Conclusion:
Each of these CPU's would provide the basis of an awesome platform for a PC. What needs to be remembered here is that these are not your average CPU's and the platforms into which they are built will likewise not be average. Consumers will need a server sized case, server motherboard, dual heatsinks, and specialized memory to build a computer like the one shown here. The costs of a system like this is substantially higher than a single CPU system and a system based on a server chip will probably not have the ability to overclock at all.
There are ,however, many benefits of putting together a system based around one of these processors. These include:
- Increased stability due to type of motherboard, lack of overclocking, and more strenuous testing at the factory.
- Increased performance in all applications optimized for multiple cores. (A multi-taskers dream system)
- Increased control and options due to added motherboard features such as SAS, Raid, increased SATA ports, and internal configuration options.
- Reduction of heat. (Both the 5150 and E5320 ran very cool during testing with average temperatures of 103F during testing for the E5320 and 105F for the 5150)
If you are considering a system based on one of these CPU's as a workstation then you cannot go wrong. If the applications you intend to run are multiple core aware and will support up to 8 CPU's then the E5320 will certainly provide better performance than the 5150 for those applications. If your application is not multi-core aware or will not support more than 2 to 4 cores then the 5150 would be the wiser choice due to faster clock speeds.
