Intel Xeon vs Intel Core CPUs | Which one is better?

The Intel i9 14900K with 24 cores, is priced at ₹60,000 - then why does a 20 core Xeon CPU cost 5 TIMES MORE?? In Fact even the benchmarks show that the i9 is much better in Performance. So why is it priced at 2.5 Lakh rupees? Let's talk about Intel Xeon Workstations.

So the Xeon W7 3445 - is actually for Workstations, and not Servers - most people think that Xeon CPUs are only for servers. but last year Intel launched a new lineup, the Xeon W series which is a HEDT platform - i.e High End Desktops.

So even though i9’s performance is high end, it lacks any server-grade features compared to the Xeon W series.

HEDT is a platform which sits between PCs & Servers. Which means you get all the benefits of a Server-grade CPU while being able to fit it in a Desktop and also be affordable enough for an Individual or Professional.

Even though 2.5 Lakhs is a large sum for a CPU, Server CPUs are even more expensive - One server can easily cost anywhere from 50 Lakhs to even 3-5 Crores. So in comparison, Xeon W series is much more cost effective.

So if you’re an ML engineer, VFX artist, or a tech-enabled startup - and you don’t have the budget for a full fledged server, but still want that server-grade features to improve your workflow, the HEDT platform is made for you.  So what are these Server-Grade Features? and how do they help any of these people.

#1 Performance

Now for Intel Core CPUs - you get a combination of 8 Performance and 16 Efficiency cores. So while the i9 has 24 cores - it only has 36 threads, because only the performance cores support multi-threading - the remaining efficiency cores are not really as powerful as the Performance Cores.

But the Xeon W7 has all 20 performance cores - with 40 threads. This improves your multi-core performance simply because they are stronger cores. Desktop applications on the i9 might run better but in RAW numbers, the All Performance cores get ahead.

And that’s not it - apart from the CPU performance, Xeon CPUs also support higher and better performance for the entire system.

It has 112 Gen5 PCI-e Lanes, so it can support upto 7 GPUs in a single system - which is great for building a Render Machine or AI Training / Inference Server.

It also has support for upto 4 TB of RAM, which translates to having support for large datasets, in 3D and AI.

And due to its additional support of a dedicated AI accelerator, one of our clients was able to run the 13B parameter Llama 3, entirely on the Xeon CPU - just because of the high RAM capacity. Running LLMs on CPUs result in having a much higher accuracy of the outputs.

So another usecase can be to build Stock Trading Algorithms with a much higher accuracy than GPUs, more on that here.

#2 Stability

Xeon CPUs are rated to run 24/7 for 365 days. With ECC (Error Correction Code) RAM support. And this is really great for AI model trainers & VFX studios, this enables you to create render or training farms and free up your personal & teammates systems. So none of your time is wasted simply because your PC was “rendering” or “training”.

Also the ECC memory results to less crashes in Renders & Training.

You can offload your entire team’s renders to this system - which can easily 2x your team’s output.

Now, if it runs 24/7 365 - you might wonder, what about the electricity costs??

and that leads to the 3rd benefit.

#3 Efficiency

Even after having 20 full performance cores, the power draw of this CPU is less than the i9 - This is because Xeon CPUs are built on a different architecture (Rapid Sapphire) which is purpose made for efficiency & stability. 

This will easily reduce your electricity costs, up to 1.5x when measured in years of usage. and the Xeon ecosystem is even more efficient because of the next benefit.

#4 Scalability

Xeon Motherboards also come with the option of adding up to 2 or even 4 CPUs in a single system - which makes it more cost-&-power efficient, simply because you don’t need to buy a new system for every upgrade.

It also comes with a lot of extra security features to prevent hacking and data breaches.

And that was all you needed to know about the Intel Xeon W CPUs. They're more powerful, more stable, more efficient, more scalable and finally more secure.

And that perfectly sums up why this Xeon costs 2 and a half lakhs, instead of just ₹60,000.

If you found this helpful - share it with your team, and if you’re looking for HEDT Workstations - you can visit our website or one of our stores in Gurgaon, Bangalore, Mumbai & Hyderabad.

Even if you’re not in one of those cities - We’re shipping Nationally since 2015.

Until next time - Cheers!