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Intel Core i5-2500k or i7-2600k

594 views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  Nightz2k 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

I have no business posting on this site with all you super smart computer people. I am still trying to learn more an more on products builds etc. I really get excited to build my own computer but I dont want to be paying for something ill never use. I just want to have really good fps on my games loading etc... but anyways that for another day, enough of the life story.

This will mainly be for gaming and the web maybe some movies. I do games such as guild wars 2/diablo3/maybe a shooter etc..

for my CPU I have decided to go with Intel (currently have amd) its about 80$ difference between these two.

Intel Core i5-2500k
or
Intel Core i7-2600k

Any comments thoughts questions would be really appreciated!!!

Thank you!
 
#3 ·
The main difference between these two processors is Hyper threading which basically allows the i7 to have 8 threads (2 threads per core) whereas the i5 has 4 cores and 4 threads.
If your main purpose for this machine is gaming, then you should go with the i5. BUT only get the K edition processor if you plan to overclock. If you don't want to overclock, then an i5 2500 or i5 3570 is all you need
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#4 ·
For MOST games, you will never miss the Hyperthreading that the i7 offers. So if you are on a tight budget, the 2500k will work nicely. I have a pair of them overclocked to 4.4GHz on air and they are wonderful for games. Having said that, you can find some 2600k and 2700k chips at a very reasonable price. The Hyperthreading that the i7 offers will help you with encoding video.

If you live near a MicroCenter store, they have the Intel i7-2700k for $229.99, which is an insanely low price (their 2500k price is $159.99). Also, if you buy the motherboard from them at the same time, you will usually get a sweet price on the combo. Even if you don't have one near you, you can have it shipped to you.

This past weekend I bought a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H motherboard and i7-2700k. Normally the motherboard is $184.99, but they sell it for $149.99. If you buy that and the CPU together, you get the motherboard for $99.99. For a grand total of $349.78 for a top quality motherboard and CPU.
 
#6 ·
I would grab the 2500K.

Unless you're going to be encoding videos, archiving stuff, or rendering things you should not have a need for Hyperthreading and the extra little bit of Cache on the i7 compared to the i5 is not a deal breaker.

The 2500K is the best for the price, and the 2600K is the kind of chip people buy because they know what it is and want it, or they simply overpay for something they don't need.

The 2600K may be up to 20% faster than the 2500K at specific tasks, but for 90% of the programs out there you or I would not notice any difference between the two.

If you're not looking to Overclock, than do not bother with a "K" CPU. The K means it has an unlocked multiplier and costs $15 more, so you can save some money buying an i5 2500 instead of an i5 2500K.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aphazia View Post

Hello everyone,
I have no business posting on this site with all you super smart computer people. I am still trying to learn more an more on products builds etc. I really get excited to build my own computer but I dont want to be paying for something ill never use. I just want to have really good fps on my games loading etc... but anyways that for another day, enough of the life story.
This will mainly be for gaming and the web maybe some movies. I do games such as guild wars 2/diablo3/maybe a shooter etc..
for my CPU I have decided to go with Intel (currently have amd) its about 80$ difference between these two.
Intel Core i5-2500k
or
Intel Core i7-2600k
Any comments thoughts questions would be really appreciated!!!
Thank you!
You've got the right to post here, don't feel unwelcome.
There are tons of people on here just like you that are not educated in this stuff but still have an interest, and that's one of the reasons the site is around. It's for everyone interested in this stuff, including the new guys building their first rig.

If you continue to make informative posts like this one, with a budget, goals and what you want the system to do, you'll find plenty of people ready to help you figure stuff out. People generally don't like the "wut i need 4 gaming" posts, as long as you don't make those you've got every right to post here.
smile.gif
 
#7 ·
I think you'll want the 2500k instead of a 2500 (non-k version). It's good to get a performance upgrade for free when you get into overclocking it. No need for the 2600k for your needs.

I know the OP is new here, but being around OCN, you'll probably read a lot more and find out more info and want to start overclocking anyway, might as well start out with a better overclocking CPU.
wink.gif


Just my opinion, obviously you can get what you prefer.
 
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