Are Intel Xeon processors good for gaming?

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Mike3k24

Mike3k24

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Hey guys so in building a computer next month. And recently I came across Intel Xeon CPUs. Now I've actually never heard of or seen these processors before so I'm a little clueless. Are they good for gaming? And since I'm starting YouTube will it be good for editing and rendering? Will it help me during gameplay with more fps? Overall I just wanna know if it's good for gaming, editing, and rendering. Also my GPU is going to be the RX 480 when it comes out. Thanks in advance!!
This was the initial build I was going to go with. Along with the RX 480 of course.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($57.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($64.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N USB 2.0 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($7.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $511.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-21 20:45 EDT-0400
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

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Xeons are server and workstation CPUs. The low-end Xeons are comparable to desktop i7.

Although the low-end Xeons use the same sockets as desktop CPUs, Skylake Xeons require a different chipset. (Intel was not happy that people bought Xeons as lower-cost i7 alternatives in earlier desktop motherboards and decided to end that by artificially making Xeons incompatible with Q/B/H/Z-series chipsets, just like how Intel artificially locks out multipliers in non-K CPUs or when using non-Z chipset, and the PCIe controller to x16 on non-Z chipsets.)

There is generally little benefit to the i7 for gaming. In video editing though, there may be a ~30% performance gain in some tasks compared to an i5 of the same generation and the same clock frequency.
 
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Mike3k24

Mike3k24

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Okay. So would i be better off using the i5 I picked out, or should I put a little more into a Xeon?
 
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Ironsounds

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Hello... Since the i5-i7's the Xeon is of the same "construction" and will work in current consumer socket MB's... they are typical found in the line of server boards models/systems. I have a i7 3770 and a E3 1240 v2 they spec real close and can be used in the same 1155 MB... This model Xeon differs' with NO IGT... Now it's possible to Pick up these Used Xeons from computer re-cycler's on the BAY... and get a used i7 CPU for $168 in a 1155 MB... that is the real bargain with them for me.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-3770K+%40+3.50GHz
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E3-1240+V2+@+3.40GHz
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E3-1230+V2+%40+3.30GHz
 
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Mike3k24

Mike3k24

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So would you recommend it for my needs or should I stick with the i5 6500?
 
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Ironsounds

Ironsounds

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Hello... there will not be any used Xeons this early at "re-cyclers" so price and construction will be similar... I like having a IGT on the CPU at times... this should be you consideration with the XEON fine print you are looking at... typically a gamer wants a "k"... B / Xenon's are typically "sorted' performance vs heat "silicon quality" because of Large server centers cooling costs in their System... Don't expect Magic performance differences between the similar performance 'consumer" CPU model... just better "heat" performance.
 
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Geekwad

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Xeon's can be quite capable gamers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usvHezHmCJ4

And are a great way to get i7-like performance (4 cores, 8 threads), for less than an i7 price:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.75 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($62.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N USB 2.0 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($7.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $567.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Because the previous version still allowed you to use consumer boards, they were a compelling value. The above gives you the ability (on the Z board) to CrossFire another 480 someday, and having those 8 threads can really help with editing, rendering and multitasking in general. Big MMOs, recording gameplay/streaming all can benefit, and 8 thread machines tend to have a bit longer staying power as they age.

In the Skylake series, you'd have to get a board though apart from the consumer series:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V5 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus E3 PRO GAMING V5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($123.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($57.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N USB 2.0 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($7.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $620.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

And so they don't make quite as much sense as they used to, unless of course you need the Xeon-specific features (which I imagine you don't). As some others have alluded to....this was Intel's point.

I'd still throw a 'recommend' out there for the E3-1231v3 though.....I certainly have used/built a lot of them, and really do think they were the star of the Haswell lineup.
 
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Mike3k24

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So if I get one those would I ever be able to upgrade to an i5 or i7 or would I have to get a whole new mobo?
 
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Geekwad

Geekwad

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If you get a Haswell Xeon with Z97 board you could go i5 (downgrade) or i7 (very slight upgrade). For a Skylake Xeon, you would only be able to upgrade to other Xeons that use the Skylake/Kabylake Xeon chipset (C232 for the board I had picked, or there are C236 boards that also work).

If you're trying to get to a 4core/8thread CPU as inexpensively as possible, then I would recommend the Haswell 1231v3......if you really want to go with the latest, then in Skylake I would just look at a locked i7 and motherboard to match.


 
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DonkeyOatie

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Here's another vote for a Haswell Xeon. If you go with a Z97 board you can also get 2400Mhz DDR3 memory and use it at that speed for moderate performance improvement. Here's some synthetic benchmark data I collected, over the range of Haswell processors I had on hand last year.

2924tw4.jpg


You can see how the Xeon compares

 
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H

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Xeon E3 are the same little i7/i5 QuadCore. The real benefits are with the Xeon E5. They are monsters for work and games. I made several videos and create a youtube channel to show these:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2yey6oHayymi96_O1uUWeA

For example Battlefield™ 1 DX12 ULTRA with E5-2686 V3 18 Core 2.0Ghz base clock. Many quad core i5/i7 users are complaining of high CPU usage resulting in low GPU usage (bottleneck). Here the proof that a Xeon maintains GPU usage at 99-100% with high FPS:
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTzsJf35HyU"][/video]
 
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H

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Battlefield 1 over 170FPS with Xeon 2686v3 18-core@3.6Ghz on all cores holding High FPS:
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faae3_Tdtfw"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faae3_Tdtfw[/video]
 
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