Intel Core i7 vs Xeon "Which is Better?" - The Final Answer
Linus Tech Tips
·Linus Tech Tips
·2015-05-07
·
1,221 words · ~6 min read
0:00
These questions, what's the difference between a Zeon and a Core i5 or Core i7
0:05
processor? Is a Zeon good for gaming?
0:08
They have been asked and answered a thousand times. But the reason people
0:14
keep asking is that there's a lot of misinformation in the answers that are
0:18
floating around out there. So, let's address it here once and for all.
0:29
With the purchase of a qualifying Intel processor, SSD, or Knuck, you could
0:33
instantly win an Intel gaming jersey and be entered in the draw for the ultimate
0:37
system. Click now to learn more. Myth number one: Zeons and consumer CPUs
0:42
don't work with the same motherboards. They're not intercompatible. This used
0:46
to be true when Zeons were actually made for completely different sockets, but
0:50
it's no longer the case. Nowadays, it's up to the motherboard manufacturer to
0:55
implement support. And in many cases, it's possible to install a Core i7 on a
0:59
workstation board or server board or a Xeon processor in a consumer board. But
1:04
certain CPU features like overclocking on a workstation board or ECC memory
1:09
support on a consumer grade board may not be validated. Myth number two, Xeons
1:15
are inherently better for 3D rendering and consumer CPUs like Core i7s are
1:19
inherently better for gaming. While in some cases this will be valid, for
1:25
example, this $2,500 12 core behemoth of
1:29
a Zeon will not handle gaming as well as
1:32
this $350 quad core Core i7 because
1:35
gaming favors fewer faster cores compared to many slower ones. However,
1:41
in cases where a Core i7 and a Zeon can be found based on the same micro
1:46
architecture with the same basic specifications, they should in theory
1:50
perform exactly the same. But theories are just theories, right? So, I handed a
1:54
Zeon E3 1276V3 and a Core i7 4790 nonK
2:00
over to Luke to find out if their performance, other than support for ECC
2:05
memory on the Xeon and a couple of consumercentric features on the Core i7
2:09
is any different. And
2:12
they're pretty much the same. You'll see that the Xeon wins by kind of very small
2:17
amounts on average. That's probably due to a bidding process more than anything.
2:21
There's a bit of overlap on the binning for i7s and zeons, but this could be a
2:24
fairly high bin Zeon and a fairly average i7.
2:29
That's that's kind of about it. Fairly anticlimactic. Anyways, back to you,
2:33
Linus. Okay, so then why do zeons exist at all? Well, for starters, they have
2:38
ECC memory support, which reduces the chances of a memory error occurring that
2:43
can harm data integrity or system stability for missionritical systems
2:47
that cannot crash. And along those lines, like other workstation and server
2:52
grade components, they are indicated for 247 operation. But that's not all. Even
2:57
though we can find Xeons with the same specs as Core series CPUs sometimes, the
3:03
Xeon lineup also contains many additional products with specialized
3:07
features that are not available to consumers, usually because they simply
3:11
don't need them. So why bother spending money on them? For starters, along with
3:14
that ECC memory support, some Zeons support massive amounts of memory per
3:20
CPU and larger onchip data caches, which
3:23
will dramatically affect performance in certain workloads, especially very
3:27
repetitive ones. There are also many Xeons available, not only with
3:31
additional processing cores for running lots of virtual machines on a single box
3:35
or for big performance boosts and workstation or server workloads, but as
3:40
you move up the product stack, you'll find ones that can have two, four, or
3:44
even more CPUs in a single machine for
3:48
when a single multi-core CPU still isn't enough. And then finally, Xeons being
3:53
targeted at specialized customers like data centers who are less concerned with
3:58
the cost of a CPU and more concerned
4:01
with the higher cost of the rack space and electricity being used to support it
4:06
over a long period of time. They are available in configurations that are
4:10
designed to deliver optimal performance per watt and per unit volume compared to
4:15
consumer chips where the assumption is most of the time they'll be the only CPU
4:18
in the room anyway. So in conclusion,
4:21
Xeons are different from Core series processors, but only if they are
4:27
different for your workload. It's not
4:30
about which one is the best. It's about the right tool for the job. So picking
4:36
the wrong one won't make your PC explode. So that's good to know. But
4:40
there's no need to pay a premium or give up consumer-friendly features like
4:44
overclocking to buy a Zeon if you're just going to edit videos on your PC
4:49
from time to time. However, in cases where you need something not available
4:53
to consumers, it's also important to realize that consumer grade chips are
4:57
just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what's available out there. Speaking of
5:02
what's available out there, do I ever have something awesome for you guys?
5:06
Oops, it's backwards. from our friends at Chiro Power. They just released their
5:11
new flagship portable battery bank at
5:14
noon today, the Energy Plus, which features a very high capacity of 12,000
5:21
milliamp hours while still maintaining a thin and actually surprisingly light
5:26
form factor. I mean, look at this thing. 12,000
5:29
milliamp hours. That's insane. It comes with an AC adapter for quick recharging
5:35
and is suitable for any device that charges through USB, like your
5:39
smartphone or tablet. Here at Linus Media Group, we use Chiro battery banks
5:42
whenever we go on trips, and they certainly saved Luke and Nick's butts
5:47
when both of their phones died on the E3 show floor. This is a product that
5:51
anyone with a high power consumption smartphone should have. And for the
5:55
first 3,000 units sold, Chiro is
5:58
offering the ridiculously low price of $2949.
6:03
Insane. After those 3,000 units are gone, it'll be available at $39.99,
6:07
which isn't half bad either. But, um,
6:10
whatever. You might as well save a couple bucks, right? Anyway, international shipping is now available.
6:15
That's the biggest complaint we've ever had about these Chiro deals that we've
6:18
offered you guys before. Well, I really want to buy it, but there's no international shipping. Don't No, it's
6:22
available now. So, just click through the uh link below in the description on
6:28
Amazon. And I was confused, but don't worry too much about it. It also comes
6:32
with a cool little brown carrying bag,
6:36
AC adapter. Thank you for watching, guys. Like this video if you liked it,
6:39
dislike it if you disliked it. Leave a comment letting me know what you thought. Don't forget to check out the
6:43
support us link in the video description. You can buy a t-shirt, give us a monthly contribution, or change
6:47
your Amazon bookmarks to one with our affiliate code so we get a small
6:51
kickback whenever you buy portable battery banks or whatever else it is
6:55
that you're into. Thanks again for watching and as always,
6:59
don't forget to subscribe.