Deciding between mobo and CPU for an upgrade

[starravier]

So I'm looking for. Decent upgrade from my P5Q and my E6850 OCed to 3.2
So I was looking at the EVGA P55 or the P8 equvalant but how much better is the i5 680? i think that's it I'm doing this on my phone so yea and suggestions looking to keep it around 300 if possible 400 max
I'm also using a enermax 620W and a 6850 toxic and would I be able to use my patriot DDR2 ram?

 

[o1die]

No. The p55 is ddr3 only. DDR3 is still cheap; check craigslist or anandtech's for sale forum for deals. I found 4 gb of 1600 corsair for $28. Your ddr2 is worth about the same.

 

[starravier]

well the ram isnt really a big deal as i planned on upgrading that but what i really want to know is how much better is the Core i5-2500K vs the i5 2400

 

[jsc]

Not with the i5's. The memory controller is on the CPU and it is designed only for DDR3 RAM.

 

[starravier]

well since i guess im stucknig getting DDR3 ram is the EVGA P55 and i5 2500k or the i5-2400 a good choice?

 

[o1die]

The 2500k has an unlocked multiplier, if you plan to overclock. Overclocking usually requires a better heatsink; otherwise, the 2400 will run fine at 3.1 or about 3.4 in turbo mode.