Slow Performance Xeon - Intel I7

[RAPITTS]

Anyone have any clue why an application (Tableau Desktop) would run alot faster on a Laptop with i7 chip than a server CPU (E5-2640)?

For example, the calculation process (CPU hungry than memory/disk) takes 1 minute on a i7 and 3 minutes on Xeon CPU.

If I run the application and 'Set Affinity' to just 1 CPU on the server it runs in 1.5 minutes instead of 3 minutes but doesnt beat the i7-3720QM CPU.


CPU details as follows :
Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-2640 (15M Cache, 2.50 GHz, 7.20 GT/s Intel® QPI)

Intel® Core™ i7-3720QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz)

http://ark.intel.com/compare/64591,64891

Anyone with any advice?

 

[twelve25]

If you open up task manager, how many cores are being consumed?

What kind of memory do you have in the two systems?

Is Hyperthreading enabled on the e5?

DO you have power savings enabled on either system?

 

[RAPITTS]

I've enable/disabled Hyperthreading without much difference.

Server using DD3 16MB (PC3-10700) and Laptop DDR3 8MB.

Application seems to be using 3 cores on the server.

Seems the clock speed on the i7 is giving the added performance right?

If you open up task manager, how many cores are being consumed?

What kind of memory do you have in the two systems?

Is Hyperthreading enabled on the e5?

DO you have power savings enabled on either system?

 

[popatim]

how many cpu's in the server and how much ram does each have ?

 

[RAPITTS]

I've tried on a number of various servers, some having two CPU's some only 1 CPU around the same server CPU.

In this case the CPU had 8GB each.

oops I mean below 16GB and 8GB

 

[twelve25]

If it runs faster when you force it to one thread, that seems to indicate it doesn't multi-thread. So it's probably only using one core worth of power, max. In this case, you are comparing 3.0 vs 3.6Ghz, depending on turbo boost, on a single core. So I think with that in mind, the laptop is up there with the fastest possible single core performance, outside of overclocking a desktop i5.

You didn't mention if you are using power savings on the XEON. Some servers ship with power savings by default and that can make a huge difference in latency.

 

[RAPITTS]

Yeah I did notice the power saving was turned on, this helped but didnt match the i7 performance.

Thinking a server with a Xeon E3-1290 V2 would probably match or beat the laptop I7.

Thoughts?

If it runs faster when you force it to one thread, that seems to indicate it doesn't multi-thread. So it's probably only using one core worth of power, max. In this case, you are comparing 3.0 vs 3.6Ghz, depending on turbo boost, on a single core. So I think with that in mind, the laptop is up there with the fastest possible single core performance, outside of overclocking a desktop i5.

You didn't mention if you are using power savings on the XEON. Some servers ship with power savings by default and that can make a huge difference in latency.

 

[twelve25]

Are you looking for a rackmount server, or more a desktop workstation style?

A 1290 v2 is only about 3% faster than the 1270 v2 at almost 3x the price. 1290 and 1280 are marked up WAY too much, in my opinion.

You need the fastest 1-core performance you can find. Something along the lines of a XEON e3-1200 series or Intel i7 is going to be there.

Passmark is a good synthetic benchmark that is pretty reliable for pure number crunching workloads.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

I'd take the processor that gets the highest passmark/core. 1270/80/90 v2 are all about 2450 per core.

your e5-2640 ranks about 1700 per core

i7-3720QM is about 2100 per core.

So it kind of makes sense the performance you are getting. In terms of total performance (were you rendering a 3D mocel and maxing all 6 cores) the XEON e5 you have is faster, but for single/dual threaded performance you are comparing 1/6 vs 1/4 of a processor, so the i7 wins.

You kind of have to match your processor to your workload. Sometimes fewer cores wins.

*You may also consider overclocking an i7-3770K into the 4Ghz range. Depending on what kind of setting this will operate in, overclocking may or may not be feasible, but an overclocked i7 is going to be your fastest option.