Intel Xeon E5-1680 v2 3.0GHz 25MB Cache 8-Core Processor

what's the advantage over a 5960X that's cheaper and easier to find?

where did you purchase it?
 
EnderW said:
what's the advantage over a 5960X that's cheaper and easier to find?

where did you purchase it?
Click to expand...

Advantages are:

1) No FIVR.
2) Based on Intel's MCC die (very high quality).
3) Fully enabled Xeon processor (limited to single processor operation), supporting ECC, vPro and DBS.
4) High binned product (single processor brother of the E5-2687W V2).
5) 25MB of L3 cache.
6) Compatibility with my existing motherboard and memory.

I may end up eventually going with X99 (depending mostly on if the E5-1691 V3 is ever released). It made little sense, however, to spend a bunch of money now on a new board and 64GB of high-speed DDR4 Dominator Platinums and then do the same again later this year when the 16GB UDIMMs come out. If the E5-1691 V3 does come out, of course I'll upgrade (and repurpose the V2). But for now, the only E5-1600 V3 options at present aren't as compelling to me as the E5-1680 V2 (which is based on the MCC 25MB L3 die), which I feel is the better die.
 
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lutjens said:
Advantages are:

1) No FIVR.
2) Based on Intel's MCC die (very high quality).
3) Fully enabled Xeon processor (limited to single processor operation), supporting ECC, vPro and DBS.
4) High binned product (single processor brother of the E5-2687W V2).
5) 25MB of L3 cache.
6) Compatibility with my existing motherboard and memory.

I may end up eventually going with X99 (depending mostly on if the E5-1691 V3 is ever released). It made little sense, however, to spend a bunch of money now on a new board and 64GB of high-speed DDR4 Dominator Platinums and then do the same again later this year when the 16GB UDIMMs come out. If the E5-1691 V3 does come out, of course I'll upgrade (and repurpose the V2). But for now, the only E5-1600 V3 options at present aren't as compelling to me as the E5-1680 V2 (which is based on the MCC 25MB L3 die), which I feel is the better die.
Click to expand...

Are you actually able to use ECC RAM without having a server chipset, though? If so, that would be a huge advantage for this chip. However, AFAIK overclocking and ECC are mutually exclusive among the motherboard options available. I'd love to be wrong on that one, though.

Without ECC, the only real-world benefit over 5960X is the 25% extra L3 cache and the slightly lower power consumption. The single biggest downside is the cost, but also keep in mind that the Haswell-E parts are about 5% faster than the Ivy Bridge Xeon on a clock-for-clock basis, so you're still going to get better performance out of an equally-clocked 5960X.

Very cool to see, though. I love seeing stuff like this.
 
AgentQ said:
Are you actually able to use ECC RAM without having a server chipset, though? If so, that would be a huge advantage for this chip. However, AFAIK overclocking and ECC are mutually exclusive among the motherboard options available. I'd love to be wrong on that one, though.

Without ECC, the only real-world benefit over 5960X is the 25% extra L3 cache and the slightly lower power consumption. The single biggest downside is the cost, but also keep in mind that the Haswell-E parts are about 5% faster than the Ivy Bridge Xeon on a clock-for-clock basis, so you're still going to get better performance out of an equally-clocked 5960X.

Very cool to see, though. I love seeing stuff like this.
Click to expand...

Support for ECC is motherboard dependent. If the motherboard maker includes the additional traces for ECC memory, it'll work with the processor (where an i7 wouldn't). Both motherboard support and processor IMC support have to be present. The P9X79-E WS does support ECC memory (and overclocks as well), although it doesn't say it supports RDIMMs or LRDIMMs, so it may support ECC UDIMMs only. I do know there are newer boards on X99 that do support RDIMMs when used with a V3 Xeon (LRDIMM support on these boards still in question).

While the i7-5960X may offer the absolute best ultimate performance thanks to it's newer architecture, I find the E5-1680 V2 to be a much more refined animal. Also, considering how many i7-5960Xs don't clock all that well (some are crapping out at 4.3GHz), getting a refined, high quality chip with nearly guaranteed frequency potential that runs really cool is a real plus (at least for me it is).
 
lutjens said:
Advantages are:

1) No FIVR.
2) Based on Intel's MCC die (very high quality).
3) Fully enabled Xeon processor (limited to single processor operation), supporting ECC, vPro and DBS.
4) High binned product (single processor brother of the E5-2687W V2).
5) 25MB of L3 cache.
6) Compatibility with my existing motherboard and memory.

