Two 22 Core Xeon CPUs!? - HOLY $H!T Episode 6

Episode 6 of HOLY SHIT dives into the capabilities of two high end Xeon processors to explore what 22 cores and 44 threads can do in a workstation and gaming context. The host begins by noting that Intel Broadwell EP has just entered the scene and highlights flagship details like a 22 core model with 45 MB of cache, quad channel DDR4, and socket compatibility with LGA 2011-3, setting up the premise that this is a drop-in upgrade for some motherboards with a BIOS update. The video then moves toward practical testing on a gaming desktop test bench, including a baseline comparison against a top end desktop CPU (5960X Extreme Edition) to quantify performance gains. Throughout the segment, the host documents the process of preparing the hardware, updating BIOS, and configuring the rig for multi-socket operation, which includes reworking the test bench to accommodate dual Xeon CPUs and a beefy multi-GPU setup for potential multi-VM gaming scenarios. The tests focus on synthetic benchmarks such as Cinebench and Crisis 3, with real-world considerations like power draw and thermal measurements to assess whether the new CPUs deliver the promised multi-threaded performance in a desktop friendly environment. The conclusion reflects on the potential for Broadwell-E to trickle down into consumer-grade hardware, the practicality of dual Xeon setups for demanding workloads, and the implications for future high-core-count desktop editions, while also noting the sponsor and community resources available to viewers. Overall the video blends hardware disassembly, BIOS challenges, performance testing, and forward-looking commentary on the evolution of multi-core CPUs.

Topics · hardware · technology · performance · gaming · servers · computing