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  1. #1
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    Difference between Core i7 desktop CPU and Xeon 3400 server CPU

    The Core i7 is a desktop CPU and the XEON 3400 series is the enterprise class / server class CPU. Often on the forum there seem to be confusion and misunderstanding that i7 is good for mission critical applications (its not, read below) Virtualization (its not, read below) and that its faster then the XEON 3400 series (its not, they are equally fast).

    First of all, in speed they are completely comparable. Both have the turbo option as well. Both support HT on most models.

    There also significant differences.

    Xeon 3400 series support ECC memory. The Core i7 does not support ECC memory.

    In the event that interference inside a server or workstation causes a zero to flip to a one or vice versa, ECC corrects the error. In a world of mission-critical software running everything from SMBs to large enterprises, building servers with ECC in play is absolutely critical.

    The Xeon 3400 also actually include a couple more features often needed in business environments and not available on the i7 desktop processor.

    - extensions to Intel’s Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O
    - closed loop thermal throttling, and open loop thermal throttling.

    Though they will have varying impacts on your actual system builds, these represent more of that muscle from the enterprise being made available to smaller businesses, from giving virtualized environments direct access to hardware to protecting mission-critical systems from too much heat.

    Besides that the XEON 3400 series CPU will usually be working with the 3400 and 3420 chipsets that have many extra facilities for business class servers.

    So Xeon 3400 for servers and Core i7 for desktops. Do not use the core i7 in a mission critical server - or please simply do not call it server class , because its not.
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  2. #2
    Thanks for this, I was going to buy an i7 to put in a gaming server, looks like I'll be going for a Xeon now

  3. #3
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    The i7 860 does support both VT-x and VT-d.

    http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=42931
    http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41316

    They are very similar except for the ram. The 3400 series can take more ram and will accept ECC ram. Other than that, the specs are fairly similar.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by swiftnoc View Post
    Both support HT on most models.
    One other thing to note when comparing i5/i7 to the 3400's: The Lynnfield i5's are not HT capable. On the other hand, ALL X3400's are HT capable.

    This difference doesn't matter when comparing the higher end 3400's to the i7 equivalents because the i7's support HT anyway, but it is a very big difference to be aware of between the lower end 3400's and their i5 equivalents.

  5. #5
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    You are more likely to find higher quality hardware all around as well with a machine that is using the Xeon CPU.
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  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by prologan View Post
    One other thing to note when comparing i5/i7 to the 3400's: The Lynnfield i5's are not HT capable. On the other hand, ALL X3400's are HT capable.
    This is not true. I bought the 3430 thinking it had HT, but it does not. Be careful which of these xeon's you buy. The clock differences may be small between versions for what looks like a high price, but one version may have HT and the slightly lower clocked version will not. It's not a matter of 100mhz difference, it's a 20-30% speed hit by not having HT. You should at least get the 3440 on single socket, 5520 on dual socket to get HT.
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  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by funkywizard View Post
    This is not true. I bought the 3430 thinking it had HT
    Ahh...you are right, the X3430 is the only one in the line that does not have HT.

  8. #8
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    I can't really agree with most of the initial statements... There are "Desktop" and "Server" CPUs that are a perfect feature-match, essentially the same CPU with a different socket. The i7s are no exception.

    Just like there are good and bad desktop boards, the same applies to server boards.

    Note I'm not saying this because we sell i7 servers, because all of our Core i7 based purchases for the last few months has been Xeon based. I won't say one is better than the other though. For the most part, they are the same. The differences are imperceptible to the customer (the average WHT reader).

    I think the difference between a Xeon and an i7 CPU label should be the least important factor (if at all) when looking for a provider. Customers should look first at track record, customer reviews, prices, network quality, hardware quality, support capabilities, friendliness, etc. etc. etc. If a customer is happy with the performance and reliability of their box, what does it matter if it says Xeon or Core i7 under the hood?
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by TMS - JoseQ View Post
    I think the difference between a Xeon and an i7 CPU label should be the least important factor (if at all) when looking for a provider. Customers should look first at track record, customer reviews, prices, network quality, hardware quality, support capabilities, friendliness, etc. etc. etc. If a customer is happy with the performance and reliability of their box, what does it matter if it says Xeon or Core i7 under the hood?
    I do agree that server provider reputation and service is more important, absolutely. But the fact that the core i7 is not supporting ECC plus the fact that the Xeon 3400 has a superior supporting chipset tailored for the servermarket makes the 3400 series a far better choice for most clients that need a scaleable and reliable server then the core i7.

    Some examples what we see in the market, that clients do not perceive.

    - Desktop CPU's in servers instead of server CPU's

    - No ECC memory in mission critical servers instead of ECC memory

    - Standard drives in large raid setups (very bad practise) instead of RAID drives. This is a important difference!

    - Desktop mainboards.

    And often people are not comparing apples with apples.
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  10. #10
    You've posted tons of irrelevant stuff here (which has nothing to do with Core i7 vs Xeon debate, e.g. RAID drives etc)
    and some FALSE statements (as pointed out above - VT-x and VT-d).

    Instead of simply saying: the difference between the two is ECC RAM support. This statement is both concise and full.

    I am personally happy to pay a bit extra for ECC RAM support, and that's exactly what I am paying for when I am choosing Xeon over Core i7. I am not paying for some mythical "enterprise classiness" or for some non-existent advantages.

  11. #11
    I wanted to edit my post, but could not find how to do it. So I'll just add to it instead.

    I think that my post was a bit too aggressive, and I wanted to remove that aggressiveness from it. I did not want to offend anyone here, because we all post here in order to be useful and helpful to others. My only excuse is that I am too tired of this never-ending debate. Is seems to be such a simple question. It should be so easy to list all the facts, and make an informed conclusion. But still, the debate goes on and on, with more irrelevant arguments and more unconfirmed/false/vague/unclear statements.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by OneLittleBird View Post
    I wanted to edit my post, but could not find how to do it. So I'll just add to it instead.

    I think that my post was a bit too aggressive, and I wanted to remove that aggressiveness from it. I did not want to offend anyone here, because we all post here in order to be useful and helpful to others. My only excuse is that I am too tired of this never-ending debate. Is seems to be such a simple question. It should be so easy to list all the facts, and make an informed conclusion. But still, the debate goes on and on, with more irrelevant arguments and more unconfirmed/false/vague/unclear statements.
    It's also why I posted. This Desktop vs Server debate has been going on way too long. I think even the ECC debate is overrated. Yes, some customers and solutions do call for it, but for the average WHT'er looking for a great deal on a server to do some basic hosting, VPSing or gaming, ECC doesn't really add any value. So unless you do need it, it wouldn't make sense to pay for it.

    As I stated above, labels under the hood don't really matter. If you can receive performance at a good price, what does it matter? I can embellish a slower Xeon 3430 with "RAID" drives and an "Enterprise" class motherboard and if an i7 860 with regular drives and a "Desktop" class motherboard performs better, is just as reliable for what you need to do, AND costs less; why would anybody go for the Xeon 3430?
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  13. #13
    well, if you use different processors, different motherboards, different disk drives, etc - then it's very difficult to compare, as there are so many factors to consider.


    But here, we have just two processors. They are so easy to compare, because they are absolutely identical, apart from ECC RAM support disabled in one of them. So why do we have to hear all this "enterprise class" nonsense?

    I agree with you, that "even the ECC debate is overrated". But at least that is something real, some real functionality, something factual. It's not some imaginary "enterprise classiness".

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