Compare Xeon and Ryzen 5 2600 processors for performance and use cases.
Compare Xeon and Ryzen 5 2600 processors for performance and use cases.
They each stand out individually after OCing, often matching or slightly outperforming a comparable Zen+ chip with 4-4.2 cores.
Some options for the 4c/8t and 6c/12t models on reverse engineered boards exist, but they’re mostly restricted to particular Xeons—usually the lower-end ones. The top-tier versions like the x5690 are costly and slower by modern standards. Always check what board you’re getting before purchasing. I’ve heard that certain boards only work with the CPU included in the combo kit. I’m really hesitant to buy a combo right now, as it would cost around $130-150 and I don’t want to miss out.
At the high level, a 6c/12t Westmere-EP chip might match a stock R5 1600 pre-spectre/meltdown issues, but they're currently lagging. The 2011 chips can stand up to Zen+, those and the 2011-3 models.
In 2011, the Sandy/Ivy CPUs offered solid IPC performance compared to Zen+, though they were limited by their clock speeds. I chose an E5-2667 paired with a Chinese X79 motherboard for a mix of speed and stability. It runs at 2.9 GHz base, 3.5 GHz single core boost, and around 3.2 GHz during all-core turbo. I’m not sure about the exact specs of my previous model, but it was close to 4 GHz stock all-core performance. The Xeon would match a regular 1600 in speed. Adding the motherboard and affordable ECC RAM made the overall package more economical than a used 2600 today.
They'll surpass the Zen+ chips on an X79 board because most can reach 4.2-4.5, with some hitting 4.6 or more. If you can't overclock then they lack that timing edge and fall behind. High-quality X79 OC boards are typically costly (especially versus budget B450 boards), which quickly diminishes their appeal if you're focused on beating the Ryzens.
Another choice could be i7 2600, what do you think about e5 2420v2? Check this video.
I recommend checking out E5 2660v2 models; they function well on my home storage server. Some sources mention they perform nicely when paired with a decent GPU.