Intel Xeon 1231v3 Review - Comparison Vs 4690k (@ 4.6ghz + 5820k @ 4.2ghz)

### A Comprehensive Review of the Intel Xeon 1231 v3 CPU for Home and Gaming Workstations

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#### Introduction

Welcome back, everyone! My name is Barak, and today I’m excited to bring you a quick review of the **Intel Xeon 1231 v3** CPU. This processor is part of the Haswell refresh line from Intel, which came about due to delays in the Broadwell architecture. In this video, I’ll focus on how this CPU performs for home users, particularly those building gaming PCs or workstations.

I recently built a hybrid gaming workstation using this CPU, and it performed exceptionally well. So, let’s dive into what you get with the Xeon 1231 v3, its performance benchmarks, and why it might be a great choice for your next build.

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#### What's in the Box?

The **Intel Xeon 1231 v3** comes packaged like any other Intel CPU. Inside, you’ll find:

- The CPU itself

- A detailed manual

- A standard three-year warranty

- A high-quality cooler (more on that later)

One of the standout features of this CPU is the included cooling solution. Unlike cheaper variants, the Xeon 1231 v3 comes with a better heatsink and fan setup, complete with copper base plates. This makes it suitable for users who might want to stick with the stock cooler for simplicity.

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#### Hardware Specifications

Here’s a breakdown of what makes the **Xeon 1231 v3** tick:

- **Base Clock:** 3.4 GHz (up from 3.3 GHz in the previous generation, the Xeon 1230 v3).

- **Turbo Boost:** Up to 3.8 GHz on two cores and 3.6 GHz on all four cores, depending on your motherboard’s BIOS settings.

For example, using a **B85 Pro Gamer** motherboard, I was able to push the CPU up to 3.8 GHz on all cores without issues. However, it’s worth noting that most B85 and H87 motherboards don’t allow for base clock overclocking, which would have allowed me to extract even more performance from this CPU.

Another notable feature is the **8MB of L3 cache**, which is double the amount found in the i7 4670K. This makes the Xeon 1231 v3 a fantastic choice for multi-threaded workloads, such as video editing or rendering tasks.

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#### Features and Functionality

The **Xeon 1231 v3** comes with a range of features, many of which are more suited to enterprise environments rather than home users. These include:

- Error-correcting code (ECC) memory support (disabled on consumer motherboards).

- Advanced power management.

- Virtualization technology.

For the average user or gamer, these features won’t make a noticeable difference in performance. However, they do highlight why Xeon CPUs are often preferred by businesses and professionals who need rock-solid reliability and scalability.

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#### Benchmarks: How Does It Compare?

I ran some quick benchmarks to see how the **Xeon 1231 v3** stacks up against one of its main competitors, the **i7 4670K** at 4.6 GHz.

- In gaming-heavy applications like **ARMA 3** and **Planetside 2**, the i7 4670K still edges out the Xeon due to its higher single-core performance.

- However, in multi-threaded workloads (e.g., video editing or rendering), the Xeon 1231 v3 showed better performance thanks to its superior L3 cache and efficient multi-core architecture.

It’s also worth mentioning that the **Xeon 1231 v3** consumes significantly less power than the i7 4670K, making it a more budget-friendly option for those looking to save on electricity costs.

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#### Who Should Buy This CPU?

The **Intel Xeon 1231 v3** is a great middle-ground option for users who want:

- Balanced performance for gaming and workstation applications.

- Low power consumption and heat output.

- A cost-effective alternative to higher-end CPUs like the i7 4670K or AMD’s FX 8320.

If you’re building a budget gaming PC or a compact workstation, this CPU delivers excellent value for its price (around $250 or more depending on market availability).

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#### Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Overall, I’m really impressed with the **Xeon 1231 v3**. It’s a versatile CPU that excels in both gaming and productivity tasks while maintaining low power consumption. My only wish is that Intel would enable base clock overclocking for this processor, as it would allow enthusiasts to extract even more performance without much hassle.

If you’re on the fence about whether to go with the Xeon 1231 v3 or another CPU like the **FX 8320** or **i7 4670K**, consider your use case:

- If gaming is your primary focus, stick with the i7 4670K.

- If you need a budget-friendly option for workstations or light gaming, the Xeon 1231 v3 is an excellent choice.

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#### A Note on BIOS Compatibility

Before you jump into buying this CPU, there’s one crucial thing to note: **not all B85 motherboards support the 3.8 GHz boost**. I’ve tested multiple BIOS revisions, and only the first version of the B85 Pro Gamer’s BIOS worked for me. If you’re planning to use a B85 or H87 motherboard, make sure your BIOS supports this feature—it’s worth the extra effort to get that extra 200 MHz of performance!

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#### Conclusion

The **Intel Xeon 1231 v3** is an undervalued gem for home users looking for a balanced CPU that delivers excellent performance across gaming and workstation applications. While it may not be as flashy as the i7 4670K, its ability to perform well while consuming less power makes it a fantastic choice for those on a budget or for those who prioritize efficiency.

If you enjoyed this review, don’t forget to give it a thumbs up and leave your questions in the comments below! Catch you all in another tech video soon—peace out!

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*End of Article*

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso let's do a quick review of the Z on 12/31 beat 3 so this is the Haswell refresh of the Xeon CPUs welcome back to take s it is Barak I'm about you guys today with a quick review of the xeon 1231 v3 now this review is going to be more focused on using this cpu for the end home user that is someone who's going to use it in a workstation a gaming pc and or both maybe suitably i recently built this rig in the background that I did a whole build guide using this CPU for a hybrid gaming workstation and it performed really well and so we're going to quickly go through what you get in the box then we'll run some quick benchmarks against the 4 670 K because that's basic it's mainly I think that's the main competition that is just going up against and then I'll do a quick conclusion and rundown for you guys so the xeon 1231 v3 is essentially a refresh of the Haswell CPUs that they decided to do because of the delays in Broadwell now specifically with this cpu you essentially get a base clock of 3.4 gigs which is a hundred megahertz higher than the previous gen 1230 v3 also the turbo clock enables us to go up to three point eight gigs on two cores and 3.6 gig on all-cause though if you've got the right BIOS on the right motherboard I'm pacifically pointing to this b85 pro gamer here you'll be able to get this thing up to three point eight gigs on all-cause now unfortunately for me it doesn't go any higher because there's no option to up the B clock I think that's disabled on most be 85 and h87 boards I think you need civically AKC PU to unlock that feature which is a little bit disappointing because I like to extract as an enthusiast the most value I can out of my products and I certainly know that this thing running at 3.8 gigs at point nine nine volts is certainly able to get up to four gigahertz at the very least with a 105 megahertz speed on the base clock however let's talk about also the product essentially you're getting a CPU with eight megabytes of level-3 money on board a little bit more than the four 670 K so in the box you get the CPU which comes packaged just like any other CPU you get the manual with a three year warranty and more it most interestingly enough you get a the better variant of the two head sinks that in telling with the four cores so this one has the copper base plates a little bit heavier than the cheaper variant you also get the better fan as well so the Xeon actually has a better fan then the i7 and the i5 and the i3 variants and the Pentiums as well so that's a good thing if you are going to just use the stock cooling on this arm CPU like I've done in my rig in the background here so with this CPU as well you also get some features that are enabled and disabled compared to the desktop variants though for the end home user and the average game of the average person doing workstation applications is not going to make a difference at all it's more for an enterprise or a large business that needs to worry about these features that's about it for the actual hardware side of things with the CPU you guys are probably wondering how it performs in the benchmarks so I'll just run through some quick benchmarks for you guys and you can see how it goes against the four 670 K at 4.6 gigs so in conclusion what can I say about the 1231 v3 CPU from Intel well a lot of good besides the initial expensive face value of this CPU so this thing will run you up around about $250 or more however besides that the CPU in my opinion just synergizes the best out of any Intel Haswell CPU out there you can couple it with a cheap b85 motherboard get it to three point eight gigs on the stock heatsink fan and then get some cheap ddr3 memory and you're good to go you're going to be doing workstation applications absolutely fine you're going to be gaming absolutely fine and you're going to get that low power consumption which is going to keep temperatures down in your rig as well as in your actual house as well and it's going to keep little bit of savings on the power bill now that depends on where you live and I have been criticized about saying I should stop talking about power savings but I can't because I pay like thirty five cents a kilowatt-hour and it actually adds up for me so CPU like this has a lot of benefits and not a lot of disadvantages now I will say one thing and that is who's this for essentially it's for someone who is just looking for a really balanced CPU for the money how does it compare against the 467 TK well in ARMA 3 it doesn't do as well in planetside 2 it doesn't do as well however in those multi-threaded games it does edge out the 46 70 K at 4.6 gigs which was an impressive feature with the CPU and then when it came to workstation applications it again edged out the 4 670 K whilst using a lot less power not requiring a z97 or z87 motherboard and also using less power than the 4 670 K so ultimately it does get my approval if you're looking for a better variant of the 4 670 K now its benefits as well it's also doesn't and one thing to mention I forgot to mention the review as well it doesn't have the onboard HD graphics are enabled on this particular CPU so you will not be able to quick sink as well as not having a graphics card option there