got a question about a xeon

[Endeavor]

do u know what the difference between a PIII 733EB and a PIII 733 EB Xeon is
both have 256k cache
one is more expensive

they seem the same but what makes them different?

[Endeavor]

reason im asking is i found a PIII Xeon 733 133FSB for less than $100 with 256k of cache (2 way)
i want to use it for gaming (hey, i dont want to abandon intel and i want a high end solution and i want to be one of the first to tell about my Xeon Overclocking adventures)

[[Oc]acaridans]

Less that 100?!?!?
Thats good where did you find it?

The Xeon is generally used in server aplications where its important to get data in and out quickly.

Another difference is that they use a slot2 motherboard the chip looks completly different.

I would check pricewatch for a motherboard, the prices have droped some

[Deadof_knight]

what you really want is the 1 meg cache xeons ,the mother boards selection for slot 2 is a lil slim compared to the slot ones that for sure im looking a for a dual slot 2 for myself 2 450 i neg cache xeons that wont break the bank ..im not having alot of luck but i know there out there i just need to be in the right place at the right time .......:D

[vimal]

Xeon traditionally has had a larger cache, though I guess they now make tiny-cache xeons as well. The 733MHz Xeons are surprisingly cheap, but they are also utterly useless, since you would need to buy a motherboard with Slot 2 connectors (Xeon only - Old pIII's used Slot 1, and new chips use Socket 370) and a 440GX or 440NX chipset. These mobos are very expensive.

I would love to see a bench of a 733 256K Xeon vs 733 PIII - I would think that performance would be very similar, maybe the xeon pulling ahead by a trivial amount. Methinks Intel made these Xeons just so that old servers which had Xeon chipsets had a cheap upgrade route. Most of the xeons seen today at reasonable prices are either these tiny-cache 733's or 500/550s with 512K or 1MB cahces.

You don't want xeon - unless you have a lot of money and an SMP fetish that extends to 4 or more processors. Besides, PIII-750 are running for $90 on pricewatch, and they probably would overclock better. (I doubt any Xeon mobo has overclocking options since they are designed for hard core server boxes - the intel 440NX chipset based mobo doesn't even have AGP)

[SP]

Vimal is right the PIII 733 Xeon with 256K cache is no different from any other regular PIII 733, except that it would be in a slot2 form factor for use in a Xeon motherboard. Don't get those unless you already have an older slot2 board and you really want to upgrade it from a lesser processor. It's the larger cache xeons that really shine in terms of performance and if you want the power of a Xeon and are going to spend the money required to get it go for the ones with all the bells and whistles, like larger cache sizes and 4-way smp support. Notice that particular one only has 256K cache just like a regular PIII and it also only supports 2-way smp just like a regular PIII. In essence, it's just a regualr PIII in a Xeon package.