Intel CD8067303409000

A 2017 server chip that's now a budget homelab curiosity at best. Only worth it if you find one under EUR 300 and you know exactly what you're getting into.

The numbers are rough. Single-thread performance sits in the bottom 3rd percentile of everything we've tested, which means everyday tasks feel sluggish compared to even a mid-range modern CPU. Multi-thread isn't much better at the 4th percentile, and efficiency is dead last territory. The 2.1 GHz base clock is the culprit here, and while it can boost a bit, it's not enough to save it. What surprised us most is just how far behind this chip has fallen. A Ryzen 7 9800X3D absolutely obliterates it in every category.

Stacked against the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, this Xeon looks like a museum piece. The 9800X3D runs circles around it in gaming, single-thread, and efficiency while using way less power. The PC Server and Parts E5-2697 v2 is actually a fairer comparison since both are old server chips, but even that older Xeon holds up better in some multi-threaded workloads. The D&H Core i9 BX80673I99960X is another server-class part that beats the 6130 in most metrics. If you need lots of cores on the cheap, the E5-2697 v2 is the better budget play. If you want actual performance, get the Ryzen.

The price spread on this chip is wild. We're seeing listings from EUR 274 all the way up to EUR 2,184 across European vendors. If you're paying anywhere near the top of that range, you're getting robbed. The best deal we spotted is around EUR 274, and even then, you're buying a seven-year-old server chip with no warranty and no upgrade path. For a homelab tinkerer on a tight budget, maybe. For anyone else, save your money.

The Intel Xeon Gold 6130 is a server chip from 2017 that's somehow still floating around on the market, and honestly, it's showing its age hard. This is a 16-core, 32-thread part built for data centers, not your gaming rig or even a modern workstation. The one thing to know? Unless you're building a budget homelab server and you find this thing dirt cheap, there's almost no reason to buy it in 2024.

If you're looking for a gaming CPU, a modern workstation chip, or anything with decent single-thread performance, this isn't it. Go get a Ryzen 7 9800X3D or even a mid-range Ryzen 5 instead. If you want a cheap server chip with lots of cores, the E5-2697 v2 is a better budget option. Skip the Xeon Gold 6130 unless you find it for pocket change and you're just messing around with a homelab.

Don't buy this unless you find it for under EUR 300 and you specifically need a cheap 16-core server chip for a homelab. The Xeon Gold 6130 was a solid data center part in its day, but that day is long gone. Modern budget CPUs beat it in nearly every way while using a fraction of the power. If you're building a NAS or a home server and you stumble across one of these for pocket change, fine. Otherwise, this is a hard pass.