I may end up eventually going with X99 (depending mostly on if the E5-1691 V3 is ever released). It made little sense, however, to spend a bunch of money now on a new board and 64GB of high-speed DDR4 Dominator Platinums and then do the same again later this year when the 16GB UDIMMs come out. If the E5-1691 V3 does come out, of course I'll upgrade (and repurpose the V2). But for now, the only E5-1600 V3 options at present aren't as compelling to me as the E5-1680 V2 (which is based on the MCC 25MB L3 die), which I feel is the better die.
Click to expand...
Can you explain 1 and 2? Or provide links where I could read up.

Also where did you find this chip for purchase?

Thanks :) And also thanks for posting your results with this chip :D
 
EnderW said:
Can you explain 1 and 2? Or provide links where I could read up.

Also where did you find this chip for purchase?

Thanks :) And also thanks for posting your results with this chip :D
Click to expand...

1) Ivy Bridge-E/EP doesn't use an onboard Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator (FIVR) like Haswell and Haswell E/EP do. This onboard FIVR is a source of extra heat on the processor that can interfere with overclocks. It adds roughly 10W to the TDP of a given processor (TDP depends on bin level of the die as well).

2) The 10-core MCC (medium core count) die for Ivy Bridge-EP is a step up in size from the 6-core LCC (low core count) die of the regular Ivy-Bridge E processors. In order to have a 8-core Ivy Bridge-EP processor, the MCC die must be used. As the MCC die by default comes with 10 cores and with 2.5MB of L3 cache/core, this results in a total of 25 MB of L3 cache on the die. This cache can be left fully intact, even if cores on the die are disabled, which is what's done with the E5-1680 V2. Two cores are deactivated on the E5-1680 V2 to produce an 8-core CPU, but the L3 cache is left fully intact at 25MB (makes this chip quite unique). This is the only non-LCC die based chip ever to be released from Intel in an unlocked form and has the largest L3 die available on any unlocked CPU.

The chip is available for purchase at Acme Micro Systems, but isn't cheap...selling for $1971 USD...;)
 
How much do those CPU's cost now. I am looking to build a VM environment and wanted to get something in the range of either dual 4 quad core cpu's or an 8 core cpu single processor workstation.
 
AthlonXP said:
How much do those CPU's cost now. I am looking to build a VM environment and wanted to get something in the range of either dual 4 quad core cpu's or an 8 core cpu single processor workstation.
Click to expand...

As I said above, $1971 USD
 
EnderW said:
what's the advantage over a 5960X that's cheaper and easier to find?
Click to expand...
lutjens said:
Advantages are:
1) No FIVR.
2) Based on Intel's MCC die (very high quality).
3) Fully enabled Xeon processor (limited to single processor operation), supporting ECC, vPro and DBS.
4) High binned product (single processor brother of the E5-2687W V2).
5) 25MB of L3 cache.
6) Compatibility with my existing motherboard and memory.
Click to expand...

As someone who is using Xeon E5-1680 v3 I can tell it only makes sense if one is aiming for workstation class machine with plenty of memory. Otherwise the 5960X is enough. Regarding the binning and MCC die it is not likely it results in any performance gains.

AgentQ said:
Are you actually able to use ECC RAM without having a server chipset, though? If so, that would be a huge advantage for this chip. However, AFAIK overclocking and ECC are mutually exclusive among the motherboard options available. I'd love to be wrong on that one, though.Without ECC, the only real-world benefit over 5960X is the 25% extra L3 cache and the slightly lower power consumption. The single biggest downside is the cost, but also keep in mind that the Haswell-E parts are about 5% faster than the Ivy Bridge Xeon on a clock-for-clock basis, so you're still going to get better performance out of an equally-clocked 5960X. Very cool to see, though. I love seeing stuff like this.
Click to expand...

