a Xeon vs an i5

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supaman

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Mar 7, 2015
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So tell me guys, Which is better? The Xeon (e3 1231v3) or the i5 (4690k)? I can overclock the i5 to achieve similar performance as the xeon right? Or i can save about 100 to 200 bucks and go with the xeon, because i wont get a watercooler and a z97 board with the xeon soo yea... Wat should i get?
Thanks
 
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What is your overall budget? I can configure a really good build for both. As for your question the Xeon is a non overclocking version of a i7. The i5 can overclock but has half as many "cores." Xeon needs no water cooling. Nor does the i5. A Noctua air cooler will perform better than the H series Corsair.

Read this too.
 
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I never recommend the i5 4690k and I certainly wouldn't recommend an expensive water cooler with it. You would immediately be in i7 4790k price territory.

Depending on your budget, use an i5 4460 or 4590 + H97 motherboard or the Xeon + H97 motherboard, or the i7 4790k + Z97 board.
 
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Okay my overall budget for both is 850, i said i was watercooling with the i5 not the xeon, and also i dont like the corsair watercoolers, I think coolermaster is a better option, i refer to frostytech. and also i have my parts listed already. Most of the parts ill probably buy from ebay, so most of them are custom prices.
Here is the xeon partlist:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DD9d23
Here is the i5 Partlist:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/h8Jd23

 
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PSU is crap. You need a better PSU with both builds here is one.
Corsair CX is Tier 3 if you want a different one click my link PSU Tier List in my signature below. You really NEED tier 1 or 2 for gaming.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $74.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-11 17:59 EDT-0400

If you want a different one go with a SeaSonic, EVGA G2 or B2. XFX makes good units also.
 
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I'd save money on CPU (i5 44604590 are great value CPUs) and get better GPU, it will be more beneficial for gaming.
I agree on PSU, avoid Corsair CX series.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
Any XFX, Seasonic, EVGA gs, g2, b2, Antec HCG, Neo unit will be better quality unit.
eg : http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/antec-power-supply-ea550green%2Cantec-power-supply-tp750c%2Cseasonic-power-supply-s12ii520bronze%2Cxfx-power-supply-pro650wp1650snlb9/
Great deal for Antec.
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($72.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($40.00)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($42.70 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: XFX Core Edition 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $727.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-11 18:18 EDT-0400


Better psu, more powerful video card, better use of your money.
 
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Solution
alright, thanks for the answer guys, i guess ill be going for i5 and a better psu. I will be overclocking however, so out goes the motherboard suggestion and the air cooler. I mainly want a watercooler because its quiet. You guys know any air cooler that quiet?
 
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If you like to overclock and want SLI then a Core i5 4690K and a Z97 board is right for you. If you don't want to overclock and don't care about sli then get the Xeon E3 1231v3 and a cheaper motherboard to save money. You could put that extra money to good use and buy a better graphics card if you want to do that.
 
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Imo I'd always go for a premium air cooler unless i was going for a custom loop. Those closed looped have never seemed worth it to me. My hyper 212 evo keeps my cpu in the 50ºC range or lower while gaming anyways.
 
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Choosing to overclock is a poor decision unless you have a near unlimited budget. The extra money you will spend on the K model i5, Z motherboard, and after market cooler will leave you with a weak video card.

An i5 4590 + H97 + R9 290 would be WAY stronger than an overclocked i5 4690k + Z97 + R9 280.
 
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The Hyper 212 Evo is a good air cooler and it's quieter than the case fans usually. Hyperthreading doesn't really do much for gaming. For gaming performance single core performance matters most and a 4.6GHz Core i5 4690K will fare a bit better than that locked Xeon. Hyperthreading is great in benchmarks but it's only useful if you have programs that take good advantage of it and there really aren't that many that do. Most programs only take advantage of 2 to 4 cores. Even for video editing a fast overclocked Core i5 will beat a locked Core i7 if you use Adobe Premier Pro. A locked Xeon 1231v3 is really only going to be better than the unlocked Core i5 for special scenarios and even then an overclocked Core i5 is going to come very close to achieving the same performance as the Xeon. Now if you can save money to spend towards a faster graphics card then do it because the CPU isn't going to be the bottleneck in most games but rather the graphics card will be the bottleneck. I'd go with a cheap motherboard and a Core i5 4460 before I'd skimp on the graphics card.
 
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Alright thanks for the suggestions, It seems like a locked i5 is the way to go, is the intel stock fan loud? like I have an amd stock cooler and that is pretty loud when it ramps up, Later I replaced it with a cooler master seidon and it temperatures dropped 20+ degrees, as well as noise lvl. I dont have any speakers so i can only compare the fans to each other. The seidon was a huge improvement. You said i could get the Hyper 212 Evo for $30+ , i can also get the seidon for $45+ dollars (Local Retailers). Wouldn't the seidon be a better option?
 
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The seidon is NOT a better option. Yes, it'll cool the chip better (though there's no need since you aren't overclocking, and big air coolers cool better, quieter, for less money), but compared to something like the 212 EVO, the seidon is WAY louder.

Closed loop coolers suck; they have more moving parts, poor performance compared to custom loops, and weak pumps that put out quite a lot of noise.
 
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