Intel Xeon e5520 Performance

[thesgsniper]

My father's company wanted to throw away a server with an Intel Xeon e5520 chip, so we might be getting it My question is how does it compare to other cpus out there? A quick check shows it to be similar to an i7 920, but I need a second opinion. It could help if you could include BF4 context as that game uses most of the cpu.

 

[COLGeek]

It will indeed perform similarly to the aforementioned i7-920. For technical info, go here:

http://ark.intel.com/products/40200/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E5520-8M-Cache-2_26-GHz-5_86-GTs-Intel-QPI

http://ark.intel.com/products/37147/Intel-Core-i7-920-Processor-8M-Cache-2_66-GHz-4_80-GTs-Intel-QPI

The issue will be whether the server motherboard can accommodate a PCIe x16 GPU and how much memory the system has. You may also run into some issues with device drivers.

If free, it is certainly worth playing around with it. Do you know the make/model of the server in question?

 

[thesgsniper]

HP Proliant 380, but a check on the interwebz shows a newer Ivy-Bridge-E based Xeon so it must be an old Proliant 380. I was told however that the PCIE 16x slot would only fit a half-height card, so maybe another motherboard with lg1366 socket? I have an AMD Phenom 2 X4 955 BE, how would it compare to the e5520?

 

[COLGeek]

The Xeon is certainly stronger than the Phenom in CPU performance.

This is likely the system (or very similar): http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=c04282582

Note that the physical PCIe x16 slot is actually only x8 in its bandwidth.

 

[COLGeek]

They are the same basic tier, that is true. However, when you look at the throughput of a server based rig vice a typical PC, the server has more basic processing capacity and thus greater capability, in general.

Video performance could indeed be an issue. Going with a half-height GPU will limit your options greatly and you'll only be able to use a lower-end GPU in that case. You could try to relocate the server rig guts into a tower style case (there are Proliants in such cases). That would allow you to use a full-size GPU.

 

[thesgsniper]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

It will be interesting to see, actually. The xeon is clocked very low.

They are the same basic tier, that is true. However, when you look at the throughput of a server based rig vice a typical PC, the server has more basic processing capacity and thus greater capability, in general.

Video performance could indeed be an issue. Going with a half-height GPU will limit your options greatly and you'll only be able to use a lower-end GPU in that case. You could try to relocate the server rig guts into a tower style case (there are Proliants in such cases). That would allow you to use a full-size GPU.

So how much better would it be at video rendering/encoding etc than the AMD Phenom 2 X4 or current i7s and xeons? My father would most likely use it so gaming performance is not an important issue. Also the system is dual cpu, and the company has 2 of them, so would another e5520 provide a significant boost?

 

[COLGeek]

The Xeons are great for rendering and encoding, especially if your rig has 2 of them!

A solid GPU might be one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131576

Current i7s and Xeons use a different architecture so they will outperform the older version by quite a bit.

Another issue using the server may be noise. Those systems are not known for being quiet. The fans are all about cooling the rig in a rack, in a server room. They really aren't designed to minimize noise.

 

[thesgsniper]

Thank you COLgeek and tea urchin for your help. I will convince my father that it is well worth saving.