I can certify ECC and overclocking are not exclusive, ECC RAM works in high-end X99 motherboards. I have Asus X99-E WS with 4x16GB ECC memory kit from Crucial, another kit is in the mail so I will have 128GB ECC RAM which is maximum for X99 motherboards. Xeon E5-1680v3 overclocks nicely with the ECC RAM, my initial tests were easily reaching 4.2 GHz with air cooler. I just installed Swiftech H240-X watercooler and will make overclocking tests with 128 the GB RAM.
 
wirk said:
As someone who is using Xeon E5-1680 v3 I can tell it only makes sense if one is aiming for workstation class machine with plenty of memory. Otherwise the 5960X is enough. Regarding the binning and MCC die it is not likely it results in any performance gains.
Click to expand...

It's not so much the performance gains at a given clock speed, it's the reduction in overall heat generation and the high frequency potential of the chip due to the high grading of the transistors. These chips run cooler (due to their high quality and lack of requirement for a high Vcore to attain decent numbers) and should have a higher overall frequency potential as a result. Of course, I'm not inclined to beat on the chip at all, given it's high price and simply set the chip at a comfortable clock speed that utilizes it's plentiful headroom. I've set it to a maximum of 1.3V and that for only for a very brief test. I've settled at 4.4GHz at 1.2V, running my memory at 1866MHz (to maintain tighter timings). All voltages except Vcore are at default. It very stable at 4.6GHz at 1.3V, but I don't see the value in pushing an additional 0.1V of Vcore through it just for a mere 200MHz.

Your chip is the top Haswell-E/EP 8-core and uses the best quality 8-core dies available, so it's likely to be similar quality to the MCC dies that are used by Ivy-EP (as the two chips are made on the same process). I have a few extra transistors to deal with due to the extra cache, however, but not enough to be a huge issue.

kierwest said:
All these processors are too rich fro my blood
Click to expand...

You're fortunate the E5-2699 V3 18-core isn't unlocked...things would be quite costly if they were...;)
 
lutjens said:
1) Ivy Bridge-E/EP doesn't use an onboard Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator (FIVR) like Haswell and Haswell E/EP do. This onboard FIVR is a source of extra heat on the processor that can interfere with overclocks. It adds roughly 10W to the TDP of a given processor (TDP depends on bin level of the die as well).

2) The 10-core MCC (medium core count) die for Ivy Bridge-EP is a step up in size from the 6-core LCC (low core count) die of the regular Ivy-Bridge E processors. In order to have a 8-core Ivy Bridge-EP processor, the MCC die must be used. As the MCC die by default comes with 10 cores and with 2.5MB of L3 cache/core, this results in a total of 25 MB of L3 cache on the die. This cache can be left fully intact, even if cores on the die are disabled, which is what's done with the E5-1680 V2. Two cores are deactivated on the E5-1680 V2 to produce an 8-core CPU, but the L3 cache is left fully intact at 25MB (makes this chip quite unique). This is the only non-LCC die based chip ever to be released from Intel in an unlocked form and has the largest L3 die available on any unlocked CPU.

The chip is available for purchase at Acme Micro Systems, but isn't cheap...selling for $1971 USD...;)
Click to expand...
thanks for the response. interesting stuff
something tells me you got it much cheaper ;)
 
lutjens said:
It's not so much the performance gains at a given clock speed, it's the reduction in overall heat generation and the high frequency potential of the chip due to the high grading of the transistors. These chips run cooler (due to their high quality and lack of requirement for a high Vcore to attain decent numbers) and should have a higher overall frequency potential as a result. Of course, I'm not inclined to beat on the chip at all, given it's high price and simply set the chip at a comfortable clock speed that utilizes it's plentiful headroom. I've set it to a maximum of 1.3V and that for only for a very brief test. I've settled at 4.4GHz at 1.2V, running my memory at 1866MHz (to maintain tighter timings). All voltages except Vcore are at default. It very stable at 4.6GHz at 1.3V, but I don't see the value in pushing an additional 0.1V of Vcore through it just for a mere 200MHz.
Click to expand...

What kind of cooling you use? Is your processor stable @4.4-4.6 GHz with full load?

I would like to see any meaningful performance advantage of Xeon 1680 over 5960X but I am rather doubtful if higher grading of transistors translates into it. Anyway, I will check it and report my observations.
 
EnderW said:
thanks for the response. interesting stuff
something tells me you got it much cheaper ;)
Click to expand...

