For long-term gaming: i5 2500 or i5 2500k?

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ryanz2009

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Hello. I am choosing between i5 2500 and i5 2500k, this rig is mainly for gaming. I wonder if i5 2500's default 3.3GHz can last for a couple of years without being the bottleneck for gaming. If I overclocked the i5 2500K to over 4GHz, will it last longer without being the bottleneck? Can a i5 2500 OC 4GHz+ survive (without lagging the game) 5 years while I plan to change a graphic card after 3 years? Thank you!
 
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jonpaul37
Here is my take on the matter. I have a machine with a Q9650 @ 3.6 pushing a GTX 560 Ti and also a machine with an i7 2600k pushing the same exact video card. The difference is very little in terms of performance on many different games. The term "long-term gaming" is kinda taken lightly here as i would imagine that neither the 2500 or 2500k would "bottleneck" anything for the next few years as it is a very capable CPU. That being said, if it's only a few $$$ more for the 2500k, why not, just go for it...

Either way, get P67Z68, it'll be worth it in the end...
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ryanz2009

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What I mean is that the extra money for 2500K+third-party fan+P67 or Z68 mobo plus the money for a future graphic card would be worthwhile only if the overclocked 2500K would not be the bottleneck, otherwise, completely change the CPU and mobo along with the next-gen graphic card seems more reasonable.
 
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jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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Generally speaking, the faster the CPU the less likely it will bottleneck an extremely fast video card.

The i5 2500k is better for overclocking, because the clock multiplier is unlocked. That means you do not have to overclock the FSB as much to achieve 4GHz.

If you are going to overclock, then it is worth spending the extra $15 or so for the "k" version.
 
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ryanz2009

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Thank u jaguarskx, but it's not only the $15 difference, it also needs a P67 instead of a H67, and a good fan. Plus if i overclocked the 2500k, will it stay on overclocked frequency all the time consuming power? I heard that turbo boost is disabled when you overclock the i5. Also if i want to be relatively stable and power efficient, is 4GHz enough for today's most applications and games? Thanks! :D
 
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mlcaouette

mlcaouette

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For the time being you could just get the p67/z68 with the 2500k and leave it at stock till the time comes when it becomes a bottleneck, then buy the new cooler, overclock, and you've just extended the usage period of your cpu
 
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sayantan

sayantan

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If you are an hardcore overclocker then 2500k is the way to go.For moderate overclocking 2500 will be enough.If you are OCing 2500 then you might not go beyond 4.2 Ghz(1 core active) but I think thats sufficient.No voltage tweaks or aftermarket heatsinks are necessary to achive that.Even if you overclock the idle speed will come down to 1.6Ghz with Intel Speed Step enabled.
 
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randomkid

randomkid

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+1. This is exactly what I would do.

To OP:
Do not worry about the P67 or Z68 being more expensive because they are not. There are a lot of choices at at your budget. Besides, you get something more from the Z68 (virtu/ISRT) so if futureproofing is your aim, you have to get it anyway.
 
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jonpaul37

jonpaul37

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Here is my take on the matter. I have a machine with a Q9650 @ 3.6 pushing a GTX 560 Ti and also a machine with an i7 2600k pushing the same exact video card. The difference is very little in terms of performance on many different games. The term "long-term gaming" is kinda taken lightly here as i would imagine that neither the 2500 or 2500k would "bottleneck" anything for the next few years as it is a very capable CPU. That being said, if it's only a few $$$ more for the 2500k, why not, just go for it...

Either way, get P67Z68, it'll be worth it in the end...
 
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ryanz2009

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Q9650 was launched at Q3.2008, so if it can hold up the gaming performance till now like you said, I will go for 2500K and overclock it wishing it can cope with two generations of graphic card (gtx560ti and the future one after 2~3 years).
Thanks a lot!
 
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jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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Yeah, you don't always need to upgrade every year or two. I have a Q9450 in my gaming rig and it performs well.

The only reason why I am considering an upgrade next year (to Ivy Bridge) is because I plan on switching over to Blu-Ray for my movies. I like to encode my movies and store them on my hard drive. Encoding video is extremely time consuming, but the Q9450 is just fine for DVDs. It's just not powerful enough to encode 1080p material beyond a snail's pace.
 
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IntelEnthusiast

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The differences between the Intel® Core™ i5-2500 and Intel Core i5-2500K:

Intel Core i5-2500
Support for VT-d (directed I/O)
Support for TXT (Trusted Execution Technology)

Intel Core i5-2500K
Unlocked multiplier (allows the processor to be overclocked)
Intel HD 3000 Graphics

So for about $10 you get a processor that can reach a much higher clock rate with a good HSF (heatsink/fan). So there really is little question that if you are a gamer go with the Intel Core i5-2500K. You can see the differences between these processors here http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=52210,52209,.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team
 
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