Intel Xeon E3-1230Lv3 1.8GHz “Haswell” 25W CPU Review

Conclusion

Pricing

Intel’s Xeon E3-1230Lv3 CPU has a tray price of $250 USD though availability is somewhat scarce at the moment as the CPU is difficult to come by. The enterprise server-grade SuperMicro C7Z87-OCE motherboard we used to test with also costs around $250 USD. In the UK those two prices are around £220.

Conclusion

So we’ve shown you a range of synthetic and productivity related benchmarks, as well as a gaming benchmark for good measure. The results clearly show the Intel Xeon E3-1230L is an impressive processor – we see very punchy performance for a processor that is so power frugal with just a 25W TDP. At maximum CPU load the Xeon E3-1230Lv3 based system pulled just 93W compared to 120W with the Core i7 4770K at stock, under other forms of load we were seeing on average 20-35W less system power consumption. Considering the Core i7 4770K is already a very efficient CPU the Xeon E3-1230Lv3 is all the more impressive. It also showed dramatically lower CPU temperatures making it even more ideal for a server grade environment. While it certainly isn’t the most exciting processor in the world, you have to consider the possibilities it offers:

• A low power high performance gaming PC
• A low power platform for GPU Compute tasks such as Scrypt mining or Folding
• A high performance yet low power home file server or media streaming server
• A 24/7 operational workstation PC
• A security or CCTV station system

These are just a few of the possibilities the Intel Xeon E3-1230Lv3 CPU paired with a server grade motherboard like the SuperMicro CZ87-OCE offer. You could in theory run this system 24/7 for an entire year at 100% CPU load and you’d only rack up 2.184 Kilowatt hours per day or 797.16 Kilowatt hours per year. On the other hand using something like the Core i7 4770K at 100% CPU usage would offer you more performance but rack up 2.88 Kilowatt hours per day or 1051.2 Kilowatt hours per year. At an energy price of $0.10 you’d be saving about $25.40 per year while at $0.15 you’d save about $38.10 per year. Of course usage is going to vary so these are only speculative figures but over an extended period of time the Intel Xeon E3-1230Lv3 looks like an incredibly sensible option for a 24/7 operation system that you need to offer server grade reliability, and minimise energy usage. In the UK where electricity prices are around £0.15-0.20 a saving of £38.10-£50.80 per year is actually a very substantial figure and over a period of 2-3 years (in which energy prices are only likely to rise further) the savings all add up nicely.

Pros

• Power efficiency
• Performance for its TDP
• Low temperatures
• Works in Z87 and other consumer motherboards

Cons

• Expensive
• Limited availability

Thank you to Intel for providing this review sample.