Xeon Over the i5?

Novakane_

Honorable
Nov 29, 2015
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10,690
I'm building a casual gaming/editing PC. Games like CS:GO and minecraft, so I dont think i need a very good GPU for those. But if I get a Xeon instead of an i5 I feel i need a better GPU to make up for it. As of now, I'll be going light with the editing too, so I dont really feel I will use the Xeon to its full capacity.

Now if I get the i5, I think I need a lower end GPU sufficient enough to run casual games like the ones I stated. Who knows, I might be wrong. I'm just unsure of what to do.

This is what I have as of now, My budget is $750, this ones pushing it. Also, anyone know if the prices are +tax?

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6DpvXL) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6DpvXL/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | $179.99 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z97pro4) | $79.99 @ Micro Center
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl10d16gbxl) | $74.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [AMD 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-internal-hard-drive-radeonr7ssd120g) | $86.30 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003) | $45.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42951kr) | $149.99 @ Micro Center
**Case** | [NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caph240w1) | $64.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Power Supply** | [SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii520bronze) | $55.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24b1stblkbas) | $18.88 @ OutletPC
**Keyboard** | [Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-keyboard-sgb3012kkmf1us) | $21.98 @ Newegg
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $814.09
| Mail-in rebates | -$35.00
| **Total** | **$779.09**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-12-02 09:25 EST-0500 |
 
You don't need a "better" GPU if you go with a Xeon processor. You "NEED" a GPU, period. Xeon processors do not have integrated graphics and if you use a discrete graphics card, the integrated graphics of the Core I5 are not used at all. Graphics aside, if you have a 3.3GHz Xeon and a 3.3GHz Core I5, they should perform identical to one another.

-Wolf sends
 


Then how come a lot of people dont just use Xeons instead since the integrated GPU in the i5 wont ever be used if you have a discrete graphics card?
 
Because Xeon processors have always been geared/marketed as server processors as opposed to the Core series which are more desktop oriented. Additionally, if you don't have a graphics card (or yours dies and you don't have a backup), the integrated graphics of the Core based system means you can still use the computer (if not for gaming). If your graphics card fails in a Xeon based system, you better have a spare readily available.

-Wolf sends
 


Price or overclockability. Most games don't benefit from hyperthreading, so the performance of an locked i5 is basically the same as a Xeon (4590, 4690, 4460). The lower-end i5's like the 4460 are [relatively] cheap and offer great performance for games, etc. Or you can get a 4690k that you can overclock, etc. to well above stock speeds for that little performance bump.
 
A Xeon 1230 v3 costs @$240. A i5-4690k is @$240. So you have 8 threads at 3.3GHz or 4 threads at 3.5GHz and overclock ability. Most games in the recent past used 1-4 threads and got better fps with higher GHz. This meant the expense for the extra 4 threads was almost pointless and the inability to OC was a drawback. The game engine use in BF4 changed that way of thinking entirely. Now games are so heavy with things like compressed audio, 8 threads are being used to maximise data conversion and less emphasis on single thread performance. More work can get done on a 3.3GHz Xeon than an i5 sitting at 4.8GHz. A lesson learned from the ps4, 8 threads at 1.8GHz.

Edit: oh, but I do use the igpu. My 3570k/3770k mobo's come with LucidLogic tech, which applies a software hybrid sli, uses my 660ti/970 and the igpu. Actually goes a considerable way to smoothing out the pixelation and applies a small but noticeable bump in fps performance. Some ppl don't like it, I do, it works for me.
 


it does what?
 


Dont think I need to overclock for CS:GO. Ill look into the 660 ti, but I think the 750 is probably the best bet. I wont be using those threads for gaming I dont think Minecraft needs that. I'm considering the Xeon for editing purposes now.
 

This is incorrect. Many of the Xeons have integrated graphics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors#Haswell-based_Xeons
Graphics aside, if you have a 3.3GHz Xeon and a 3.3GHz Core I5, they should perform identical to one another.
The Xeons have 8MB of L3 cache, while the i5s have just 6MB. Additionally, most of the Xeons have hyperthreading. So you'd expect the Xeon to be faster at the same clock speed than an i5. The i7 is a more equivalent part to the Xeon.

The big "problem" you'll have with a Xeon is that because it supports ECC RAM, most of the motherboards which will take a Xeon will require ECC memory. That's good from a server perspective (fewer bit errors), but may not be good from a desktop gaming perspective (memory is slower). And it costs a bit more than standard memory.
 
13thmonkey. You never use the lucid logic stuff on the z77 mobo's? Crazy. Easiest way to describe what it does is kinda like a dedicated physX card, but for regular graphics. Smooths out a lot of those annoying edges, especially in games like skyrim with its lower res graphics. It works for both my 660ti and on my 970, I can tell the difference. Many times it does nothing more than take out a good chunk of the 'grainyness' that shows up with ultra settings and high pixelation. I like it, I think it works well, but many don't because it does use the igpu, therefore cpu and system ram and does raise cpu temps when gaming about 4-6° for me.
 
For xeons such as the v3 (1231v3, 1241v3 etc) they do support ecc however it's optional not mandatory. They can be used in lga1150 motherboards such as basic h97/z97 and so on. For people who want to take advantage of ecc ram they will need a more workstation/server oriented board (like something from supermicro which tend to be somewhat expensive) to get ecc ram support from the board. It's not required though and won't prevent the type of xeons most people refer to as alternatives from running on basic mainstream boards.

Having an igpu can be a nice option, if the dedicated gpu dies there's still a functioning computer even if it doesn't play games. Assuming you do other things besides game on a pc. My igpu came in handy not long ago when one of my monitors died. Since it's not a gaming pc it only had an hd4850 gpu in it (for photoshop) and my only choice for a display was an hdtv. The 4850 didn't have an hdmi output for video and the t.v. didn't have vga or dvi as an input option. The motherboard video port did however have hdmi so enabling the igpu meant the pc was still functional until a new monitor arrived.
 


Used it gained no material benefit, may have even lost some performance. However 'smoothing the pixels' is not something that it is (or was perhaps was) meant to do. You don't get pixelation and grainyness at ultra settings.
 


If you want to use your discrete GPU, you have to have your output connected to your GPU inside you PC?
 
When using a discrete gpu, you have 2 places to install the cable that goes to the monitor. Either one of the motherboard connections or the ones on the back of the video card. To take advantage of the video card, you have to use its connectors, if you connect to the motherboard connectors, it doesn't use the video card at all.
 
@13thMonkey, I find that wild. I play skyrim at ultra, running @130mods which include many 4k texture packs for flora and fauna, towns etc and on my 660ti they look great but I find that when I see areas that are still vanilla textures, their edges are somewhat sharp and blocky looking, even grainy, yet with the LL running, it blends those textures with the 4k ones and you can't really tell the difference, they all look 4k.
 


Odd, I didn't think that was what it was meant to do, but it has been 3 years since I touched it. However i'm on DP and G-Sync at 1440p now :) so it won't help