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CPU Intel Xeon E3

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by academica, 6 Dec 2011.

  1. academica

    academica What's a Dremel?

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    Question about the Xeon family processors.
    1. At http://newsroom.intel.com/docs/DOC-1963 Intel say that Xeon processors are for Entry-level workstations. At http://ark.intel.com/ they say they are server processors. So which is true: Is it a workstation or a server processor? Can it be used for a good desktop computer?

    2. I plan to build a custom desktop. For my job I need Photoshop CS5, Adobe Acrobat X and its OCR functions, latest MS Office, some movie and audio editing, lots of dictionaries and websites working simultaneously and I don't want to wait long for tasks to finish. I also often have to copy gigabytes from one drive to another, which takes time on USB 2.0.
    I am considering buying a Xeon 1260L (http://ark.intel.com/products/52275?wapkw=xeon 1260L), because its TDP is only 45W, it employs Intel® HD Graphics 2000 (so I don't need to buy a graphics card) and it has ECC.
    a) Is there a better option for my needs in terms of low power consumption, graphics capabilities and speed?
    b) Which mainboard is suitable for Xeon 1260L and what PSU?
    c) Do I need a dedicated graphics card?
    d) Can I use a workstation as a server and vice versa?
     
  2. thetrashcanman

    thetrashcanman Angel headed hipsters

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    Personally I'd say your better of just going with a sandy bridge build on a Z68 board, but I'm sure other's on here would be more clued up on such matters than me, and through in a few SSD's since HDD prices are so high and you want quick transfer rates.
     
    Last edited: 6 Dec 2011
  3. noizdaemon666

    noizdaemon666 I'm Od, Therefore I Pwn

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    I agree with thetrashcanman, you'd be better off with a Sandy Bridge i7 2600k. Better on IGP and a faster clock speed (3.4GHz compared to 2.4 of the Xeon). And the TDP is only 95W, it's hardly going to make a difference to power consumption.

    Edit: Oh and from what I can Google, they seem to be a very similar price. And you won't have to splash out on ECC memory.
     
    Last edited: 6 Dec 2011
  4. IvanIvanovich

    IvanIvanovich будет глотать вашу душу.

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    Xeon is only needed if you absolutely need ecc ram for some reason, or are planning on running a multi cpu set up (which not all of them support), or in heavy virtualized environments.
    It does not appear you need any of those features. I agree just get an i7k and z68, 16gb ram, ssd. I don't think you particularly need a dedicated gpu as I don't see any mention of task like 3D rendering.
     
  5. academica

    academica What's a Dremel?

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    Many thanks to all who replied. You've helped a lot.
     

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