Xeon Vs. Dual/Tri/Quad-Core

[Rit]

So I have a chance to purchase a Xeon X3210 (BX80562X3210) for $50. My friend said I should do that rather than looking at like an Athlon IIx2 250 or similar processor.

What would be the perks to going Xeon compared to others? Or should I just buy the processor cheap and sell it on Ebay since these are like $200 new?

 

[spynoodle]

If I were you I would just sell the thing on ebay and get a Core2 Quad at a higher clock speed for the profit you make. I'd also like to ask: why are the Xeons so expernsive? I know that they have better multi-processor support, but that doesn't even matter for LGA 775 computers. Are they higher quality or something? The one you listed does get stellar reviews on Newegg.

 

[Rit]

That's what I was thinking... Plus I really don't know how much easier it would be to get rid of it later if I used it for awhile. Guess I'll just buy it and sell it on Ebay... Thanks! :good:

 

[spynoodle]

That's what I was thinking... Plus I really don't know how much easier it would be to get rid of it later if I used it for awhile. Guess I'll just buy it and sell it on Ebay... Thanks! :good:

Yeah, if you check www.cpubenchmark.net pretty much all of the Core2 Quads are clocked higher than that processor and have similar core designs, so they all pretty much get better scores. What you should probably do is sell it for ~$180, then buy one of the low-end Core2 Quads, which will still give you better performance. Although I'm not sure if you want an intel, since then you'd have to change your motherboard too. If you plan on upgrading, then you could get a Core2 Quad and an LGA 775 motherboard.

 

[Rit]

Wow! Thanks for that site, that should help quite a bit. But do you happen to know how accurate it is? Like should I just find one on the "High End" and just go with it?

 

[mx344]

Id buy it and overclock that guy, you could easily get 3ghx out of that thing. thats a really good deal..

Better than any amd dual core when overclocked a little.

EDIT: O BTW that site is pretty accurate , its a good reference.

DOUBLE EDIT: I just check a review on that proc. they overclocked it to 3.5ghz!, thats high enough to beat some of those highend phenoms right now, like the 955 and 965.

 

[Rit]

Problem is, is that I've never overclocked before and I'm a 'poor college student' so I don't really want to take that chance.

 

[mx344]

haha im a poor high school student, i only got a few hundreds to my name , but its easy dude, i can help you out, and a lot of other people on here can too, so no biggy. its worth it, trust me.

 

[2048Megabytes]

If you could get a stable overclock with the Xeon X3210 Processor it would run programs better than an Athlon II 250. But I doubt it would beat the high end Phenom II Quad-Cores if they were paired with fast DDR3 RAM.

I think you would better off going with a Socket AM3 motherboard because of future processor upgrades. Socket 775 is dead for processor upgrades.

I think the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 (3.2 gigahertz) Processor is top of the line for Socket 775. I wonder how many Socket 775 motherboards out there support the 136 Watt Core 2 Extreme Processor?

 

[mx344]

^well, i think if both the 965 and the xeon here were clocked at 3.4ghz, i beleive we would have quite a match here, oviously the amd wins at stock clock, but im talking clock for clock.


But i stil encourage the buying of this proc. 50 bucks to buy, get a 100 dollar 775 mobo and youve got it there, what, the cheapest from amd would be around 270 or so, for decent mobo?


150 vs 270, i would go intel on this one.

 

[2048Megabytes]

$50 is hard to beat for a processor. If he gets a decent motherboard and is willing to overclock he could run his processor at around 2.6 gigahertz and get decent performance. It didn't seem like he wanted to overclock his system though.

 

[mx344]

^yah, well i just think hes a little worried about it frying or w/e, which is nothing to worry about unless your really overclocking to much..

 

[Rit]

Ya. I'm fairly a tech-savvy person, but of course the first time doing it by yourself is always a little nerve racking... I might give it a go though... I'll have to check e-bay/local stores for a 775 motherboard.

 

[spynoodle]

Ya. I'm fairly a tech-savvy person, but of course the first time doing it by yourself is always a little nerve racking... I might give it a go though... I'll have to check e-bay/local stores for a 775 motherboard.

But wait a sec: if he sells it and uses the profit to get a higher-clocked Core2 Quad, then can't he overclock it even higher? Are the Xeons just better for overclocking?

 

[mx344]

^yes, xeon's are generally better at overclocking, but usually people dont overclock them much seeing that they are server cpu's and people dont overclock servers, lol. but I know its clocked at like 2.1 or whatever, but it wouldn't suprise me if you could get that to 2.5 or 2.6 w/o upping the voltage.

 

[spynoodle]

^yes, xeon's are generally better at overclocking, but usually people dont overclock them much seeing that they are server cpu's and people dont overclock servers, lol. but I know its clocked at like 2.1 or whatever, but it wouldn't suprise me if you could get that to 2.5 or 2.6 w/o upping the voltage.

Well in that case..... then keep that CPU, and overclock it "to da max," (my favorite saying ) One thing you have to watch out for though is temps. Don't run it at 80 degrees Celsius load. That's just asking for it to die in three years.

 

[Rit]

Well in that case..... then keep that CPU, and overclock it "to da max," (my favorite saying ) One thing you have to watch out for though is temps. Don't run it at 80 degrees Celsius load. That's just asking for it to die in three years.

If I do decide to overclock it you'll have to tell me that that means in English

 

[diduknowthat]

Xeon's are beasts at overclocking. Xeon chips are basically tested to be stable at higher clocks and then lowered to a slower speed to ensure absolute stability. Heck, my Q6600 OCed from 2.4 to 3.0ghz without any vcore change.

 

[Drenlin]

If I do decide to overclock it you'll have to tell me that that means in English

He's saying don't let it get too hot when it's working hard. 80C is 176 Fahrenheit, which is really hot for a cpu.

 

[87dtna]

For $50 an X3210 is a steal. Find out if it's a G0 stepping, then it'd be a super steal.

I would take an X3210 over any athlon II anyday and any non quad Phenom II. I used to have one, got 3.6ghz out of it. Sold it for $110 just a couple months ago.

The X3210 is basically a Q6400. It's typically better because it has a higher TJmax thermal barrier and a lower voltage ID which gives more headroom for overclocking.