Is the i7-970 still a good choice?

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

http://anandtech.com/show/2960/15

Here's what Anand got. 4.4GHz is a very solid overclock for a Westmere, just don't expect 4.8 or higher as those speeds aren't even guaranteed for SB chips which overclock better.

Is that a 4 core Xeon 1366 chip? Check again.

 

[Lepton87]

Is that a 4 core Xeon 1366 chip? Check again.

I didn't see it was about a 4 core 32nm CPUs. Still, 4 cores and 6 cores should overclock similarly as that 4 core is just a die harvested 6 core.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

True, but the heat dissipation has got to be a little bit less, :hmm:

 

[Burpo]

I've had 2, an L5520 that's in my sons machine now @3ghz (167X18) and it's a decent machine for gaming (using the Intel X5570 fan). I also originally had the X5570 and it overclocked fairly well with the big intel fan (190X22=4180). Heat wasn't really an issue @ 70's under load, but when the hex cores started popping up on ebay, I sold it and grab'd the L5639 hex, then later sold that (due to low multi) and got the X5650.. Multiplier is sufficient and it overclocks well but temps are higher for sure. Still the most bang for the buck.. Really nice to OC & have the extra cores for video editing & multi-tasking..

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I've had 2, an L5520 that's in my sons machine now @3ghz (167X18) and it's a decent machine for gaming (using the Intel X5570 fan). I also originally had the X5570 and it overclocked fairly well with the big intel fan (190X22=4180). Heat wasn't really an issue @ 70's under load, but when the hex cores started popping up on ebay, I sold it and grab'd the L5639 hex, then later sold that (due to low multi) and got the X5650.. Multiplier is sufficient and it overclocks well but temps are higher for sure. Still the most bang for the buck.. Really nice to OC & have the extra cores for video editing & multi-tasking..

So the 32nm quad cores are no better than a 920?

 

[Burpo]

They're server chips... of course they're better.. 60 & 95 watt vs 130..

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

They're server chips... of course they're better.. 60 & 95 watt vs 130..

Whoops, of course. Meant in terms of overclocking. I was sorta expecting 4.4GHz to be about average to above average for those Xeon 1366 quads.

 

[Burpo]

Actually 4Ghz was really pushing them. Where as I'm currently running 4.5Ghz (205x22) 24x7 with the X5650..

 

[Makaveli]

They're server chips... of course they're better.. 60 & 95 watt vs 130..

As mentioned before TDP only matters when you are at stock.

Once you are overclocked your 60/95watt chip will be pulling the same as a 130watt chip.

Actually 4Ghz was really pushing them. Where as I'm currently running 4.5Ghz (205x22) 24x7 with the X5650..

And yes 4Ghz was a big overclock with most of the xeons because they start at such low clockspeeds. Where as the 130Watt chips default at much higher clocks so you weren't pushing them as much.

Example my chips defaults clocks are 3.2ghz and i'm 1Ghz over at 4.2.

Some of you are starting at default clocks that are in the low 2Ghz range with those xeons so its a big jump for them.

However all of these chips seems to hit mostly the same speeds at the same voltage.

You shouldn't have a problem doing 4-4.2 an any of them. Above 4.2 requires alot more vcore and produces a ton of heat.

 

[Blue_Max]

My mobo's official CPU support list does NOT include the X5650.

It supports the Core™ i7-990X though... How closely related are they? Think it'll work?

 

[Burpo]

Yes, it will work.. Many of the X58 boards never listed the Xeon server parts, but they work in most cases. If it lists the 990X, you're good to go.

 

[Magic Carpet]

@Burpo

So, where is the golden middle with your chip? I know that after a certain clock, "performance per watt" aspect begins to really struggle. You have those magical numbers 4.0 - 5.0 but then you look at the power consumed and wonder, what is the point ?! Okay, maybe that is just me.

@ OP

IMO, it's best to sell X58 while it's still worth money and go the X99 route. Then later, you can upgrade it to an 18 core Xeon or Broadwell-E. Barring the extra cost, the only negative I see with X99 is relatively high platform idle power consumption and the lack of CPU advanced sleep modes, like C7 (compared to 1150). But the advantages still outweigh the cons. X99 has a chance to outlive anything we have seen before, imo.

It supports the Core™ i7-990X though... How closely related are they? Think it'll work?

It's best to contact your mobo maker.

 

[Burpo]

Agreed.. Now is the time to sell X58 parts (if so inclined).. but honestly it doesn't cost much and renders/encodes fast enough to keep me happy for a couple more yrs..

190 BCLK with my board & RAM is probably sweet spot for longevity & performance.
Now I run @ 200+ 24x7 unless rendering several bluray's. I drop it to 195 then to manage temps better.
Really I'm only exceeding intels max specs by a little over a tenth of a volt, and then only at full load. Control temps & I believe it'll still last.. Guess we'll see..

Sure I would love to have X99.. Who wouldn't? But it can't be as cheap & as much fun as clocking a 2.66 cpu to 4.4Ghz

 

[CropDuster]

I just jumped into the X99 pool hoping that in 5 years I can do much the same as I did with X58. I should probably sell my X58 rig considering the stupid money the Sabertooth boards bring on ebay, but it's nice having two blazing fast computers.

 

[Blue_Max]

Mu CPU support list includes a number of Xeons... just not the series that the X5650 falls in... looks like no joy.

Might as well sell it off and build a 1150 i7 rig... I'm primarily a gamer anyway so I suppose a faster 4c/8t is still ideal in the long run. Hope I can sell this baby for a good price...



...dang.

[EDIT:] Just found a local PC scrapper with a handful of crazy-fast Xeon X5677 chips. I've asked if I can test it out in the store before buying since he has a no-return policy.