Unfortunately no...:(

wirk said:
What kind of cooling you use? Is your processor stable @4.4-4.6 GHz with full load?

I would like to see any meaningful performance advantage of Xeon 1680 over 5960X but I am rather doubtful if higher grading of transistors translates into it. Anyway, I will check it and report my observations.
Click to expand...

The processor was completely stable at 4.6GHz with 1.3V. I don't use anything special, just a Corsair H110. What I'm saying is that the two processor's computational performance will be the same (benchmarks, etc) for the same configuration and clock speed for both the E5-1680 V3 and the i7-5960X, but on average, the Xeon should run cooler and require less voltage to reach the same clock speed and may be able to reach a higher clock speed as well...;)
 
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Hi, I've a 1650v2. It's fully unlocked. On the P9X79-E WS it's the most trouble free experience over a CPU-Mobo combo ever for me. Refuse to crash with 8 DS 8GB banks at stock voltage.
The only problem is that VID is not set for +4GHz so you can't use the Offset overclocking with variable Vcore that rises with the frequency. I've not pushed it over the top because I simply wanted 64GB ECC.
BTW I've picked the old X79/IV-E just before the launch of X99/HW-E because the FIVR simply sucks, the DDR4 is immature, the X99 simply a X79 with USB 3, the 10 SATA3 is a joke with the DMI 2,0, a huge price premium on a raw platform.
 
mazzy80 said:
BTW I've picked the old X79/IV-E just before the launch of X99/HW-E because the FIVR simply sucks, the DDR4 is immature, the X99 simply a X79 with USB 3, the 10 SATA3 is a joke with the DMI 2,0, a huge price premium on a raw platform.
Click to expand...

Some of the same reasons why I went with the E5-1680 V2 and stuck with my RIVE instead of going with X99 and the V3 version...;)
 
Yes i got one too and it is unlocked, I posted it on my personal website at www.cpubios.com

But one thing i don't know is that how is it when compared with 5960X on performance.
 
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aphexcoil said:
So just to recap here:
Can you confirm that this processor for $1,000 (6/12 core) on Newegg is unlocked?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...gclid=CK2_3aDIncQCFRYdaQodWr0AdQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
Also, there are ASUS X99 motherboards that support both ECC AND overclocking?
I think I may have just found my perfect workstation build.
Click to expand...

Not so, the processor you found is Xeon v2 even though it supports OC. For the X99 you need Xeon v3. High-end Asus X99 mobos do support both ECC and OC. I have X99-E WS, Xeon E5-1680v3 and 128 GB DDR-4 ECC RAM from Crucial. All works perfectly, OC'ing under full load of Intel 64-bit Linpack bench up to 4.3 GHz. Note that the X99-E WS is high-end mobo with 7 PCIe x16 slots, this may be overkill if you do not need so many slots.
 
sunny7day said:
Yes i got one too and it is unlocked, I posted it on my personal website at www.cpubios.com

But one thing i don't know is that how is it when compared with 5960X on performance.
Click to expand...

What cooling are you using? Seems like you are using a bit more voltage for the same clock speed than I was using. I've settled at 4.5GHz using 1.25V, with my side panel closed, still running on stock fans. Temps went up a bit when I closed the side panel, but are still good.
 
wirk said:
Not so, the processor you found is Xeon v2 even though it supports OC. For the X99 you need Xeon v3. High-end Asus X99 mobos do support both ECC and OC. I have X99-E WS, Xeon E5-1680v3 and 128 GB DDR-4 ECC RAM from Crucial. All works perfectly, OC'ing under full load of Intel 64-bit Linpack bench up to 4.3 GHz. Note that the X99-E WS is high-end mobo with 7 PCIe x16 slots, this may be overkill if you do not need so many slots.
Click to expand...

Thanks! This sounds great.
 
lutjens said:
What cooling are you using? Seems like you are using a bit more voltage for the same clock speed than I was using. I've settled at 4.5GHz using 1.25V, with my side panel closed, still running on stock fans. Temps went up a bit when I closed the side panel, but are still good.
Click to expand...
just an air cooler and with auto settings only.

I don't have x99, can you put your 1680v2 against 5960X and see who is faster with same speed? I think the 1680v2 will win on most benchmarks because it has more cache?
 
sunny7day said:
just an air cooler and with auto settings only.

