Is a Xeon E3 processor a good choice for a gaming/editing rig my upgrade budget of $400?

[Rustywasp]

I know a lot of you probably will say "go for the i5 4670k or an i7 4770k!" but, I have been doing a lot of research over the E3 processors and from what I have learned, the ones that I have been looking at are i7's with no integrated gpu, no overclocking, and I slightly lower clock speed. So it works out in my mind, I already have a gpu and I am very uncomfortable with overclocking. So I am here to ask, are the Xeon E3 processors (E3 1230 V3 - E3 1246 V3) better than getting an i5 4670k or a i7 4770k (in my budget of $400)?

Games I play: Any Paradox Interactive game, Planetside 2, Battlefield 4
I also render (I am a let's player) Its not huge editing (except when I do timelapses) more like compressing.

 

[Obnoxious]

Yes the Xeon would be ideal; they provide similar performance to i7's whilst being relative cheaper. As mentioned however they have no integrated graphics and you'll need your own GPU; which is by no means an issue for gaming (as you should have your own dedicated GPU).

Yes the Xeon E3-1230v3 (or whichever you desire to purchase, preferably higher) is definitely worthwhile over the i5 and even the i7 too if you're on a budget. You won't be disappointed with the Xeon, I even have one.

In your case if the Xeon doesn't cost too much more than the i5, I would go with the Xeon. Otherwise it's completely your call.

All the best.

 

[logainofhades]

You can get the 1231v3 for the same cost, generally, as the 1230v3, but is 100mhz faster. It is essentially an i7 4770 without IGP. It is a great deal indeed.