Is 2600k good for gaming

[tjosborne]

Hello,
im a pc noob, i know next to nothing. im trying to build a gaming rig and was wondering if i should go for 2600k or a 970. i will overclock eventually,but dont want to immediately. which of the two will be semi future proof for at least two years

 

[JackNaylorPE]

2600k

With a $600 CPU in mind, I'm gonna assume a $2k build

Case - $155 - Antec DF-85 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087
Case Fans - $15 - Antec Red 120 mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209013
PSU - $110 - Antec CP-850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024
MoBo - $260 - ASUS P8P67 WS Revolution http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131694
CPU - $224 - Intel Core i5-2500K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Cooler - $40 - Scythe SCMG 2100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142
TIM - $5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
RAM - $145 - (2 x 4GB) Mushkin CAS 7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226178
GFX - $240 - Gigabyte GTX 560 Factory Overclocked http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125363
GFX - $240 - Same
HD - $65 - Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 rpm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
SSD - $300 - OCZ Vertex 3 2.5" 120GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227706
DVD Writer - $90 - Plextor BR Combo Drive w/ LS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827249055
OS - $140 - Win 7-64 Pro OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758

$2,029

Case / PSU Option - HAF-X w/ XFX Black Edition 850 (+$45)

MoBo Option - Gigabyte P67A-UD7 (+70)
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3795/asus_p8p67_ws_revolution_intel_p67_express_motherboard/index.html

GFX Options (single card fps / CF or SLI fps in Guru3D Test Suite) Cost per frame single card - Cost per frame SLI or CF:

$155.00 460-768 MB (314/592) $0.49 - $0.52
$155.00 6850 (371/634) $0.42 - $0.49
$190.00 6870 (434/701) $0.44 - $0.54
$245.00 6950 (479/751) $0.51 - $0.65
$285.00 6950 Frozr OC (484/759) $0.59 - $0.75
$240.00 560 Ti (455/792) $0.53 - $0.61
$335.00 6970 (526/825) $0.64 - $0.81
$240.00 560 Ti - 900 Mhz (495/862) $0.48 - $0.56
$335.00 570 (524/873) $0.64 - $0.77
$500.00 580 (616/953) $0.81 - $1.05
$725.00 6990 (762/903) $0.95 - $1.61
$700.00 590 (881/982) $0.79 - $1.43

HD Option - The 1TB WD Black and Seagate 7200.12 are reasonable alternates. If ya wanna step up $100, the Seagate Barracuda XT is fast.

Optical Option - Add BR write capability w/ ASUS Internal Blu-ray Burner Blu-ray Burner BW-12B1LT (+30)

 

[HEXiT]

thats a nice build and great for gaming. some say if you just gonna play games go for the 2500k as games dont often use hyper threading, but i like to do other things too. so if i was of a mind to upgrade (not really worth it for me) i would pay the extra to get the hyper threading. it really can make a difference with productivity apps like photoshop.

 

[HostileDonut]

The 2600k is a great CPU for gaming, but I would suggest a Core i5 2500k for gaming. The reasons are because is is cheaper, performs better in some games, and is virtually the same CPU without HT.

 

[geofelt]

Hello,
im a pc noob, i know next to nothing. im trying to build a gaming rig and was wondering if i should go for 2600k or a 970. i will overclock eventually,but dont want to immediately. which of the two will be semi future proof for at least two years

A 2400 at stock will compete with a i7-980X in gaming, and cost much less.

A 2500K is the sweet spot for gamers, and it can be OC'ed to high enough levels 4.0+ to drive any graphics configuration.
If $100 is important to you, do not get the 2600K, spend it on a better graphics card.

 

[tjosborne]

ok well i guess i definitely am not getting the 970. now is a radeon 6970 a decent enough card to run games such as witcher 2, skyrim, or rage on max? if not what would be some good choices at about the same price range?

 

[majin ssj eric]

ok well i guess i definitely am not getting the 970. now is a radeon 6970 a decent enough card to run games such as witcher 2, skyrim, or rage on max? if not what would be some good choices at about the same price range?

You can run those games on max with a 6950 or GTX 560Ti....

 

[HostileDonut]

ok well i guess i definitely am not getting the 970. now is a radeon 6970 a decent enough card to run games such as witcher 2, skyrim, or rage on max? if not what would be some good choices at about the same price range?

Yeah, it is a VERY high end GPU. It will run any game out @ max graphics besides Metro 2033 at max and a REALLY high res.