I don't have x99, can you put your 1680v2 against 5960X and see who is faster with same speed? I think the 1680v2 will win on most benchmarks because it has more cache?
Click to expand...

Pretty good results for air...some 5960Xs don't get that high on water...;)

I don't have X99 either. I'm not going to move to X99 until the E5-1691 V3 becomes available. I did score 1613 on Cinebench R15, which is quite decent.

The V2 will probably be a bit behind the V3s (approx. 5-10% depending on the application) at the same clock speed due to architectural improvements in Haswell over Ivy Bridge. The 25MB cache probably doesn't affect too many applications, but may help in some and helps things feel snappy in Windows as the extra 5MB of cache keeps more things readily available to the CPU.

The E5-1680V2 at 4.5GHz should have roughly the multithreaded performance of the E5-2697V2 at stock speed (which is locked there, unfortunately) and has a huge single threaded performance advantage over it.
 
wirk said:
As someone who is using Xeon E5-1680 v3 I can tell it only makes sense if one is aiming for workstation class machine with plenty of memory. Otherwise the 5960X is enough. Regarding the binning and MCC die it is not likely it results in any performance gains.



I can certify ECC and overclocking are not exclusive, ECC RAM works in high-end X99 motherboards. I have Asus X99-E WS with 4x16GB ECC memory kit from Crucial, another kit is in the mail so I will have 128GB ECC RAM which is maximum for X99 motherboards. Xeon E5-1680v3 overclocks nicely with the ECC RAM, my initial tests were easily reaching 4.2 GHz with air cooler. I just installed Swiftech H240-X watercooler and will make overclocking tests with 128 the GB RAM.
Click to expand...


I overclocked Xeons and and registered ECC memory when I had and SR-2. I have a C602 based ASRock EPC602D8A http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157523 that has OC options in the bios but no 1680v2 to play with :( I missed the last one listed on ebay. I believe this C612 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157556 would also have OC options.
 
lutjens said:
I've set it to a maximum of 1.3V and that for only for a very brief test. I've settled at 4.4GHz at 1.2V, running my memory at 1866MHz (to maintain tighter timings). All voltages except Vcore are at default. It very stable at 4.6GHz at 1.3V, but I don't see the value in pushing an additional 0.1V of Vcore through it just for a mere 200MHz.
Click to expand...

thats quite a good 1680v2 you got there. mine could only do 4.2ghz with 1.24v... even 4.3ghz will need 1.31v. maybe its my motherboard trashy not sure but i think overclocking cpu is mostly cpu quality related, everything else does matter but very little.

let me know when you upgrading to skylake-X or Xeon, i'll get that off of you.
 
Hey guys, I wanted to upgrade my 6600K for more encoding power. It's a 5.1Ghz, but it just gets hosed at 100% utilization and stays at about 91C degrees since I've had it, and that is after the delidding. Lol.

Anyways, I'm looking at the 1680 V3, 1660 V3, or 1691 V3.

Are they all unlocked? Or only the 1680 V3 is unlocked?
 
tps3443 said:
Hey guys, I wanted to upgrade my 6600K for more encoding power. It's a 5.1Ghz, but it just gets hosed at 100% utilization and stays at about 91C degrees since I've had it, and that is after the delidding. Lol.

Anyways, I'm looking at the 1680 V3, 1660 V3, or 1691 V3.

Are they all unlocked? Or only the 1680 V3 is unlocked?
Click to expand...
1691 v3 doesnt exist to normal people. It was a custom order to big pocket firms according to lutjens. Intel scrubbed records after "accidentally" leaking it.

1660/1680 are both unlocked but i dont recall if both are available. get whichever is cheaper.

Do you need ECC? If you dont need ECC than you are better off getting skylake X when it is released.

Skylake X will be cheaper and faster than Haswell E Xeons and will offer more cores and better clocks.
 
SomeGuy133 said:
1691 v3 doesnt exist to normal people. It was a custom order to big pocket firms according to lutjens. Intel scrubbed records after "accidentally" leaking it.

1660/1680 are both unlocked but i dont recall if both are available. get whichever is cheaper.

Do you need ECC? If you dont need ECC than you are better off getting skylake X when it is released.

