xeon vs i7

[oosk2k8]

hey guys

i am just wondering what you all think is better? the intel xeon or i7?

in terms of gaming, i heard that the i7 is better because games don't make use of all the xeon cores.

however, for 3d rendering (solidworks cad) and a light gaming (starcraft 2 & world of warcraft), what would you recommend?

if xeon, then how many cores?

cheers

anoush

 

[beto2k7]

i7 = consumer grade
xeon = server grade

i7= single QPI xeon with ecc turned off iirc.

 

[bluesteel]

both Core i7's and Xeon's are multi-core....and from what i understand there isn't that big difference between the two in terms of architecture.

Xeon processors are "server grade"....more reliable. they're spec'd to run for 24/7 continuous usage, which means they probably draw less power and run a bit cooler.

if you have no limit to your budget, then get Xeon processors. if your on a budget, the core i7's are just as good. in fact, you probably won't notice the difference between the two if they are similarly spec'd. if your doing lots of rendering for long periods of time, or your running servers, then Xeon's are better suited.

 

[alust2013]

even i7 would be overkill for that. There's definitely no need for server chips for starcraft

 

[oosk2k8]

the decision for xeon vs i7 is also mac pro vs imac tbh. leaning towards mac pro's superior upgradability but i like the imac's more portability.

plus the xeon comes with a 5870 1gb graphics compared to imac 6970m 2gb.

you guys know how the mobile graphics fares against the older desktop one?

bluesteel, i'd be doing photoview 360 renderings, perhaps one a day, so light quantity but heavy max quality renders.

cheers.

 

[sbb155]

i dont know of any objective evidence that shows that xeons are more reliable than the standard chips. IN our corporation (over 5000 computers), the rate of processor failure is similar (and very low)..

 

[odinsride]

I think instead of comparing the i7 vs. Xeon, you should be comparing iMac vs. Mac Pro features.

Ask yourself what are you looking for in a computer, what do you plan to use it for, what is your budget?

The comparison between i7 and Xeon cpu's is really negligible (unless you need dual cpus) compared to other things you should be comparing (expandability, # ports, upgrades, etc)