 

[asantesoul]

2500K is what you want for gaming, period! And, for those games get a 6950 and unlock it..or even a gtx 560ti or 6870 will work...what resolution are you playing at? if 1080p or less...heck, even 1920x1200..a gtx 560/6870 will work...save some money for groceries...your girlfriend...some shoes...you don't need to spend a lot to get big performance

 

[Emperus]

Another vote to the i5 2500k.. The only extra feature on the 2600k is HT which is kind of useless in games.. The saved cash can be spent on getting a decent CPU cooler.. As for the video card, go as high as you want (or can afford) and make sure your PSU can handle it.. Games are only going to get graphically more complex and having a graphic card with power to spare ain't bad..

 

[geofelt]

Another vote to the i5 2500k.. The only extra feature on the 2600k is HT which is kind of useless in games.. The saved cash can be spent on getting a decent CPU cooler.. As for the video card, go as high as you want (or can afford) and make sure your PSU can handle it.. Games are only going to get graphically more complex and having a graphic card with power to spare ain't bad..

The 2600K also has a 8mb cache, vs. a 6mb cache on the 2500. I have yet to see a benchmark that quantifies the benefit, although it can only be positive. I suspect the value of the extra cache may be dependent on exactly what is running.

 

[kg4icg]

Darn, last time I checked, the I7-2600k is $370.00 retail, or course if you live near a Microcenter, you can get it for $280.00. Where did you get $600 for the i7-2600k JackNaylor?

 

[HostileDonut]

Darn, last time I checked, the I7-2600k is $370.00 retail, or course if you live near a Microcenter, you can get it for $280.00. Where did you get $600 for the i7-2600k JackNaylor?

Itwas $600 for the i7 970.

 

[Emperus]

Darn, last time I checked, the I7-2600k is $370.00 retail, or course if you live near a Microcenter, you can get it for $280.00. Where did you get $600 for the i7-2600k JackNaylor?

The value war still remains the same.. The i5 2500k is avaulable for about 180$ in microcenter..

 

[festerovic]

I got the 2600k because I do other things than gaming, that make use of the HT. I also got 2 x 6850s. Now, if I was doing it over again, I would get 2500k and the savings would have almost bought my second 6850.

 

[jaguarskx]

I got the 2600k because I do other things than gaming, that make use of the HT.

Do you do Blu-Ray video encoding? If so, then long does it take on average to encode a 2 hour movie using Handbrake?

 

[festerovic]

yep I do BRs, but I don't use Handbrake. It really depends on the program I use and the file I am creating. But as an example, I used mkv2vob to convert a 45 minute 1080p imax movie with DTS to something that would fit on a dvd, and it took about 1:30 hours. If I use Megui, I usually go for quality and it takes 3-4 hours per movie.

Compared to my q6600 and q9400, the time difference is so utterly worth it that it makes the 2600k's value that much greater for me. I also use i7 920 at work, but that performs more like the qxxx's than the 2xxxks.

 

[festerovic]

I'd also like to point out to JackNaylorPE regarding the list you made above - the Mushkins are running hot for a p67 board, that should only be running RAM specced at 1.5v. Also, you can overvolt the less expensive Mushkin silverline to achieve the same speeds (minus the CAS7 of course, but that pays almost no dividends to gaming for about 50% less cost)

 

[jaguarskx]

yep I do BRs, but I don't use Handbrake. It really depends on the program I use and the file I am creating. But as an example, I used mkv2vob to convert a 45 minute 1080p imax movie with DTS to something that would fit on a dvd, and it took about 1:30 hours. If I use Megui, I usually go for quality and it takes 3-4 hours per movie.

Compared to my q6600 and q9400, the time difference is so utterly worth it that it makes the 2600k's value that much greater for me. I also use i7 920 at work, but that performs more like the qxxx's than the 2xxxks.

I assume your target size for a Megui is about 8.5GB to fit the movie on to a dual layer DVD. Are you using Megui because it offers more options to control the output quality?

I haven't gotten into Blu-Rays yet, so I think I'll wait for some Ivy Bridge benchmarks.

 

[manu 11]

for gaming,hyper threading is of no use so grab an i5 2500k and oc it 4ghz+

 

[festerovic]

I assume your target size for a Megui is about 8.5GB to fit the movie on to a dual layer DVD. Are you using Megui because it offers more options to control the output quality?

I haven't gotten into Blu-Rays yet, so I think I'll wait for some Ivy Bridge benchmarks.

sorry for threadjacking with this side convo...

negative, I go off of bit rate, so it can stream from HTPC to PS3. Files are between 5-20 gb. I am well impressed by the encoding speed, it seems time effective to do it nowadays.

 

[jaguarskx]

Great, that's just what I wanted to hear.

Sorry for hijacking the thread.

 

[tjosborne]

Best answer selected by tjosborne.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey