Intel CPUs
Have you heard of Intel’s announcement of their new Skylake CPU’s? Let’s discuss if the new Skylake class of CPU’s will be something that you may want to invest in. The direct predecessors to Skylake, the Xeon V3 and Xeon V4, still have a lot of power behind them and can still meet the requirements for top of the line software. While Skylake class CPU’s have optimized speed, both Haswell and Broadwell CPU’s can meet your needs as well. With that in mind it’s important to look at each CPU to determine which best fits your hardware needs. If you would like to speak to someone about your CPU needs contact us at sales@vrlatech.com or give us a call at (213)810-3013.
Intel Xeon V3
In September of 2014 Intel released its Xeon processor in the E5 V3 family. The V3 is made with Haswell microarchitecture, the direct successor to Ivy Bridge generation, and introduced a faster clock speed. The V3 comes with dual socket capabilities and the most advanced V3’s can have up to 18 cores per CPU. With a single or dual core processor a V3 has the ability to quickly and effectively run software on your system. Xeon V3’s have been trusted to run an array of hardware intensive programs from AutoCAD to Virtual Effects Studio. The highest clock speed of a V3 is 3.8GHz.
Intel Xeon V4
Released in June of 2015 the Intel Xeon V4 introduced a new microarchitecture, the Broadwell class. The Broadwell class is the predecessor to the newest Skylake class. Like the Haswell the Xeon V4 has dual socket capabilities. Yet, the V4 can have 24 cores or more increasing its processing speed and giving it a modest boost in comparison to the V3. The V4’s higher core capacity can help with rendering for higher resolution videos such as 4k videos. Just like its predecessor the highest clock speed of a V4 is 3.8GHz.
Skylake CPU’s
Skylake was released in August of 2015 and is the most current iteration of Intel’s CPU’s. On release Intel categorized its Skylake class CPU’s in four areas: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The Skylake class has the most update and fastest processors on the market from Intel. Their newest feature that sets them apart is key protection technology. This technology allows the processor to encrypt and decrypt data without it putting it into memory. This better protects data from malware and phishing scams. The highest core count of the Skylake class is 28 cores.
Platinum Class Skylake CPU’s
Platinum CPU’s are the fastest and most efficient processors on the market by Intel. The processor can support up to 8 sockets and has between 24 and 28 cores, giving it the highest processor speed. This Intel processor has extended digital RAM enabling it to work between different applications quickly. Additionally, this class of CPU’s has the most socket flexibility working with 2, 4, or 8 sockets. This CPU can successfully compute quickly through a hybrid cloud environment working in the most technologically advanced environments. The highest clock speed on a platinum CPU is 3.6GHz.
Gold Class Skylake CPU’s
Gold CPU’s are optimized for scalability in a business and virtualized computing or cloud retrieval. These processors can support 2 or 4 sockets and have up to 22 cores to deliver a powerful workstation. The Gold Class CPU’s can give a workstation the necessary flexibility to cross operate various hardware intensive programs. The highest clock speed on a gold CPU is 3.4GHz.
Silver Class Skylake CPU’s
Silver CPU’s have the capability to utilize turbo boost technology and have access to hyper threading technology. A silver class CPU is optimized for 2 socket support and can support up to 12 cores. With access to turbo boost technology which allows the CPU to run faster than its base operating frequency a 12 core processor has the ability to run a variety of web applications and software programs. The highest clock speed of this CPU is 2.2GHz.
Bronze Class Skylake CPU’s
Bronze CPU’s are reliable, serviceable, and the most readily available for Intel’s customer base. The bronze CPU is the entry model and has 2 socket support and can have up to 8 cores. This model has the capability to run a single hardware intensive program without any major issues, and can handle multiple non-core intensive programs. The highest clock speed of this CPU is 1.7 GHz.
Making a Hardware Decision
With such a broad range of options when it comes to making a hardware decision choosing a CPU can be difficult. Before choosing the latest model you should consider what you need your hardware do. The Skylake’s vast class of processors does provide a modest speed boost, however, this boost is not going to be evident unless you are using intensive programs on your workstation. With that in mind, the Xeon V3 and Xeon V4 can be utilized for effective software rendering and are still an industry standard. The Xeon models can help you keep your workstation running efficiently, but also keep you under budget. If you have more questions about making your CPU decision give us a call at (213)810-3013 or shoot us an email at sales@vrlatech.com.