Xeon for a gaming rig ?

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hccompany

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Jul 1, 2012
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Hi
I'm planning to buy a cpu for my next gaming rig. I have the MSI H81-P33 motherboard (it has everything I really need). Depending on budget, I might get either the i5-4440, the i5-4590, the i5-4690 or a Xeon E3-1220V3. The way I understand it the Xeon is basically an i7 without some features, so it should outperform the i5 on cpu-heavy tasks and get similar performance to it in games that don't use hyperthreading. Is there a reason not to get the Xeon ? Can it work properly on my motherboard ?
Also how much is the performance gap between the 4590 and 4690, and should the 4590 work without needing a BIOS update for the motherboard ?
Thanks!
 
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Zircoben

Zircoben

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If you are getting a Xeon, you want the 1230v3. The 1220v3 is just a quad core, while the 1230v3 is a hyperthreaded quad core, like the i7.

For the money, the performance of the Xeon 1230v3 is unbeatable. I would definitely get it.

Hope that helps :)
 
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JOOK-D

JOOK-D

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Aug 28, 2013
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You're certain that it's the 1230v3, not the 1220v3?

If you are correct, then the Xeon 1230v3 is the better purchase at that price.
 
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hccompany

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Jul 1, 2012
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I'm sorry for mixing up the names. It's the 1220 I'm talking about. Is it better than the i5 ? And more importantly, does it work with my motherboard?
Also don't I need to update the BIOS for the i5 4590 to work? Isn't it haswell refresh?
Thanks
 
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Z

Zalis

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Aug 8, 2014
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Derp missed that. Yes the 4590 is also in need of a bios update for your mobo. I would suggest the xenon at this point if you want to avoid the update.
 
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B

bmacsys

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Jul 4, 2013
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Don't the Xeon's have a lot more L3 also?
 
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Zircoben

Zircoben

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Yes, the 1220v3 and the 1230v3 have 8MB of L3.

To the OP, you should really get the 1230v3. No BIOS update, and it is honestly the best you can get for the money. Compared to the i5-4590, yes, the i5 is cheaper, but the Xeon has double the threads, and that can mean some real performance improvement in heavily threaded tasks.
 
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hccompany

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Jul 1, 2012
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Thank you all for your answers :D I decided that, if the store agrees to update the bios for me (I don't have a cpu to do it) I'll get the i5 4690 or the i5 4590, but if they refuse, I'll get the Xeon since it doesn't need it to work.
Unfortunately, the Xeon E3 1230 V3 is unavailable :/
 
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