Whats the difference between Xeon's and their standard Dual/Quad core counterparts?

[Zaskar]

Been wondering, whats the difference between a Xenon and lets say a Qxxxx chip that has seemingly the same specs?

Looking at just the specs it seems like nothing, but that cant be right, I mean why even have it as a different model name then? (and I think some boards bios wont work with Xenons even though they support the standard dual/quad core countarpart)

[BrokenWall]

From my experience with Athlons and Opterons, the server counterparts are usually a bit cooler, slightly lower voltage, and better silicon, this may or may not be the truth for Intel.

But one thing holds true for both parties is that the Quality and Stress testing on the server counterparts is usually much more in-depth.

[Zaskar]

Been really trying to figure that out.

The Xenon X3350 and the Q9450 look like identical CPU's, but if they are, why the different names?

[STEvil]

because then people ask and buy more.

[RunawayPrisoner]

Xeons and their counterparts are essentially the same CPUs. There are rumors about how the Xeon chips are more tweaked for "server" applications and due to those tweaks, the Xeon chips would run games slower than their Core 2 counterparts.

Truth be told... none of those rumors had anything but words to back their own reasonings up. There wasn't enough technical information regarding the matter. Many people have reported identical performance on both the Xeon and their Core 2 counterparts... so until someone proves it otherwise, I guess it's safe to assume these are the same chip with different names.

As to why they have different names, it could be because Intel wanted to target two markets (casual and professional) with the same chip, but they can't just go about with the same name. The casual market is too used to the Core 2 naming convention, whereas the professional market is too used to the Xeon naming convention. Maybe that's why we are having rumors around the net, too. Maybe Intel just doesn't want us to discover that the Xeon and the Core 2 CPUs are just the same thing...

I've benched and stressed a X3350 to death. I'm getting a Q9450 next Friday (or Saturday), on the same setup. It's time to debunk some mysteries including this one. :)