 (which I own) and V3 have hyperthreading. About the SATA3 ports, yes lga 1155 boards have 2 native ports, but there are many boards with extra ports via 3rd party SATA controllers.



Most of the boards are Z series where as Xeon requires just H series or B series.


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## harshilsharma63 (Dec 30, 2013)

bavusani said:


> Most of the boards are Z series where as Xeon requires just H series or B series.



That doesn't mean you cannot use Xeon in a z series chipset board.


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## bssunilreddy (Dec 30, 2013)

harshilsharma63 said:


> That doesn't mean you cannot use Xeon in a z series chipset board.



What is the use of Xeon which is non OC CPU using on a Z series MB simply waste of money. I think Gigabyte is better since it has Dual bios for backup as well.
Xeon E3 1230v2 is better than Xeon E3 1230 v3 if only 2 SATA3 ports are sufficient.


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## ASHISH65 (Dec 30, 2013)

2 x Sata 3 ports are more than enough. Sata 3 is only useful if you are installing SSD,for HD it's no use

Who installs more than 2 ssd ???


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## bssunilreddy (Dec 30, 2013)

ASHISH65 said:


> 2 x Sata 3 ports are more than enough. Sata 3 is only useful if you are installing SSD,for HD it's no use
> 
> Who installs more than 2 ssd ???



Then its good.Its like getting a i7 at the price of i5 but with lower clocks.


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## harshilsharma63 (Dec 30, 2013)

harshilsharma63 said:


> That doesn't mean you cannot use Xeon in a z series chipset board.





> Most of the boards are Z series where as *Xeon requires just H series or B series*.



In reply to the bold part.


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## crazypal24x7 (Feb 13, 2014)

Lets say as of now it costs me ~ 18K for Intel 4440 with Gigabyte B85-D3H , wht would be a combo in case of Xeon without change in cost with increased performance


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## rijinpk1 (Feb 14, 2014)

crazypal24x7 said:


> Lets say as of now it costs me ~ 18K for Intel 4440 with Gigabyte B85-D3H , wht would be a combo in case of Xeon without change in cost with increased performance



it is highly unlikely you may get one under that budget.


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## crazypal24x7 (Feb 14, 2014)

rijinpk1 said:


> it is highly unlikely you may get one under that budget.



Well than I'll go with Intel 4440 and B85


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