Deciding between the Intel Xeon E3-1245 V3 or Intel Core i7-3770 for a workstation CPU.

[TheNewbiePC]

Now, I've heard people say that the i7 is geared more towards gaming, which I plan on not doing that much (other than the purpose of benchmarking, maybe), since the build I'm assembling is going to be primarily for rendering high quality animation, for non-real time display.

Which CPU do you guys think will perform better for the job?

 

[Eduello]

They're identical in performance, but the i7 has Intel hd graphics (which you won't be using for gaming). Get the one that costs you less.

 

[k1114]

They both have igpu which you shouldn't need. Save some more money and go with a 1230v3.

 

[Eduello]

They both have igpu which you shouldn't need. Save some more money and go with a 1230v3.

So it seems 😵

Since when have workstation cards had GPUs?

 

[Guest]

I agree with Eduello: get the one that costs you less. Furthermore, a Core i5 (quad-core) should work as well as a Core i7.

 

[GhislainG]

Now, I've heard people say that the i7 is geared more towards gaming, which I plan on not doing that much (other than the purpose of benchmarking, maybe), since the build I'm assembling is going to be primarily for rendering high quality animation, for non-real time display.

Which CPU do you guys think will perform better for the job?

The newer E3-1245 v3 (socket 1150) is faster than the i7-3770 (socket 1155). If you don't need the iGPU, then a Xeon E3-1240 v3 would be a significantly less expensive option.

 

[HawkFest]

If you are into animation rendering and/or any other visual stuff involving TRANS-CODING between codecs and formats, then you should get a CPU with the HD3000/4000+ GPU : fact is that the trans-coders included with the Intel HD GPU are MUCH more efficient than any other trans-coders that are found in "external" branded GPU. In d-mode while using Lucid Virtue, the system will automatically switch between your discrete GPU card and the embedded Intel HD GPU, detecting when you do such transcoding. That way the system will use your discrete GPU for your work, while automatically using the Intel GPU for transcoding only. Several newer applications take advantage of this, like Media Expresso.

 

[logainofhades]

They both have igpu which you shouldn't need. Save some more money and go with a 1230v3.

So it seems 😵

Since when have workstation cards had GPUs?

All those ending in 5 have the IGP. Those ending in 0 do not. That has been the case since at least Sandy Bridge.

 

[CTurbo]

The e3-1230v3 is the best value IMO.

 

[HawkFest]

I stick to my point : if the OP is into multimedia creation (animations etc.), then he should get a CPU with the Intel GPU for its super trans-coding features (in many cases 30% to more than 50% gain in efficiency compared to all those found in AMD, NVIDIA, whatever discrete graphics cards). Unless trans-coding efficiency in this regard is not a criteria for his work (for delivering final formats of his/her creations, or embedding clips into his/her work which thus require trans-coding), which I doubt...

 

[CTurbo]

Ok then the e3-1245v3 is still a better value than either 3770 or 4770

 

[k1114]

Anytime there was an i series, there was an xeon with igpu. Before that the igpu wasn't on the cpu so this really just covers nehalem and later.

Doing animation or any visual stuff doesn't mean you'll need to transcode. It's just faster to get the right format when rendering and not many people need to output to multiple places that require different codecs. Virtu is also not even bundled with any hw mobo other than msi because of it's uselessness. If you are doing this type of work, you will have multiple monitors and not need extra software.

 

[HawkFest]

Ok then the e3-1245v3 is still a better value than either 3770 or 4770

The Xeon E3-1245 V3 does not have any Intel HD graphics. Again, if trans-coding is required, which is the case in most digital visual creator context if not all, then the 100$ difference will be more than amortized after a month of work if not his very first contract using that rig... It's not a matter of preference like buying ice-cream, but a matter of efficiency : in the mid-to-long run, it will allow for more work to be done in the same time, thus allowing for more income. Trans-coding takes a lot of time, and a 30% to 50% gain in time efficiency cannot be irrelevant in this context, on the very opposite it becomes an important factor for ROI calculation. Anyways, only the OP knows about his context and will tell, at least the info is here.. ;-)

 

[CTurbo]

The Xeon E3-1245 V3 does not have any Intel HD graphics.

This is 100% incorrect.


