Pros: Runs cool, easy to OC, very snappy Intel experience
Cons: Cost could be hard to accept for some
Purchase reason
I purchased the 2600K processor from Microcenter during their promotional period when it was going for $270 USD, pairing it with an AsRock P67 Extreme 6 motherboard in order to increase my folding potential. My specific processor was diffused in Malaysia and was part of batch L050A853.
Overclocking
Overclocking it was close to effortless as with most Sandy Bridge processors. Remember that only the K-series processors have unlocked multipliers which allows for overclocking. All non-k series processors will have their multipliers locked! I was initially content with a 4.5ghz OC using a vcore of 1.296v, but curiosity got the best of me and I later found that I needed 1.356v for 4.6 stable and 1.376v for 4.7 stable.
Temperatures
Core temperatures when paired with a Cogage Arrow with two Yate-Loon D12SH in Push/Pull peak at 68-70C when folding with ambients of 26-27C. I have had to bump the voltage up to 1.384 in order to fold with full stability.
Integrated Intel HD 2000 iGPU
Since I use the processor on a P67 motherboard, I have not had the chance to test the IGPU, but from what other reviewers have said it is more than capable for general playback and even some light gaming as well.
Overall Experience
I originally picked this processor up to boost my folding potential and it has done just that. I went from getting 11k PPD on my 1055T at 3.9ghz to roughly 24k PPD folding normal SMP work units and closer to 40K folding -bigadv work units. I would highly recommend this processor for people who do more than just game on their PC. It delivers incredible performance for its price, and in scenarios where all 8 threads can be fully utilized it will definitely prove its worth.
I purchased the 2600K processor from Microcenter during their promotional period when it was going for $270 USD, pairing it with an AsRock P67 Extreme 6 motherboard in order to increase my folding potential. My specific processor was diffused in Malaysia and was part of batch L050A853.
Overclocking
Overclocking it was close to effortless as with most Sandy Bridge processors. Remember that only the K-series processors have unlocked multipliers which allows for overclocking. All non-k series processors will have their multipliers locked! I was initially content with a 4.5ghz OC using a vcore of 1.296v, but curiosity got the best of me and I later found that I needed 1.356v for 4.6 stable and 1.376v for 4.7 stable.
Temperatures
Core temperatures when paired with a Cogage Arrow with two Yate-Loon D12SH in Push/Pull peak at 68-70C when folding with ambients of 26-27C. I have had to bump the voltage up to 1.384 in order to fold with full stability.
Integrated Intel HD 2000 iGPU
Since I use the processor on a P67 motherboard, I have not had the chance to test the IGPU, but from what other reviewers have said it is more than capable for general playback and even some light gaming as well.
Overall Experience
I originally picked this processor up to boost my folding potential and it has done just that. I went from getting 11k PPD on my 1055T at 3.9ghz to roughly 24k PPD folding normal SMP work units and closer to 40K folding -bigadv work units. I would highly recommend this processor for people who do more than just game on their PC. It delivers incredible performance for its price, and in scenarios where all 8 threads can be fully utilized it will definitely prove its worth.
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