Skylake X will be cheaper and faster than Haswell E Xeons and will offer more cores and better clocks.
Click to expand...


I've actually found a Xeon 1686 V3 in a HP Z640 for sale. The system has 64GB of DDR4, and it's at about $2,400 USD. It is being sold from the UK. It only has a lesser Quadro card in it.

This system is a 12 core haswell EP at 2.6Ghz base speed.

There is a 1680 V3 on eBay right now for $795 or best offer. It's a real OEM model pulled from a HP. He has (4) available.

With Dell offering a huge discount on there system it's almost better to buy one pre built. 40% off is tremendous.

I built a HP T5810 with a 1660V3 and a Quadro P5000. "gtx1080" equivalent, with 16gb gddr5X. And 32gb of ECC ddr4.

With the coupon I can get it for about $3,400.

The p5000 alone, cost $2,500 on Newegg lol. It's really crazy!
 
tps3443 said:
I've actually found a Xeon 1686 V3 in a HP Z640 for sale. The system has 64GB of DDR4, and it's at about $2,400 USD. It is being sold from the UK. It only has a lesser Quadro card in it.

This system is a 12 core haswell EP at 2.6Ghz base speed.

There is a 1680 V3 on eBay right now for $795 or best offer. It's a real OEM model pulled from a HP. He has (4) available.

With Dell offering a huge discount on there system it's almost better to buy one pre built. 40% off is tremendous.

I built a HP T5810 with a 1660V3 and a Quadro P5000. "gtx1080" equivalent, with 16gb gddr5X. And 32gb of ECC ddr4.

With the coupon I can get it for about $3,400.

The p5000 alone, cost $2,500 on Newegg lol. It's really crazy!
Click to expand...
was it unlocked?
 
SomeGuy133 said:
was it unlocked?
Click to expand...


I'm not sure if it's unlocked or not. I'm sure it is.. as all E5-1600 V3 and up CPU's are unlocked.

But even if it wasn't, $2,400 for a 12 core Haswell EP Xeon and 64gb of ECC memory is nothing to sneeze at.
 
tps3443 said:
I'm not sure if it's unlocked or not. I'm sure it is.. as all E5-1600 V3 and up CPU's are unlocked.

But even if it wasn't, $2,400 for a 12 core Haswell EP Xeon and 64gb of ECC memory is nothing to sneeze at.
Click to expand...
oh sorry it sounded like in first sentence you bought it/had it
 
tps3443 said:
I've actually found a Xeon 1686 V3 in a HP Z640 for sale. The system has 64GB of DDR4, and it's at about $2,400 USD. It is being sold from the UK. It only has a lesser Quadro card in it.

This system is a 12 core haswell EP at 2.6Ghz base speed.
Click to expand...

Link for the 1686?

SomeGuy133 said:
was it unlocked?
Click to expand...

Don't bet on it. Intel sat on these for quite while and likely reprocessed them and locked them (if they were unlocked from the get-go). I came across a E5-1681 V3 (also in a Z640) on eBay from Poland a while back. That processor was locked (the seller sent screenshots).
 
lutjens said:
Link for the 1686?



Don't bet on it. Intel sat on these for quite while and likely reprocessed them and locked them (if they were unlocked from the get-go). I came across a E5-1681 V3 (also in a Z640) on eBay from Poland a while back. That processor was locked (the seller sent screenshots).
Click to expand...
reprocessed them......

could the motherboard not supported OCing? Like maybe in an x99 board it could have been OC or with the right BIOS?

IIRCC some MB are locked to prevent OCing even on chips that are unlocked.
 
SomeGuy133 said:
reprocessed them......

could the motherboard not supported OCing? Like maybe in an x99 board it could have been OC or with the right BIOS?

IIRCC some MB are locked to prevent OCing even on chips that are unlocked.
Click to expand...

Sure, but in AIDA64, the min/max multiplier and the TDP limits show what the chip can do regardless of the motherboard.
 
I purchased a 1660 v3 (same as 5960x) on eBay a few weeks ago and it's unlocked. Running at 4.4Ghz with 1.28v. Only thing it's weak on is Memory speeds. My 6850K had no problem over 3200mhz ram speed however this Xeon doesn't like anything over 2400mhz.
 
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