If you would kindly look at the spec sheet you will see that it does indeed have Intel HD graphics. P4600 to be exact, and it's basically the same if not marginally better than the regular HD 4600 found other Haswell i7s.

http://ark.intel.com/products/75462/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1245-v3-8M-Cache-3_40-GHz




For future reference, any e3 Xeon ending in 5 has integrated graphics.

 

[HawkFest]

Doing animation or any visual stuff doesn't mean you'll need to transcode. It's just faster to get the right format when rendering and not many people need to output to multiple places that require different codecs. Virtu is also not even bundled with any hw mobo other than msi because of it's uselessness. If you are doing this type of work, you will have multiple monitors and not need extra software.

I don't agree in regards to the work GENERALLY involved in animation creation, as well as the role of a transcoder... Transcoding does not involve rendering different image or video formats on a screen : it essentially involves transcoding from one format to another (not only decode but also ENCODE, that's where the Intel GPU is mucjh more efficient than discrete graphics cards). This can happen when embedding clips of different formats in a creation, or when saving/transcoding that creation into another format in a file (or from memory to a file). BTW, it has nothing to do with the fact of looking at your work in one or more screen, your discrete graphics card will take care of this : the Intel HD GPU would sit there essentially for transcoding purposes, no need to use anything else from that GPU, and that's where Virtue can do a fine job in d-mode for seamlessly shift between the Intel CPU/GPU for transcoding, and your discrete graphics card for "rendering" on screen.

(Note : in most cases rendering also involves "transcoding" when many shopped files are used AND which have been changed, since "rendering" usually involves any coding, conversion, transformation that a happens changing the original message - file or files set)

In short : Intel HD GPU for encoding/transcoding, and your discrete graphics card for all the rest (decoding and rendering while using one or more screen - for really heavy duty work one should use a "rendering farm").

Note that in the past, ATI provided transcoding drivers for its mainstream GC, but not anymore... I don't know about NVIDIA however, but anyways for all those GC cards the hardware transcoding feature is less efficient than the Intel HD GPU which sits right on the CPU.

 

[HawkFest]

The Xeon E3-1245 V3 does not have any Intel HD graphics.

This is 100% incorrect.
http://ark.intel.com/products/75462/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1245-v3-8M-Cache-3_40-GH
For future reference, any e3 Xeon ending in 5 has integrated graphics.

Oooo you're so right, I've been looking at the specs for the E3-1230 v3 !! Sorry, my bad.. Indeed this would be a solid choice! And thanks for the tip about the naming convention, I didn't know this (I'm not a CPU marketplace specialist).

 

[k1114]

I could see how you misunderstood my post but never did I say transcoding is rendering. I find nothing wrong with what you said but I will explain why virtu is completely useless other than those with a single monitor. Normally you need a monitor in a gpu to use it. This is where virtu comes in at to virtualize it and allow you to use it. Fortunately, most of us have multiple monitors in this field. You just need on one in the igpu and another in the dgpu and you can use both freely. Works exactly the same in either situation if your're using virtu or not but why have an extra process running, an extra abstraction layer, and install useless junk when you don't need to?

 

[logainofhades]

Ok then the e3-1245v3 is still a better value than either 3770 or 4770

Agreed, at the end of the day it just matters if you need, or think you will need the IGP or not. 1230 v3 if you don't, 1245v3 if you do. If this is for professional type use, I would consider a 1230 v3 with a titan black.

 

[HawkFest]

I could see how you misunderstood my post but never did I say transcoding is rendering. I find nothing wrong with what you said but I will explain why virtu is completely useless other than those with a single monitor. Normally you need a monitor in a gpu to use it. This is where virtu comes in at to virtualize it and allow you to use it. Fortunately, most of us have multiple monitors in this field. You just need on one in the igpu and another in the dgpu and you can use both freely. Works exactly the same in either situation if your're using virtu or not but why have an extra process running, an extra abstraction layer, and install useless junk when you don't need to?

If you have a discrete GC, just let it handle the multi-monitor functionality instead of the Intel GPU (assuming such GC is superior to Intel's GPU of course, which would - and should - be the case, else it'd be a useless GC). Anyways, I don't use this crippled Virtue anymore : the first versions combined the detection of transcoding tasks with Quick Sync VIdeo calls, which was my sole interest, but it was working so-so : it's much better when software developers include those Quick Sync lib calls in their product. As you wrote in other words, Virtue had no real "virtue", on the opposite as it was quite buggy.

 

[k1114]

You'd rather install and run junk software than to just plug your monitor into a different port?