i5 2500 VS i5 2500K

[AdrianCC100]

Is there any difference between these guys other then one is better for overclocking? And if I have no interest in overclocking, would the i5 2500 be the better choice to save money?

[Cusco]

One difference that is almost nonexistent, is the difference in price. I'm not big on overclocking either, but reserving the ability to more easily overclock further, would I ever feel the need, cost me an additional $9.

But yeah, I suppose it would be worth saving tomorrows lunch money for, if you know that you absolutely never will oc.

[Sephiracle]

Is there any difference between these guys other then one is better for overclocking? And if I have no interest in overclocking, would the i5 2500 be the better choice to save money?

Even if you don't have any interest in overclocking, down the road you may want to, and for 9 bucks it's not a real big difference in money. If it's coming down to saving 9 dollars, you probably shouldn't be buying a computer, or at best, lower the cpu you're going for.

[Jaerin]

Is there any difference between these guys other then one is better for overclocking? And if I have no interest in overclocking, would the i5 2500 be the better choice to save money?

Seriously...buy a z68 MB with any kind of auto overclocking and you will automatically get at least 30-40% faster clock speeds with the stock cooler and nothing more.

You buy a $50 CPU cooler and you can easily do 4.8Ghz out of the box with nothing more than a little better CPU cooler. Don't even have to know anything about which settings to tweak the MB's now days have presets that are good enough for anyone that doesn't care about the absolutely max speed you can get.

I just built a machine with a i5 2500k on the Asrock Extreme4 Gen3 with a Coolmaster V8 cooler and I'm rock solid at 4.8Ghz.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157264

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103055

[Raphtheone]

I was in doubt which one to get myself. I've bought unlocked CPU's in the past, only to completely ignore any OC'ing. But since the price difference was in the range of a single dollar, it was an obvious choice. A comparatively speaking modest OC and I've gained a huge amount of horsepower.

[Azuri]

I would recommend the i5-2550K now if your not going to wait for Ivy Bridge. It outperforms both in benchmarks.

[kidsafe]

The i5-2500 is multiplier limited and has inferior integrated graphics.

I would not recommend the i5-2550K since it's more expensive than an i5-2500K, yet will likely not overclock any better. You're paying extra for 100 meaningless MHz and a broken graphics core.

[Azuri]

I would not recommend the i5-2550K since it's more expensive than an i5-2500K, yet will likely not overclock any better. You're paying extra for 100 meaningless MHz and a broken graphics core.

Roughly $30 more and I wouldn't use integrated graphics at any time but that's me.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?...0K+%40+3.40GHz

[Bigbazz]

Integrated graphics are integrated into the motherboard, not the processor? Either way, why would a gamer care about the quality of integrated graphics? A gamer would use a dedicated graphics card.

[Saithes]

Integrated graphics are integrated into the motherboard, not the processor? Either way, why would a gamer care about the quality of integrated graphics? A gamer would use a dedicated graphics card.

No, Sandybridge's Integrated is ON-DIE which means it is on the physical silicon die of the processor itself. The i5 2550K does NOT feature an on-die graphics processor unlike the other Sandybridge Processors that have either an HD 3000 or HD 2000 on-die.

But, don't confuse that this would actually improve overclocking capabilities. It does not since the CPU and iGPU have their own separate power designs.

[Notarget]

You also lose things like Intel Quick Sync etc. Not saying it's a big deal just that you should be aware:

i5-2550k || i5-2500K || i5-2500

[Sephiracle]

Roughly $30 more and I wouldn't use integrated graphics at any time but that's me.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?...0K+%40+3.40GHz

That whole site with benchmark listings is inaccurate fyi.

[Stravs]

2500k for sure it will last for years to come Yea people might not want to overclock a cpu but atleast you get the option to if needed.

[Kezotar]

it's like 10 bucks in norway difference, which translates to probably 5 in US.. just buy the 2500k.. it's worth it, OC n' stuff.

[DeltrusDisc]

At first I wasn't thinking I would OC, but I considered the fact that I may at some point learn and want the capability and paid the extra few bucks.

It was worth it - because OCing Sandy Bridge CPUs is cake compared to older CPUs, like oh say, the Gulftown i7-9xx.

[chaud]

Don't buy a 2550k, it is just a broken 2500k. They will likely overclock the same.

[Senistian]

the 2500k is an unlocked cpu, meaning you can change the multiplier for overclocks.

[Milkshake86]

Integrated graphics are integrated into the motherboard, not the processor? Either way, why would a gamer care about the quality of integrated graphics? A gamer would use a dedicated graphics card.

Derp do your research, the old methodology of onboard being Motherboard only is going out the window. All be it yes you need a mobo w/ support for the cpu onboard gpu.

[Azuri]

That whole site with benchmark listings is inaccurate fyi.

Can you or anyone recommend one that is reliable? I'd like to see them when Ivy Bridge hits the market.

[DeltrusDisc]

Can you or anyone recommend one that is reliable? I'd like to see them when Ivy Bridge hits the market.

www.anandtech.com