if you're not using a main graphics card say for instance your graphics card is faulty and you need to send it back and you need to use a rig in the meantime that HD graphics can come in handy they'll benefit of not having an onboard is you're using slightly less power again because it's just completely disabled so that's what the HD grab is quick sync though is I hear it's gaining a lot of traffic traction for streaming so if you're a streamer than you may wish to look at the for 790 ko2 for 770 or for 790 because they have the HD graphics which will enable you to use Quick Sync so now's the big question should you get this or should you get the FX 8320 or should you get the 467 TK and that depends on what you're looking for if you're looking for the best performance on those CPU intensive games at a predominantly single-threaded planetside 2 comes to mind also ARMA 3 comes to mind then you're probably going to want to get a 460 70 K and overclock the living out of it but if you're looking for something that's and you're on a real budget and you're doing work stable work station applications then you may wish to get an FX 8320 for a hundred or 120 dollars get it on a cheap motherboard and utilize those eight cores though if you're looking for something that sort of is the jack of all trades master of none except for performance per what it is the master of that then you're looking at the 1231 v3 it's a good CPU that does gaming really well it's a good CPU that does workstation applications really well and it all does that whilst using the least amount of power possible so I do like this CPU and I do like where it's at especially for someone like me so it depends on who you are at the end of the day I also like being a little bit different not everyone's using a Xeon especially on a b85 motherboard so I kind of like where the CPU is at the moment I would like to see it a little bit cheaper possibly that's always a great thing and I would like to see Intel enable B clock over or base clock overclocking on this so I can get a little bit more performance out of this CPU that'd be a great feature to have and I'd like to see them do that especially since they have been doing some good things with the 5820k and the 32:58 so I just like to see them enable B clock overclock I mean there's pretty much no reason not to enable that people know what it is they know the feature they know it can be dangerous so just enable that please give us enthusiasts a chance to get a bit more performance out of this thing so now guys that's about it for the 1231 v3 I hope you enjoyed this review if you did please give it a thumbs up if you have any questions about the 1231 v3 then leave a comment the comment section below another thing to mention too is if you're getting this motherboard there's only one revision of the BIOS that will work to get it to 3.8 gigs it's the first boss released I've tested all the other biases out and they don't get it to 3.8 gigs so that's something you might want to think about as well maybe if you've got to be 85 motherboard only one particular biased revision will be able to get it up to three point eight gigs and hey it's an extra two hundred megahertz of performance so you deserve it anyway guys that's about it I'll catch you in another tech video very soon peace out for now byeso let's do a quick review of the Z on 12/31 beat 3 so this is the Haswell refresh of the Xeon CPUs welcome back to take s it is Barak I'm about you guys today with a quick review of the xeon 1231 v3 now this review is going to be more focused on using this cpu for the end home user that is someone who's going to use it in a workstation a gaming pc and or both maybe suitably i recently built this rig in the background that I did a whole build guide using this CPU for a hybrid gaming workstation and it performed really well and so we're going to quickly go through what you get in the box then we'll run some quick benchmarks against the 4 670 K because that's basic it's mainly I think that's the main competition that is just going up against and then I'll do a quick conclusion and rundown for you guys so the xeon 1231 v3 is essentially a refresh of the Haswell CPUs that they decided to do because of the delays in Broadwell now specifically with this cpu you essentially get a base clock of 3.4 gigs which is a hundred megahertz higher than the previous gen 1230 v3 also the turbo clock enables us to go up to three point eight gigs on two cores and 3.6 gig on all-cause though if you've got the right BIOS on the right motherboard I'm pacifically pointing to this b85 pro gamer here you'll be able to get this thing up to three point eight gigs on all-cause now unfortunately for me it doesn't go any higher because there's no option to up the B clock I think that's disabled on most be 85 and h87 boards I think you need civically AKC PU to unlock that feature which is a little bit disappointing because I like to extract as an enthusiast the most value I can out of my products and I certainly know that this thing running at 3.8 gigs at point nine nine volts is certainly able to get up to four gigahertz at the very least with a 105 megahertz speed on the base clock however let's talk about also the product essentially you're getting a CPU with eight megabytes of level-3 money on board a little bit more than the four 670 K so in the box you get the CPU which comes packaged just like any other CPU you get the manual with a three year warranty and more it most interestingly enough you get a the better variant of the two head sinks that in telling with the four cores so this one has the copper base plates a little bit heavier than the cheaper variant you also get the better fan as well so the Xeon actually has a better fan then the i7 and the i5 and the i3 variants and the Pentiums as well so that's a good thing if you are going to just use the stock cooling on this arm CPU like I've done in my rig