Xeon vs i7 cpus

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msfexploit

msfexploit

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So i just started getting into adobe programs, photoshop, ect...
I currently have a i7 4790k, great for my gaming. My question is i might build another workstation type computer. Would it be worth upgrading to some sort of Xeon series or stick with my i7. Also are Xeons good for gaming?
 
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synphul
It depends on the programs and the type of xeon considered. If you're talking a xeon with more than 4 cores and video editing then the xeon would have an edge. If you're talking about the typical quad core xeons like the skylake version of the previous 4th gen 1231v3, then no it has no advantage. For instance the popular 1231v3 vs the 4790k. It has no integrated graphics and it's slower, the same 4 cores and 8 threads as the 4790k. The xeon would be a downgrade.

When considering programs, things like photoshop don't make use of more than a couple fast cores and it's not a heavily threaded application despite being 'adobe' or a 'workstation' type application. Meaning even if the xeon considered were of the 8-10 core variety, no...
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Ryan_78

Ryan_78

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Xeons aren't as good in gaming, but a total beast if you go workstation and adobe stuff

but yo need a very expensive Xeon to be noticeably faster than a 4790k. I mean the 4790k is good but not as good as Xeons in workstation. but really if you have a 4790k, no Xeon needed. Keep the 4790k. its good for workstation(not as good as Xeon) but still very good. a gaming beast too..

I recommend you stay with 4790k
 
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SoNic67

SoNic67

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Xeons are perfectly fine in gaming, that's the biggest bull that I ever hear. There is nothing "special" in i7 that is not present in a Xeon, besides the unlocked multiplier in K versions. There is no need to OC any of those CPU's today for none of the games, they are not the bottleneck.
Games are scaling very well with the number of cores, so even a six core Xeon is just fine for any games. Plus it will scream in any other serious application.

Don't get me wrong, your current CPU will work also fine in any software. But... I would sell the 4790K to some kid that buys into this mantra that "i7 are better for games" and I would get an equal Xeon from eBay. Leftover money I would use them to buy some memory. But that's just me...
 
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msfexploit

msfexploit

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hmm ok thanks for the responses guys, maybe when skylake xeons come out i might upgrade. but for now my 4790k is good i guess. Also would i benefit from having more ram? i have 8gb of evga ddr3 clocked at 2400mhz
 
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The higher clocks and unlocked clocks are the reason i7's are better. If you don't get a K version, then the difference is in their default clocks might be small. Don't delude yourself, CPU's bottleneck people all the time. It's mostly seen in the minimums, and far more noticeable if you have a 120+hz monitor, trying to get high FPS.

The similar Xeon's cost the same as i7's, so it's about buying the right product for the job.
 
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synphul

synphul

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It depends on the programs and the type of xeon considered. If you're talking a xeon with more than 4 cores and video editing then the xeon would have an edge. If you're talking about the typical quad core xeons like the skylake version of the previous 4th gen 1231v3, then no it has no advantage. For instance the popular 1231v3 vs the 4790k. It has no integrated graphics and it's slower, the same 4 cores and 8 threads as the 4790k. The xeon would be a downgrade.

When considering programs, things like photoshop don't make use of more than a couple fast cores and it's not a heavily threaded application despite being 'adobe' or a 'workstation' type application. Meaning even if the xeon considered were of the 8-10 core variety, no advantage.

None of the skylake xeon e3 1200v5's feature more cores than a 4790k or 6700k. None of them are as fast as a 4790k or 6700k. People were going with xeon's (quad core variety) as a cheap i7 alternative. Since you already have the 4790k even a skylake xeon would be a downgrade rather than an upgrade. It's not that these xeons are bad for gaming but why downgrade when you already have something better?

If you're doing heavy multitasking or photoshop work with larger files and many layers then more ram will help yes. Keep an eye on your current ram use but chances are you'll benefit from more ram. It's possible to use photoshop and not realize you could use more ram if you're limiting your memory made available to it. In the settings you can choose how much ram to allocate to photoshop.
 
