Intel Xeon E3-1230 Sandy Bridge 3.2 GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 80W BX80623E31230 Server Processor

Pros: -Incredible performance -Outscores all other CPUs in it's pricerange in benchmarks -Lower power usage than it's i5/i7 counterparts (no onboard GPU) -8MB cache, 2MB more than the i5 2500k -Hyperthreading -7.6 windows index score (in case anyone cares about those)

Cons: -no onboard GPU; this really should NOT be a con though, no excuse for not using a high end graphics card with this beastly CPU in your build but do be aware you can't use most motherboards on-board display ports with just this CPU installed

Overall Review: This CPU screams through all tasks, haven't been able to bottle neck on it yet. Combined with a Zotac GTX 450 it runs starcraft 2 with everything maxed out @ 1080p rarely dropping under 60 fps. Idle/peak temps with a Zalman cooler manually set at 1800rpm are between 95-140 F. *note* This CPU will work in almost any LGA 1155 motherboard even though they usually only list compatibility with i5/i7. Many benchmark utilities will list this as an i7 cpu. Unless you're looking to overclock, this CPU makes an amazing desktop/gaming chip.

Pros: Runs cool. (Lack of integrated graphics can be a good thing!) Amazingly fast. Hypthreading and a full complement of the latest visualization features make this cpu great for running VMs. High-end features at an entry level price.

Cons: None.

Overall Review: Running ESXi 5.0 with one of these on a supermicro motherboard and an efficent power supply. Pulled together a handful of project servers under one box for an amazing power saving. Plenty of horsepower to do whatever you'd want.

Pros: Using in a SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCM-F-O with 16GB of RAM. I'm very impressed as I'm using this processor to host a simple ESXi box here at home. No problems to speak of and everything is running ohh so cool. The CPU fan that came with the processor was junk and defective. I am not taking an egg off for that though because I LOVE THIS PROCESSOR!

Cons: None

Overall Review: As of this posting, I have to agree that this is hands down the best bang for the buck for a server CPU. Do the homework and know the truth!

Pros: Excellent speed

Cons: I would give 5 stars except for the factory cooling fan. It blows (Vernacular pun).

Overall Review: Can not run this processor full bore with the fan that comes from the factory. If you're using Vray or Mental forget it. This chip needs better cooling than is supplied with the factory box.

Pros: Easy to mount in the board. Came with stock fan. Bolted up and booted right up. Cool running and very powerful. Shows as 8 cores in windows.. (8 threads 4 cores of course).

Cons: None

Overall Review: Cannot even get it above 10% CPU. Running a blazing Home Server 2011 with 4.5 TB of drives and it is stable, and very fast.

Pros: Quick Great Price

Cons: none

Overall Review: Good option for a non overclocked desktop with a dedicated GPU. Why? Well 3.2GHz clocks in the low $200's beats the desktop i7-2600. Watts are lower because of no intergrated Graphics also, but you need more power to run the GPU... but at least the processor will run super cool.

Pros: Amazing CPU for the money. All of the new virtualization features plus extremely efficient. Used it to make an extremely low power (wattage-wise) test box for virtualization testing in our office. Ended up impressing us so much we ordered 3 more of the same boxes. With no onboard GPU, the CPU runs incredibly cool.

Cons: None really. You are getting a fully features quad core CPU for less than an i5-2600K, can't argue.

Overall Review: Built up the following system: Supermicro MBD-X9SCL-F-O LGA 1155 Intel C202 Intel Xeon E3-1230 16GB (4x4GB) Crucial ECC DDR3-1333 RAM Corsair Force 90GB SSD Supermicro CSE-510T-200B shallow depth 1U case w/ 200w PSU Supermicro SNK-P0046P heatsink (passive) Fully loaded the system runs ~116w from a 120v source. <1amp of power draw for a complete 4C/8T 16GB system under full load is amazing. System idles at ~20w. System runs extremely cool to the touch, and the temperature monitoring onboard backs that claim up. Amazing system, I would build these all day long if I could until the 22nm technology comes out.

Pros: - 4 cores + hyper-threading = 8 threads of execution - Fast, cool, quiet - Very power efficient (~5 watts at idle, ~25 watts under moderate load) - Supports virtualization - Excellent price/performance value

Cons: None noted.

Overall Review: Using in an Intel S1200BTL server motherboard. The entire system idles at ~60 watts, and the highest peak I've yet observed was only ~110 watts. The four cooling fans in the 4U rackmount chassis loaf along (quietly) at 40% of rated rpm. FWIW, the Micro$oft performance index measured for the CPU is 7.6 (out of a possible 7.9).