in the background here so with this CPU as well you also get some features that are enabled and disabled compared to the desktop variants though for the end home user and the average game of the average person doing workstation applications is not going to make a difference at all it's more for an enterprise or a large business that needs to worry about these features that's about it for the actual hardware side of things with the CPU you guys are probably wondering how it performs in the benchmarks so I'll just run through some quick benchmarks for you guys and you can see how it goes against the four 670 K at 4.6 gigs so in conclusion what can I say about the 1231 v3 CPU from Intel well a lot of good besides the initial expensive face value of this CPU so this thing will run you up around about $250 or more however besides that the CPU in my opinion just synergizes the best out of any Intel Haswell CPU out there you can couple it with a cheap b85 motherboard get it to three point eight gigs on the stock heatsink fan and then get some cheap ddr3 memory and you're good to go you're going to be doing workstation applications absolutely fine you're going to be gaming absolutely fine and you're going to get that low power consumption which is going to keep temperatures down in your rig as well as in your actual house as well and it's going to keep little bit of savings on the power bill now that depends on where you live and I have been criticized about saying I should stop talking about power savings but I can't because I pay like thirty five cents a kilowatt-hour and it actually adds up for me so CPU like this has a lot of benefits and not a lot of disadvantages now I will say one thing and that is who's this for essentially it's for someone who is just looking for a really balanced CPU for the money how does it compare against the 467 TK well in ARMA 3 it doesn't do as well in planetside 2 it doesn't do as well however in those multi-threaded games it does edge out the 46 70 K at 4.6 gigs which was an impressive feature with the CPU and then when it came to workstation applications it again edged out the 4 670 K whilst using a lot less power not requiring a z97 or z87 motherboard and also using less power than the 4 670 K so ultimately it does get my approval if you're looking for a better variant of the 4 670 K now its benefits as well it's also doesn't and one thing to mention I forgot to mention the review as well it doesn't have the onboard HD graphics are enabled on this particular CPU so you will not be able to quick sink as well as not having a graphics card option there if you're not using a main graphics card say for instance your graphics card is faulty and you need to send it back and you need to use a rig in the meantime that HD graphics can come in handy they'll benefit of not having an onboard is you're using slightly less power again because it's just completely disabled so that's what the HD grab is quick sync though is I hear it's gaining a lot of traffic traction for streaming so if you're a streamer than you may wish to look at the for 790 ko2 for 770 or for 790 because they have the HD graphics which will enable you to use Quick Sync so now's the big question should you get this or should you get the FX 8320 or should you get the 467 TK and that depends on what you're looking for if you're looking for the best performance on those CPU intensive games at a predominantly single-threaded planetside 2 comes to mind also ARMA 3 comes to mind then you're probably going to want to get a 460 70 K and overclock the living out of it but if you're looking for something that's and you're on a real budget and you're doing work stable work station applications then you may wish to get an FX 8320 for a hundred or 120 dollars get it on a cheap motherboard and utilize those eight cores though if you're looking for something that sort of is the jack of all trades master of none except for performance per what it is the master of that then you're looking at the 1231 v3 it's a good CPU that does gaming really well it's a good CPU that does workstation applications really well and it all does that whilst using the least amount of power possible so I do like this CPU and I do like where it's at especially for someone like me so it depends on who you are at the end of the day I also like being a little bit different not everyone's using a Xeon especially on a b85 motherboard so I kind of like where the CPU is at the moment I would like to see it a little bit cheaper possibly that's always a great thing and I would like to see Intel enable B clock over or base clock overclocking on this so I can get a little bit more performance out of this CPU that'd be a great feature to have and I'd like to see them do that especially since they have been doing some good things with the 5820k and the 32:58 so I just like to see them enable B clock overclock I mean there's pretty much no reason not to enable that people know what it is they know the feature they know it can be dangerous so just enable that please give us enthusiasts a chance to get a bit more performance out of this thing so now guys that's about it for the 1231 v3 I hope you enjoyed this review if you did please give it a thumbs up if you have any questions about the 1231 v3 then leave a comment the comment section below another thing to mention too is if you're getting this motherboard there's only one revision of the BIOS that will work to get it to 3.8 gigs it's the first boss released I've tested all the other biases out and they don't get it to 3.8 gigs so that's something you might want to think about as well maybe if you've got to be 85 motherboard only one particular biased revision will be able to get it up to three point eight gigs and hey it's an extra two hundred megahertz of performance so you deserve it anyway guys that's about it I'll catch you in another tech video very soon peace out for now bye\n"