Hardware Canucks - xeon processors

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- - xeon processors (http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/cpus-motherboards/49637-xeon-processors.html)

why are they so much better than regular processors? are they actually faster because of the way they are designed? or is there just some delusion that they are faster? in general, if they aren't faster, what makes them so great?
I did some research, but couldn't find anything other than that they are Intels server CPU and "should" be used in server motherboards but can normally be used in regular motherboards as long as the socket is the same. as well as having better support for multiple processors.

For the most part they're just binned differently. Usually for better thermals and/or power consumption. They also often have more server oriented features.

Doesn't necessarily make them better than regular CPU's, just different.

binned differently? could you expand on that a bit?
and what is considered "server oriented features" like better virtualization support?

difference between Xeon and i7 is that the Xeon supports ECC memory, the i7 does not.

also ECC memory $$$$

Quote:

Originally Posted by QPI's

The Intel QuickPath Interconnect is a point-to-point processor interconnect developed by Intel which replaces the Front Side Bus (FSB) in Xeon, Itanium, and certain desktop platforms. It was designed to compete with HyperTransport. Intel first delivered it in November 2008 on the Intel Core i7-9xx desktop processors and X58 chipset. Intel developed QPI at its Massachusetts Microprocessor Design Center (MMDC) by members of what had been DEC's Alpha Development Group, which Intel acquired from Compaq and HP. Prior to the name's announcement, Intel referred to it as Common System Interface (CSI). Earlier incarnations were known as YAP (Yet Another Protocol) and YAP+.

Product binning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dual processor server boards require processors that support dual QPI's, which is usually limited to Xeon processors.

ok, so better support for more fault tolerant hardware.
I thought they were significantly different from regular hardware? or by binned differently did you mean that it has much stricter checks?
EDIT: the key reason for this thread is that I was asking a folder what hardware he was folding on and the I7 was getting a few thousand PPD while the xeons were getting a couple hundred thousand PPD. so I was wondering if they were in some way significantly different that would help that.

extra hyperlink combined with ECC memory on core logic

xeon has more then desktop cpu's

They have much tighter tolerances, ECC, and generally when it comes to binning they are more quick to pick out its faults and good parts, both good and bad obviously, I also believe Xeons as it stands are the only ones that are capable of being used in a dual cpu fashion, I do not believe standard I7 as an example can because they do not have as many links to QPI as Xeons do, but this obviously drives the cost up.

Generally speaking, Xeons over the years compared to standard desktop CPU were simply more stable, though they didnt seem to have as much overclocking headroom, they also had less bsod, crashes and such.

So to put it simple, they are targeted to servers and mission critical apps/tasks, there is a reason behind why they charge as much as they do, are they faster, not generally speaking, but, if crashing and such is taken into account, they can be.

Some of them were worth getting though, but most are just an extra cost for nothing, the newest ones though are some kind of insane but also cost a pretty dollar as well, but they have far more stuffed under thier hood then desktop parts, more now then they ever did.