legendkiller :
You can try to OverClock but watch temps... Stock Cooler aren't any different from some after market coolers... I got a Tt V1 AX and it perform the same as stock cooler...
There are great benchmarks for most hardware, but it's hard to know what to expect from an aftermarket cooler. It's hard to say what value you're getting. You probably agree.
kajabla :
^Good plan up there with the Xigmatek.
Do you have a graphics card that's worth this processor?
I'm thinking the Radeon 6950. But even if it can't take advantage of it, I use professional software that will make wonderful use of it. I probably won't ever crossfire it, but I do have that option available as well.
MrBig55 :
Sorry but the i7-2500 CANNOT overclock since it's multiplier is locked by default. You couldn't get more than a hundred Mhz (with lots of luck) by overclocking the BLCK (was known as the FSB before that), which is the only other option.
If you wanna overclock your rig, the 2500k is the only viable option.
Thank you for answering my question.
Supermuncher85 :
I've overclocked plenty of times on stock cooling. A 10% overclock is a nice way to increase the return on the CPU you bought. A stock 2400 or even 2500 should be able to overclock by increasing the turbo state by up to 4 bins higher than normal. Meaning that your 3.3ghz should be overclockable to 3.8 without problems. That is pretty much the limit of it though for non k chips. More info here:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/3
Really though the 2500k is what you want to buy if you want to overclock. If you live close to a microcenter you can literally pick up a 2500k for the same price as a 2400.
Exactly. Why not get that free 10% overclock?
I know about the Turbo. But it sounds like the non-k version doesn't benefit much from other overclocking. No wonder when I searched for "overclock i5-2500" on google it showed results instead for "overclock it-2500k"
I had never heard of microcenter. They are not in Utah. I looked at their price on the 2500k and it is crazy good. I'll have to see some of their other prices and consider a road trip. Probably not worth it, but I'll see.