Here's some background for you.
My setup has 2 E5-2696 v2s and I can tell you they are currently the best thing going in dual Xeon configs.
So, 24 real cores, 24 hyper cores, shows up as 48 cores. :biggrin:
They turbo to 3.5 like the 2697 v2s, and in multi threaded apps they out work 2687w v2s.
In single threaded apps the 2687w v2s are faster, though.
Stock speed is 2.5, but they can throttle down to 1.2 to save energy.
Power consumption tops at 120w and they aren't at all hard to cool.
I've never seen them over 55c running Prime95 or LINPAC for
6 hours.
(I torture test my cooling setups, as my stuff is always on)
They run 29-33c @idle (1.2ghz), depending on room temp.
Keeping them in turbo mode is not hard either, I run them in Win7, so in power options, I set minimum processor speed @ 100% and all the software I have found, reports them staying in Turbo range 3.1-3.5.
I have found that many apps don't know how to fully handle them.
Some just use 1 cpu using just the 12 real cores, some 1cpu and 12 real and 12 hyper cores.
Others use both cpus, but only the 24 real cores.
But since I multi task a lot, using all 48 happens often.
Transcoding, rendering, authoring, while unraring and multiple par checking, they handles all of it at the same time!
But you asked about games.
I don't play that much, but this has dual 7970 lightnings.
When I do play it is usually Borderlands 1 or 2, sometimes one of the Bioshocks.
(and no, I'm not great at gaming, so I have not ever really worried about how many cores were used there, I always had enough other things occupying my attention while running and gunning)
My limited gaming is not real stressful stuff hardware-wise, but every thing runs fine full out in the games I play.
However, I had E5-2687w v1s in this board prior, and the results were the same.
The CPUID for the E5-2696 v2's is 306E4 and the microcode update is 00000416, so any board you are considering for these cpus, needs those in the bios.
Stay away from ES units as they are usually only support in the early bioses of MBs, and then support for them is dropped. The correct CPUID must be in the bios for the CPU to work in the board.
I got lucky and was able to buy these OEM c1's for less than 1k each from a firm that was upgrading to E7s and E5 4600 series.
Unless you have a
real use for these 2696s, and like me, gaming is a far secondary use, you are probably better off with a high ghz I7 for gaming and use the money left over appeasing the wife.
I find a day at the spa for the wife, can work wonders for smoothing out a prickly disposition. :whiste:
Hope that helps.
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