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msfexploit

msfexploit

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wow thats some fantastic information from everyone. Good to hear both sides, but i think maybe both sides would agree that maybe putting that cash into something like a 4k or 1440p ips monitor. I have a asus 144hz for gaming but isnt that effective for photoshop i think. I am also grabbing a 1070 when they come out would this have any effect over my gtx 970 i have now?
 
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synphul

synphul

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The 1070 is supposed to be stronger than a 980ti and around even or slightly better than a gtx titan.

It really depends on your monitor, not all monitors have the best color accuracy and even then unless you're doing designs meant for print color accuracy may not be overly important. Ips monitors can (but don't always) have better color than tn panel monitors. Usually you give up some response time so may notice a little more motion blur than you're used to in games with an ips.

You'd need to use something like a spyder calibration device to get the most out of your monitor if aiming for high color accuracy. Some ips panels are true 8bit, others are 6+2 dithered (6bit). If using the monitor for photoshop and gaming it might be best to prioritize which is better if you have to make small sacrifices. I chose an ips panel for the nicer colors and accepted the fact the response time is a bit slower (8ms). This particular model has very low input lag (response from kb/mouse) so it's still decent for gaming.

Tftcentral does some really nice in depth reviews and testing of various monitors.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews.htm
 
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SoNic67

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Lacking the GPU is an advantage. Less heat, higher chances to Turbo. What's the advantage to have an GPU in that chip that just sits there, makes heat, uses RAM, when you are using anyway a dedicated GPU like GTX960-980?
 
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synphul

synphul

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So something like a 1231v3 has a chance to turbo to 3.9 (best case scenario, one core fully loaded) and the 4790k has a chance to turbo to 4.4 out of the box and that makes the xeon better how? I fail to see the logic, quad core xeons for mainstream boards are gimped next to the i7's. The op already has one of the best mainstream i7's. No advantage to changing that.

True that an igpu isn't much for gaming though if someone does anything else besides only gaming the igpu will at least provide a display in the meantime of the graphics card fails. With an i7 if the gpu fails the pc is still usable, with one of the xeons lacking the igpu it's a paperweight until the gpu is replaced.

Sonic67, I think you have a misunderstanding of the igpu. It only uses resources if it's enabled, it's not constantly running and hogging ram, making heat etc. I have a 4690k with an igpu, it's disabled and I have all 8gb of my ram available to the system since I'm using a discrete card. Some xeons have the igpu intact but they cost nearly the same as an i7 and again lack the speed of the 4790k so no advantage.
 
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SoNic67

SoNic67

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You are thinking like Bill Gates - money doesn't matter. The comparative you did is between a $245 CPU (Xeon) and a $340 one (i7). No wonder the last one "won". BTW this is called usually propaganda (for a certain idea).
The question was not "what Xeon fits in my old LGA1150" so that's not just the only parameter. There are Xeons with 6, 8, 10, etc cores, some with huge amounts of cache... It all boils down to what's important for the end user.
Pure gaming? Then no point in buying anything more than a PS4, why even spend money on a PC. Adult, productive activities? Different story.

PS: There are some Xeons with iGPU too, if you really want to know. It's just an useless feature for something else than a server (that needs just a dumb terminal attached to it).
 
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j3ster

j3ster

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stick with your current CPU. its good enough and you dont need to spend money. unless you really want to invest more time on your content creation (workstation stuff), but you have a beastly CPU. and its more than enough really.

and now for the Xeon part synphul is right. he pretty much explained every thing that needs to be cleared out. not saying Xeons are Bad. they are good but really your i7 4790K is fast. and an equivalent Xeon is , as synphul said, is practically a downgrade. games love fast cores, my point is, if you game more than you do your workstation stuff, you have no reason getting a Xeon.

and your money is better off getting a better GPU or a monitor as you have said.
 
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B

bystander

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That particular Xeon is a pretty good deal, and that particular i7 is a particularly bad deal, as you can buy Skylake i7's for that. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117559

For the most part, on average, new Xeon's cost the same as new i7's for similar products. The i7's just have higher clock speeds which make them typically the better buy for a gamer.
 
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