I5 2500k or i7 950?
Last response: in Overclocking
Hey guys im building a new pc and my budget cpu price range is $200...So basically it's either the i7 950 or the i5 2500k for me and both can be purchased at microcenter...Both motherboards im looking at is the same price P67 Gigabyte UD4 $189 or x58 Asus Sabertooth $189...Ram for the x58 is around $90-$100 for 6gigs while the p67 is around the same price $100 for 8gigs of ram. So basically they are both in the same price range. I do mostly play video games and i might start getting into photography since my brother has a extra canon camera he doesn't use. He also does video editing now so that also i might consider doing on the side. So basically is worth for me to wait for the sandy bridge to be re-release? Or should i just go ahead and get the i7 950? Which cpu would actually benefit me more in the long run? I know that Ivy Bridge is going to be compatible with the p67 motherboards but that's not until next year and i don't think im going to spend another $500-1000 just to replace a i5 2500k. Is the 2500k that much faster then the i7 950 or is the i7 950 faster then the i5 2500k? Also if i can use Windows XP 64 on the X58 Platform it'll probably save me more money vs the sandy bridge.. I heard you can't use Windows XP on sandy bridge is this true? I will be upgrading to Windows 7 when BF3 comes out since BF3 won't support Window XP but that's not until September or so. So what do you think guys should i just go ahead and get the i7 950 build or wait a couple and get the i5 sandy bridge?
More about : 2500k 950
If it were my $$$ I'd wait for the re-release of the Sandy Bridge chip set and go that route.
If you want to get in to video work, that CPU is by far the better choice.
It might not matter to you, but the SATA 6GB controller on the X58 is pretty poor IMO while the implementation on SB is much better.
If you want to get in to video work, that CPU is by far the better choice.
It might not matter to you, but the SATA 6GB controller on the X58 is pretty poor IMO while the implementation on SB is much better.
I would think the 950 should be faster clock for clock because it has hyperthreading. The i7 2600 would be more comparable to it. However, the 2500k has huge OC potential, you can pretty easily hit 4.6ghz from what I've seen. That would quite possibly be faster than a 950 at 4ghz. I guess you can call it even, if overclocking is on the table.
The next difference is X58 vs P67. X58 is definitely a better board due to a lot more PCIe bandwidth available. However, this benefit won't really be realised if you use a single GPU. And even two GPUs on P67 at 8x/8x will barely be limited. If you plan to go SLI 580s or something, I would think X58 is the way to go but for, say CF6870 or SLI560 then P67 would be fine. For 3 cards you basically need X58.
For the RAM, just so you know you can actually run X58 boards in dual channel instead of triple channel, so you could use the exact same 8gb sticks as you planned with the P67 if you wanted to.
So, the big question is what should you do? Hard to say, but I would recommend the i5 2600k right now, unless you plan to get multiple top end GPUs.
The next difference is X58 vs P67. X58 is definitely a better board due to a lot more PCIe bandwidth available. However, this benefit won't really be realised if you use a single GPU. And even two GPUs on P67 at 8x/8x will barely be limited. If you plan to go SLI 580s or something, I would think X58 is the way to go but for, say CF6870 or SLI560 then P67 would be fine. For 3 cards you basically need X58.
For the RAM, just so you know you can actually run X58 boards in dual channel instead of triple channel, so you could use the exact same 8gb sticks as you planned with the P67 if you wanted to.
So, the big question is what should you do? Hard to say, but I would recommend the i5 2600k right now, unless you plan to get multiple top end GPUs.
Related ressources
- I7 950 vs i7 2500 vs i5 2500K vs i5 760 - Forum
- I5 2500k or i7 950 - Forum
- Intel i7 950 vs i5 2500k (same price) - Forum
- Oc'd i7 950 and i5 2500k = i7 2600 - Forum
- I5 2500 or 2500K sandy bridge vs i7 950 Bloomfield help - Forum
Quote:
Most people think that but that's incorrect. 2500K is faster then the 950 because of it's better IPChttp://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=100
Interesting. Although that's not quite clock for clock (2500 is 240mhz faster) but I guess they're close enough, and the difference big enough, to support your argument. Thanks for clearing that up.
Also the highest overclock i'll be going on my system is 4.0ghz.. My room does get pretty hot out here in California with no AC...My system will be going in my new lian-li pc 7fnw mid tower case...So you guys think i should just wait till next month or so to get the sandy bridge? Although im starting to think the i7 950 overclocked to 4.0ghz with the Noctua NH-UP12 heatsink won't be as stable as the i5 2500K due to higher voltage on i7 950.
Bigmac80 said:
Also the highest overclock i'll be going on my system is 4.0ghz.. My room does get pretty hot out here in California with no AC...My system will be going in my new lian-li pc 7fnw mid tower case...So you guys think i should just wait till next month or so to get the sandy bridge? Although im starting to think the i7 950 overclocked to 4.0ghz with the Noctua NH-UP12 heatsink won't be as stable as the i5 2500K due to higher voltage on i7 950.The first gen i Cores top out usually close to 4ghz, like 4.4 at the most (due to heat usually). The SB i Cores tho... man they can hit 4.6, 4.8, even 5ghz and have lower voltage and heat. So yeah I wouldn't say right now that 4ghz is the OC you're going for, do what you can when you get it. But yes, SB would be better. Psycho convinced me.
The motherboards have faulty SATA 3 and were stopped from being sold and the ones that were sold will be replaced as soon as Intel can fix the faulty Southbridge that was the problem. I wish it was just a BIOS update but it was actually bad silicon. It will be worth the wait till April though. Sandy is mighty fast.
All the boards original P67 are going to get junked or put into systems with the SATA II 3Gb/s ports disabled/removed. Sandy Bridge rules! I have my i5 2500k running at 4.6 Ghz on stock voltage. Last night I played Civ 5 for 4 hours straight and the CPU reached 39 celsius.
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge @ 4.6Ghz
ASUS P8P67 PRO
EVGA SuperClocked GTX 560 Ti
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge @ 4.6Ghz
ASUS P8P67 PRO
EVGA SuperClocked GTX 560 Ti
pacioli said:
All the boards original P67 are going to get junked or put into systems with the SATA II 3Gb/s ports disabled/removed. Sandy Bridge rules! I have my i5 2500k running at 4.6 Ghz on stock voltage. Last night I played Civ 5 for 4 hours straight and the CPU reached 39 celsius. Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge @ 4.6Ghz
ASUS P8P67 PRO
EVGA SuperClocked GTX 560 Ti
If by stock voltage you mean Auto voltage... then I'd believe it.
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