2011v3 xeon vs i7

Hey guys I am in dire need of a new system. I don't really want to drop money on a dead socket and the 2011v3 looks like the best choice. it handles the ddr4 tech and my track record for upgrading, we will see ddr5 by then =) lol. Last time I bought memory DDR 1 was the new tech. I have gotten hand me downs here and there and finally upgraded to ddr2 this year =) Anyways back to the build. I want to enter into 2011v3 as cheap as i can so I can spend more money on the graphics portion. I could save almost 200 bucks if I started out with Xeon. Here is the link to that processor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117482

What worries me is the 1.6 Ghz core speed. I think it will hinder what little gaming potential it has. I haven't bought a new PC game since Battlefield 2 and EQ expansions. I am wanting to get back into gaming because Lichdom battlemage, Landmark, and Everquest Next. I also am planning on getting the next battle field on PC. Console ruined me on battlefield 4.

If I do not get the Xeon I will be getting http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117402 and just get a 960 or 280x.

Only other thing I will be doing is Maya, Photoshop, Mudbox, and Zbrush. Right now I am doing this stuff on a Macbook pro. I really do not like apple products. Once you buy an apple product congrats you now have a paper weight in a few years. =) I would game with it but it only has Iris pro graphics and I hear that it does not handle gaming very well.

 

Anyways I want to know the opionons of the masses. Would the Xeon handle what little gaming I want to do if paired with a 290x or a 970?

The xeon will be adequate for gaming. Not being exceptional or terrible. Any boost you get with the xeon will be in non-gaming applications.

I know its not the preferred choice for gaming. Since I have to buy everything for my system I was wanting to go as cheap as I could then next year upgrading to a 40lane i7. I was really worry that the low clock speed would make gaming unbearable.

personally gonna say stay away from that Xeon. its low speed makes it more ideal for a rackmount server where cooling is a bit tougher. honestly would say to do it and do it right the first time and get the i7 or a higher clocked xeon. the 1650v3 was a good one but cant seem to be found anymore.

I was actually considering going that route, but I got a CM 140XL and don't want it to go to waste. The 2603 v3 should be good for most tasks, however will perform around a current i3 in games. In multi-threaded programs it will beat an i5 however not an i7. It really depends on what you do more; game or more professional tasks. If you game, you can stop eating for a week or two and get an i7 5820k or go Z97 with an i5, if you do mostly other things your fine with a 2603 V3. 

i would concider a 5820k realy,

If a 5820k is too expensive for you, Then why not concider a Xeon E3-1231-V3 with a cheap H97 mobo? this is basicly a 4790 without igpu. it has a turbo speed of 3.8 ghz. and it has 4 cores 8 threads.

Of if you can afford a 4790K with Z97 board. is also a good option. the 4790K has a stock turbo clock of 4.4GHz so that will be slightly faster then the Xeon E3.

^ This.

The Xeons in the 1150 socket fit your price range, perform as well as i5/i7s in gaming, and still support things like XMP for higher memory speeds (although that is really a BIOS deal anymore). Maybe splurge a little and get a Z97 board for any possible later upgrade, but H97 really is a sweet spot since you won't be overclocking.

I found the xeon 1620v3 for the 2011v3 boards its just short of 300 bucks and has a nice clock speed of 3.5. I think that would be a good starting chip for that socket. Only bad thing is the 10mb l3 cache 4 cores compared to the 5820k 15MB cache and 6 cores.

1620V3 would not be bad as it has a reasonable clock speed on it. dont worry so much about the cache and core count, the important part is that you would be on the 2011-3 socket, which leaves you with an upgrade path later on if you run into a performance wall. i had this issue with my brother's build, amd has a bad upgrade path. so do i give him lower end intel BUT give him a clear path of upgrading if needed or find something from AMD that works but may not always have enough performance for him. same thing for you, do you go top end mainstream or low end enthusiast. if you can get the 1620v3, i say jump on it. if you need more perf you can always pick up a server borad and off the xeon into it and then put in a new 5820k or 5930k or whatever.