Xeon vs I7 for gaming

[RepairandRestore]

Hello guys,

Recently I`m finding really strange feedback on this and I don`t know what to think anymore

What you would recommend for gaming in case we are not comparing prices.

I was reading the i5 and i7 use "Graphics Processing Unit" and I`m confused if this is working for the integrated VGA or it is CPU instruction differnet which the Xeon build for keeping good performance and stability but the same time more concentrated on the "Hyper-Threading technology".

Can someone confirm if both are using the same CPU core instructions or they are different?

I`m aware the i7 will support much better L2/3 caches and trying to understand how is this possible ?

Many thanks,
Andy

 

[Jared]

Neither, for gaming an i5 will suffice, it's just a waste of money to invest more as you will not notice any performance increase.
The vast majority of game performance relies on the graphics processing unit, the graphics card.

Xeon processors especially, are not designed for games, in fact their performance is significantly worse than the i7s, because they are server standard chips.
They're extremely expensive, have lower clock speeds (while significantly high core count, useless for applications which use 2 cores), and use ECC memory.
ECC memory is error correcting, that provides protection for bit flips, useful where downtime is of utmost importance (servers). It comes with the price of being slower than non ECC memory (and more expensive).

Can someone confirm if both are using the same CPU core instructions or they are different?

Not sure what you mean here. If you refer to the instruction set, then providing they are the same generation, yes.

I`m aware the i7 will support much betterL2/3 caches and trying to understand how is this possible ?

Again, I don't really understand what you mean by "support much better caches".
Different models have different amounts of cache memory.

Unless you're comparing the Xeon E3-1280 v5 and the i7 6700K which both have 8MB of cache.

 

[dayoldy]

Hello guys,

Recently I`m finding really strange feedback on this and I don`t know what to think anymore

What you would recommend for gaming in case we are not comparing prices.

I was reading the i5 and i7 use "Graphics Processing Unit" and I`m confused if this is working for the integrated VGA or it is CPU instruction differnet which the Xeon build for keeping good performance and stability but the same time more concentrated on the "Hyper-Threading technology".

Can someone confirm if both are using the same CPU core instructions or they are different?

I`m aware the i7 will support much better L2/3 caches and trying to understand how is this possible ?

Many thanks,
Andy

Hi Andy,


I'm not sure that I understand all of your questions; but I'll try to answer.
The Core i7 is typically the best CPU for high end gaming. The models with the K or X suffix are unlocked. Which means they can be overclocked for even better gaming performance in 3D Games.
Xeons are built more for work stations and servers. They typically have higher average core count and are locked at a lower clock speed to use less energy and create less heat. Plus they have additional internal technologies that allow them to be able to work together in multiple-CPU configurations (e.g., E5 series supports dual configurations, E7 series supports quad configs). Core i CPUs can only run singly on a motherboard.

The integrated GPUs in many of the i3, i5 and i7 CPUs are all you need for the all-purpose computer. They have monitor support, support low-end to mid-range graphics applications, and do great with lower-end games. Plus they come with an Intel technology called Quick Sync. Quick Sync speeds up video transcoding. It speeds up conversion to H.264, MPEG-2, or VC-1 formats, within low-end and mid-range video applications for use on YouTube, in smart phones, etc..

Some applications that work with Quick Sync:

PC:

• ffdshow filter
• VLC media player
• HandBrake
• Badaboom Media Converter
• CyberLink MediaEspresso
• CyberLink PowerDVD
• CyberLink PowerDirector
• MacroMotion Bogart Gold
• ArcSoft MediaConverter
• MAGIX Video Pro X
• Pinnacle Studio
• Rincewind
• Roxio Creator
• Roxio Toast
• QSVEncC
• Open Broadcaster
• VidCoder
• XSplit Gamecaster

Mac:

• AirPlay Mirroring
• FaceTime
• QuickTime X.
• iMovie 10
• Final Cut Pro X

For 3D games, the integrated GPU (even in a Core i7) is not going to cut it. You would definitely need to pair it up with a discrete GPU card (standalone card that occupies a PCIe slot). And the more beefy that the standalone GPU is, the better the smoothness and quality of the 3D gaming experience. The same goes true for higher-end video applications like Premiere Pro. Xeons and Corei7s both work great for Premiere. Typically the more professional grade video applications split the workload very efficiently between a high-core CPU and discrete GPUs.

Hope that helps.
dayoldy

 

[RepairandRestore]

Thank you guys,

This was really well explain from both you.

The end line is the i7 will work on less cores with high clock speed (as this is required from the games) and the Xeon will work with more cores and less clock speed for stability, energy saving and performance(as this is highly rated in server environment and work stations) .

I believe I confused myself with the Intel instruction set in the different builds.

Many thanks,
Andy

 

[dayoldy]

Oops. I didn't see Jared's reply b4 posting. (Sorry Jared.. I wasn't intending to upstage you or anything... your reply was excellent).
Thankfully I covered some things Jared didn't, so I guess it worked out. Haha.
dayoldy

 

[satrow]

The E3 Xeons were* actually very similar to their non-overclockable i7 cousins, even when it came to gaming. They lose out a little, primarily because they're ~100Mhz down on clock speed. The major gains come because they don't need Z-series motherboard support, so lower cost B, Q, etc. series 'boards can be used, resulting in being able to use lower output/less costly PSUs.

My rig handles modern games pretty well at 1920x1200 and high game settings, output peaking at ~250W, though it's an ITX, so cost savings are limited compared to what might be made by going with more conventional 'board sizes. The Xeon cost me ~£15 more than the top i5, ~£40 less than the cheapest i7.

Not too shabby for less than 220W peak at stock with a reference type blower GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 97 video card benchmark result - Intel Xeon Processor E3-123V2,ASRock Z77E-ITX

*Unfortunately, Intel seem to have picked up on the popularity of Xeons for gaming in 'ordinary' 'boards, E3s of the latest (Skylake) generation require C-series Workstation/Server chipsets. ASUS have an answer to that:ASUS E3 Pro Gaming V5 is a Xeon motherboard aimed at gamers - Mainboard - News - HEXUS.net

There are also some signs/reviews that suggest some modern games run best with 5/6 cores, so it might be that i5's won't be king of the heap for much longer.

 

[dayoldy]

Interesting... thanks for that perspective on things satrow.

There does seem to be an advantage based on pricing...
ASUS has a lot of experience making boards with server chipsets, so it would seem reasonable that they'd feel comfortable experimenting with this combination to establish a potential marketing niche; but personally, I can't see this approach to gaming catching on in a big way.

But the E3's expanded Iris Pro Graphics with much improved Quick Sync acceleration does seem to have a lot of potential for people operating YouTube channels and operating media-filled websites that are friendly to mobile devices. They typically need to do a lot of video transcoding. It seems to me that they could set up E3 servers fairly inexpensively to handle that aspect of their workflow. Offloading transcoding to a background process would free them up to spend their time editing.