Cheap Xeon processor that you can give a second life to your PC

He Intel Xeon It is a processor intended for the server and HPC sector. However, you can have equipment at home with this processor, even upgrade your motherboard to install one or more of these processors to give your PC a new life, or transform it into a powerful workstation or workstation. However, there are a few things you should know…

Differences between an Intel Xeon and a Core i3/i5/i7/i9?

One of the first questions you should ask yourself when it comes to knowing if you are interested in an Intel Xeon is to know what is the difference between these processors and the Intel Core. Well, let’s see the characteristics of each other:

Intel Core processors

Some of the most outstanding features of these Intel Core processors for laptops and PCs are:

• overclocking– Unlocked processors, such as those marked with a K, allow overclocking to increase clock speeds for higher performance without the need for a chip upgrade.
• GHz/€: When we refer to features such as clock frequency per unit of money invested, then the Intel Core wins over the Intel Xeon. In fact, the Intel Xeon is much more expensive than the Intel Core, even the Intel Core i9. For example, an Intel Core i9-13900K can be currently priced at €650, while a top-of-the-line Intel Xeon could cost up to €10,000 and even more in some cases.
• iGPU: In SKUs like those for laptops, Intel Cores also add an integrated GPU. This is not usually the case in many Intel Xeons, since they are designed to be used in environments where they do not need these iGPUs, since higher performance dedicated GPUs are used.
• Design: Intel Cores are specifically designed to handle everyday workloads. While Intel Xeon processors, although based on the same microarchitecture, are modified and optimized for workloads where it is preferred to enhance other tasks such as I / O.

Intel Xeon processors

Now that we have already highlighted the particularities of the Intel Core, we are going to see the Intel Xeon and its highlighted strengths:

• L3 cache: Most Xeon processors have between 30 and 40 MB of L3 cache depending on the model (much more on higher-end ones), almost double that of Intel Cores. This extra cache is one of the reasons Xeons are so much faster at certain repetitive tasks.
• Support for ECC RAM: Error Checking and Correcting (ECC) RAM detects and fixes the most common data corruption before it occurs, eliminating the cause of many system crashes and resulting in more stable overall performance. Only Intel Xeon processors support ECC, and the Intel Core range does not.
• Higher RAM support: Another consideration is that Intel Core processors are often limited to smaller amounts of memory, such as 128 GB or similar. On the other hand, the Intel Xeon are designed to work with much higher memory capacities, such as 1 TB of RAM.
• More cores/threads: If your applications require as many CPU cores as possible, Intel Xeon is what you need. The new Xeon Scalable processors have a huge number of cores, up to 40 or more, and with 80 or more threads. This is not the case in the Intel Core, which usually have several times less, since they are not designed to enhance parallelism so much.
• Longevity (under heavy load): Intel Xeon processors are rated to handle heavier, more intensive loads day after day. This is important for applications such as workstations, servers or HPC, since they are highly available systems that are usually running 24/7 for a long time and any interruption can mean significant losses for the company.
• Optimized for I/O: It’s true that Intel Xeon processors have great overall performance, but they are optimized for certain heavier workloads like databases, virtualization, etc., because they boost I/O more than Intel Core. However, in certain daily tasks, we could find that an Intel Core can perform better, since it is optimized for that.

Some AMD desktop processors, such as the Pro, usually also have support for E.C.C.C., which is important to avoid some RAM memory errors that can result in screens or crashes of the operating system, among other damages such as corruption or loss of data. You should take this into account, since for more critical workloads, it could be a good option to have a processor with ECC memory support.

By example, imagine that you are transferring photos from a digital camera to your PC. A slight error in the RAM memory could cause the data of the photos you swipe to become corrupted. In another word, the corrupted image will become inaccessible and you will not be able to view it. If you had deleted all the photos from the camera, then you will have lost that corrupted photo forever.

Is Intel Xeon good for gaming?

A Intel Xeon is not worth it for gamingOn the one hand, because of its price and that of the motherboards compatible with it, and on the other hand, because it does not have the capacity for overclocking. In addition, the clock speeds, very important for video games, are usually lower than those of its Intel Core brothers. Therefore, if you are thinking of using an Intel Xeon only for gaming, you better forget this idea.

Conclusion

for what yes you may be interested in having an Intel Xeon to update your PC and give it a new life is for tasks where this CPU will stand out. For example, thanks to its large number of cores it can be perfect for heavy loads like rendering, video encoding, compilation, and also for virtualization of several virtual machines in parallel. If you are going to create your own server, which will be connected 24/7, it could also be a good choice to use an Intel Xeon for its greater reliability.

Now, are there Intel Xeon cheap enough how to be worth it? Well, you have some of previous generations that may have prices more similar to the Intel Core, although you should keep in mind that the motherboard for these processors will also cost you more. Some examples are:

Intel Xeon E-2136

It is an Intel Xeon based on Coffee Lake, with 6 processing cores, clocked at 3.3 Ghz, and socket H4 (LGA 1151).

Last update on 2023-03-19

Intel Xeon E-2388

A 3.2 Ghz Intel Xeon processor, LGA 1200 socket, based on Rocket Lake, and with 8 cores and 16 threads.

Last update on 2023-03-19

Intel Xeon Silver 4210R

This Intel Xeon Silver 4210R works at a frequency of 2.4 Ghz, and is designed for an LGA 3647 socket. A 2nd Gen Xeon Scalable and is based on the Cascade Lake microarchitecture. With 10 cores and 20 threads.

Last update on 2023-03-19

Intel Xeon for socket 775 and LGA 1366

For older sockets we have the possibility of expanding them with a cheap Intel XEON:

• Socket 775: X5270 or X5460. Unless you find a QX9770 at a good price.
• Socket 1366: X5680, X5690 or the W3690

Have you used any Intel XEON to revive your motherboard? We are waiting your comments!