Intel Xeon E5 Version 3: Up to 18 Haswell EP Cores
by Johan De Gelas on September 8, 2014 12:30 PM ESTDrupal Website: Performance per Watt
When we reviewed the Xeon E5-2600 v2, a performance per watt comparison was much more straightforward. Now we are faced with two different 2U-servers, with many similarities but also with some noteworthy differences. For example, the E5-2600 v3 based server is outfitted with six fans that can pull 1.6A, while our Xeon E5-2600 v2/v1 based server is outfitted with three fans that can pull 0.6A. If all fans are at their maximum RPM, the fans of the first server could easily pull 90W more. Also, our "Wildcat Pass" server still has to mature a bit as we are using a beta BIOS that has quite a few issues. Still, at idle, both servers are in the same ballpark.
The Haswell-EP reveals its mobile roots. The Idle power of the Xeon E5-2699 v3 is lower despite being a much larger chip than the Xeon E5-2697 v2, while both are baked upon the same process technology.
Next we measure the power consumed while keeping the response time at 100 ms. These are averages measured over a period of time. So basically we are measuring energy consumption, but we report the average power that was consumed over the same period of time.
It would be wrong to simply compare the numbers above as the Xeon E5-2695 and 2699 do considerably more work. However, it cannot be denied that the Xeon E5-2699 v3 and Xeon E5-2667 v3 are a lot more power hungry than the rest of the pack. Remember also that, as noted above, the fans of the server that hosted the Xeon E5 v3 consume quite a bit more, but at the moment we have not been able to determine how much.
Let's calculate performance per watt. Take the following graph with a grain of salt as the benchmark is not the most accurate (results tend to vary by 5-8%), but still it gives a rough idea of what you can expect.
The Xeon E5-2695 v3 is able to Turbo Boost to high clock speeds, which keeps the response time low. At the same time, the power consumption is limited. The Xeon E5-2699 v3 probably fires up the fans a lot higher, and that drives power consumption up as the fans in our server can consume quite a bit.
What this means is that TDP is once again a relatively decent predictor of actual power consumption. The lower TDP of the Xeon E5-2695 v3 (120w) materializes in real world power savings compared to the Xeon E5-2667 v3 (135W TDP) and Xeon E5-2699 v3 (145W TDP).
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MorinMoss - Friday, August 9, 2019 - link
Hello from 2019.AMD has a LOT of ground to make up but it's a new world and a new race
https://www.anandtech.com/show/14605/the-and-ryzen...
Kevin G - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
As an owner of a dual Opteron 6376 system, I shudder at how far behind that platform is. Then I look down and see that I have both of my kidneys as I didn't need to sell one for a pair of Xeons so I don't feel so bad. For the price of one E5-2660v3 I was able to pick up two Opteron 6376's.wallysb01 - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
But the rest of the system cost is about the same. So you get 1/2 the performance for a 10% discount. YEPPY!Kevin G - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
Nope. Build price after all the upgrades over the course of two years is some where around $3600 USD. The two Opterons accounted for a bit more than a third of that price. Not bad for 32 cores and 128 GB of memory. Even with Haswell-E being twice as fast, I'd have to spend nearly twice as much (CPU's cost twice as much as does DDR4 compared to when I bought my DDR3 memory). To put it into prespective, a single Xeon E5 2999v3 might be faster than my build but I was able to build an entire system for less than the price Intel's flagship server CPU.I will say something odd - component prices have increased since I purchased parts. RAM prices have gone up by 50% and the motherboard I use has seemingly increased in price by $100 due to scarcity. Enthusiast video card prices have also gotten crazy over the past couple of years so a high end video card is $100 more for top of the line in the consumer space.
wallysb01 - Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - link
Going to the E5 2699 isn’t needed. A pair of 2660 v3s is probably going to be nearly 2x as fast the 6376, especially for floating point where your 32 cores are more like 16 cores or for jobs that can’t use very many threads. True a pair of 2660s will be twice as expensive. On a total system it would add about $1.5K. We’ll have to wait for the workstation slanted view, but for an extra $1.5K, you’d probably have a workstation that’s much better at most tasks.Kevin G - Friday, September 12, 2014 - link
Actually if you're aiming to double the performance of a dual Opteron 6376, two E5-2695v3's look to be a good pick for that target according to this review. A pair of those will set you pack $4848 which is more than what my complete system build cost.Processors are only one component. So while a dual Xeon E5-2695v3 system would be twice as fast, total system cost is also approaching double due to memory and motherboard pricing differences.
Kahenraz - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
I'm running a 6376 server as well and, although I too yearn for improved single-threaded performance, I could actually afford to own this one. As delicious as these Intel processors are, they are not priced for us mere mortals.From a price/performance standpoint, I would still build another Opteron server unless I knew that single-threaded performance was critical.
JDG1980 - Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - link
The E5-2630 v3 is cheaper than the Opteron 6376 and I would be very surprised if it didn't offer better performance.Kahenraz - Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - link
6376s can be had very cheaply on the second-hand market, especially bundled with a motherboard. Additionally, the E5-2630 v3 requires both a premium on the board and DDR4 memory.I'd wager you could still build an Opteron 6376 system for half or less.
Kevin G - Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - link
It'd only be fair to go with the second hand market for the E5-2630v3's but being new means they don't exist. :)Still going by new prices, an Opteron 6376 will be cheaper but roughly 33% from what I can tell. You're correct that the new Xeon's have a premium pricing on motherboards and DDR4 memory.