Xeon Stepping Questions - differences

stim141 · 03-18-2006, 11:09 PM

Anyone know the basic differences/creation dates for Xeon's? Would a B0 step considered earlier than a C1 or are the letters arbitrary?

h20-ski · 03-18-2006, 11:57 PM

Well for the most part the most recent version of the processor is in order with the letter. So a B0 more than likely came before a C1, but this is only good for the same manufactoring process, ie 130nm, 90nm.

Just out of curiousity why just Xeons?

stim141 · 03-19-2006, 08:53 AM

Planning to upgrade an existing 860 board that has dual cpus. Read somewhere that the B stepping processors had flaw with hyperthreading where it really killed your performance. See a lot of B0's on eBay and finding a C or D is harder. Found a spec sheet on the reported problems on Intel's site late last night and this was confirmed. They seemed to have fixed the problem on the C's and D's - seems like you can get a hardlock with certain apps or threading situations and there is not software workaround. Since the B0's were really Intel's first stab at hyperthreading in the Xeon its understandable.

DeusExMachina · 03-19-2006, 09:29 AM

Tech relative had to convince some graphics majors to convert their older Xeons to just P4's because their, then very expensive dual Xeon boxes, couldn't keep up. They actually got 2 computers for the price of one -- which for renderers truly a better deal.

Didn't know it was due to the stepping issue, but he said those older Xeons were crippled on graphic production. Took a-l-o-t of convincing to convert the kids to P4s, but in the end they were thrilled (less money to spend on hardware).

Some of the Art profs really need to check the specs before demanding certain hardware, and spare their students a financial mistake ($10,000 computers aren't cheap!).

DXM

h20-ski · 03-20-2006, 01:26 AM

As long as you go with a C1 or newer you should not have any problems. I have tested a pair of C1's and they did not have any problems. What is the max FSB of the 860 platform?

stim141 · 03-20-2006, 03:25 PM

Max is only 400Mhz / 603 pin, would have liked the 533/604 pin without Rambus but the cost of these even used are pretty pricey. Bought an Intellistation M Pro 6850 with dual 2.0's and 512MB ram with two 36GB SCSI for 225. Adding memory is a major expense - RDRAM is not dropping in price (512MB for 100)! When I opened the box last week I was shocked. The system looked unused, not a scratch or spec of dust which is pretty surprising since it was supposedly produced about 3 1/2 years ago. For 225 it was a complete steal and a friend gave me another pair of 256's so I have at least 1mb. With hyperthreading enabled its pretty fast but I'd like to scope out a set of 2.4's or 2.6's. The 2.8's would be perfect but cost $$$$. Running dual 2.0's is more than adequate but for any video/audio manipulation the faster the better.

h20-ski · 03-20-2006, 08:49 PM

That is one heck of a steal. But if you feel the need to upgrade there are 3 good 875P based motherboards that give superb performance.

03-18-2006, 11:09 PM	#1
stim141 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: St Louis, MO Posts: 64	Xeon Stepping Questions - differences Anyone know the basic differences/creation dates for Xeon's? Would a B0 step considered earlier than a C1 or are the letters arbitrary? __________________ Asus P4C800-E DLX Rev 2.0 Intel P4 2.6 EE Corsair TwinX512 3200LL Intellistation Dual 2.4's HT with 4GB's 1 Terrabyte SCSI 320's.
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03-18-2006, 11:57 PM	#2
h20-ski Forget Wakeboarding Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,460	Well for the most part the most recent version of the processor is in order with the letter. So a B0 more than likely came before a C1, but this is only good for the same manufactoring process, ie 130nm, 90nm. Just out of curiousity why just Xeons? __________________
(Offline)

03-19-2006, 08:53 AM	#3
stim141 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: St Louis, MO Posts: 64	Planning to upgrade an existing 860 board that has dual cpus. Read somewhere that the B stepping processors had flaw with hyperthreading where it really killed your performance. See a lot of B0's on eBay and finding a C or D is harder. Found a spec sheet on the reported problems on Intel's site late last night and this was confirmed. They seemed to have fixed the problem on the C's and D's - seems like you can get a hardlock with certain apps or threading situations and there is not software workaround. Since the B0's were really Intel's first stab at hyperthreading in the Xeon its understandable. __________________ Asus P4C800-E DLX Rev 2.0 Intel P4 2.6 EE Corsair TwinX512 3200LL Intellistation Dual 2.4's HT with 4GB's 1 Terrabyte SCSI 320's.
(Offline)

03-19-2006, 09:29 AM	#4
DeusExMachina ABX Folder Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: The Empire State Posts: 477	Tech relative had to convince some graphics majors to convert their older Xeons to just P4's because their, then very expensive dual Xeon boxes, couldn't keep up. They actually got 2 computers for the price of one -- which for renderers truly a better deal. Didn't know it was due to the stepping issue, but he said those older Xeons were crippled on graphic production. Took a-l-o-t of convincing to convert the kids to P4s, but in the end they were thrilled (less money to spend on hardware). Some of the Art profs really need to check the specs before demanding certain hardware, and spare their students a financial mistake ($10,000 computers aren't cheap!). DXM
(Offline)

03-20-2006, 01:26 AM	#5
h20-ski Forget Wakeboarding Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,460	As long as you go with a C1 or newer you should not have any problems. I have tested a pair of C1's and they did not have any problems. What is the max FSB of the 860 platform? __________________
(Offline)

03-20-2006, 03:25 PM	#6
stim141 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: St Louis, MO Posts: 64	Max is only 400Mhz / 603 pin, would have liked the 533/604 pin without Rambus but the cost of these even used are pretty pricey. Bought an Intellistation M Pro 6850 with dual 2.0's and 512MB ram with two 36GB SCSI for 225. Adding memory is a major expense - RDRAM is not dropping in price (512MB for 100)! When I opened the box last week I was shocked. The system looked unused, not a scratch or spec of dust which is pretty surprising since it was supposedly produced about 3 1/2 years ago. For 225 it was a complete steal and a friend gave me another pair of 256's so I have at least 1mb. With hyperthreading enabled its pretty fast but I'd like to scope out a set of 2.4's or 2.6's. The 2.8's would be perfect but cost $$$$. Running dual 2.0's is more than adequate but for any video/audio manipulation the faster the better. __________________ Asus P4C800-E DLX Rev 2.0 Intel P4 2.6 EE Corsair TwinX512 3200LL Intellistation Dual 2.4's HT with 4GB's 1 Terrabyte SCSI 320's.
(Offline)

03-20-2006, 08:49 PM	#7
h20-ski Forget Wakeboarding Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,460	That is one heck of a steal. But if you feel the need to upgrade there are 3 good 875P based motherboards that give superb performance. __________________
(Offline)

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