Which CPU is Better?

pebbleberries

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May 17, 2016
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I have 2 Options for a CPU for a cheap, tiny rig.

Which one is better?

Xeon X5482 or Core 2 Quad Q9640

The xeon takes more power and has a higher clock.

The system will have 8gb ddr3 and a gtx 750 ti.

Core 2 quad is $70

Xeon is $30


Xeon is more powerful but consumes more power and costs more.

C2Q is Cheaper, more efficient but is a tiny bit slower.

What do you recommend?
 
Solution
Intel Core 2 chipsets did indeed support DDR3 since P35. The important thing to remember is they can only take very low-density DDR3 with 2Gbit chips that haven't been made in 7 years--Intel CPUs with IMC can take up to 4Gbit chips (8GB sticks) while AMD can take 8Gbit chips (16GB sticks). That's why some DDR3 is advertised as "AMD only."

These CPUs have no onboard memory controller so could not know about or "support" any type of memory. They can only communicate over FSB.

Assuming you have the appropriate board, X5470 is the best Xeon for this purpose as it has a 10x multiplier allowing for 4GHz operation at the same 1600FSB as the X5482. X5460 is nearly as good at 9.5x for 3.8GHz at the same FSB. Both are better than the Q9650...

TheOnePhoenix

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Nov 5, 2016
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Xeon CPUs don't usually work with normal motherboards, and ram, plus the Xeon isn't the best for gaming, I would say the core 2 quad would be a better choice

 

pebbleberries

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May 17, 2016
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The spec sheet for the motherboard says any 775 C2Q, C2D, Celeron or pentium.

It is a ddr3 board. I have ddr3 in it right now.


I know another motherboard that supports that CPU and has 4 memory slots. 2 ddr2 and 2 ddr3.
 

4745454b

Titan
Moderator
C2Qs still use a FSB, and the memory controller is on the board, not the CPU like modern chips. I don't follow Xeons so I can't say which is better.

I know another motherboard that supports that CPU and has 4 memory slots. 2 ddr2 and 2 ddr3.

Every board I've ever seen with this setup only allows one type of ram to run at a time. If you try to use all four slots together it won't work. You have two DDR2 slots OR two DDR3 slots.
 
Intel Core 2 chipsets did indeed support DDR3 since P35. The important thing to remember is they can only take very low-density DDR3 with 2Gbit chips that haven't been made in 7 years--Intel CPUs with IMC can take up to 4Gbit chips (8GB sticks) while AMD can take 8Gbit chips (16GB sticks). That's why some DDR3 is advertised as "AMD only."

These CPUs have no onboard memory controller so could not know about or "support" any type of memory. They can only communicate over FSB.

Assuming you have the appropriate board, X5470 is the best Xeon for this purpose as it has a 10x multiplier allowing for 4GHz operation at the same 1600FSB as the X5482. X5460 is nearly as good at 9.5x for 3.8GHz at the same FSB. Both are better than the Q9650 which is only 9x so would require 444MHz = 1776FSB in order to reach 4.0GHz, and unlike duals, many quads do not easily reach high FSBs. The X5482 is even worse with its 8x multiplier, unless you are content with nearly stock speeds.
 
Solution
If you have a board that can accept Xeon microcodes on this list, then a Xeon X5460 that's premodded to drop into S775 (no modifying the socket needed) and welded pads (no dumb sticker) is only $24 on eBay.

That's much less than a Q9650.

You already have the maximum possible amount of DDR3 for Core 2. Many DDR2 boards could accept 16GB.
 

pebbleberries

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May 17, 2016
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I wasn't really thinking less than the x5482. The X5460 is a bit cheaper.

My current gaming desktop has an X5450 with 6gb ram and a gtx 690. It will Be getting an overhaul with a i7 6700k which I found for about 170$ CAD, 16gb 3200 MHz RAM. and a beautiful Asus motherboard.

I probably won't need more than 8gb for the tiny rig. (Actually a high end Lenovo thinkcentre m58 6258 which I have 30 of from an ewaste bin.