Intel Core i5-2400 owners!

[toneekay]

Okay, so I'm planning on moving onto my next and possibly last build for the year. So far in the past couple of months, I've been through the E5300, E8500, Q6700, and now on my i3-2100. I have to say, the 2100 is the best processor thus far (even with the others overclocked to 3.2-3.4ghz), and since it's only a dual core, I'm looking to upgrade into a quad core. I can get the 2400 for fairly cheap locally and plan on overclocking it to 3.6-3.8ghz using either a P67 or Z68 board (most likely Z68). Then finally mate it with a GTX 560ti or 6950

So, what's the point of all this jibber jabber? Well, I just wanted to hear from you guys, what you think about your i5-2400's? Anyone has theirs overclocked? Mated with either of the two cards above? How's the performance, gameplay, multitasking, etc... ? Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The Intel® Core™ i5-2400 is a very nice processor and it is good for a lot of people but just like your Intel Core i3-2100 it isn’t designed to be overclocked and you will not be able to get much of a performance boost out of trying to overclock it. So if you are looking for a quad core that you can overclock you are going to want to pick up the Intel Core i5-2500K with its unlocked multiplier which will allow you to get the best performance boost out of your overclocking.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[jaguarskx]

I don't think you can overclock a Core i5-2400 to 3.6GHz - 3.8GHz. Only the 2500K has an unlocked multiplier, therefore, you can only increase the frequency. Generally speaking, you can only increase the frequency by about 10%. I believe that the USB ports are tied to the frequency so if it is set too high then it can stop the USB ports from operating normally or damage them.

To me it seems you are simply burning money by upgrading the CPU so many times in one year for relatively small gains. If you are going to upgrade then you might as well save up a bit more money for the i5-2500k which can be overclocked at least 4.0GHz in most cases.

 

[king smp]

Can we all wait for a I5-2400K edition???

A boy can dream cant he?

 

[toneekay]

I'm well aware of the limited overclocking capabilities, and it is true that the multiplier is locked, but you still have a small margin of change in the frequency. That's where most of the overclocking takes place; various people from various forums have done it so I know it's not impossible. I have no reason or use for anything 4.0+ so spending the extra 40-50 bucks would be better invested in the video card.

The previous setups that I've had were just random components I had laying around or bought used locally. The 2100 now, and the future 2400 will be built with brand new components so I could have some piece of mind in knowing it'll last me a few years. Plus, with a price point at under $140 brand new... Can you really compain?

 

[king smp]

absolutley not

I think the 2400 is one of the best values out there

 

[toneekay]

That's what I'm thinking... I'm really set on picking up the 2400 over the 2500k since the price I get the 2400 is A LOT cheaper than the K. Also, a quad core Sandy Bridge processor capable of hitting AT LEAST 3.5ghz on all four cores is just sexy... even if it's only a small gain.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

im very confused why you have changed processors so much? isn't that costing you more money and time when you could have just settled for one good processor. IMO you should just hang on to your i3 2100 untill you can either afford the 2500k or wait till Ivy bridge chips hit shelves next year. I dont believe there would be a game out there that an i3 2100 would struggle with so i cant see the point in you upgrading just yet.

 

[tajisi]

The Geforce 560 TI will perform nicely in most/all games paired with that chip on stock.

I highly advise against trying to overclock a 2400 by messing with the BCLK. What you gain isn't worth the long term risk to the system (in my opinion). Best case scenario? You gain five percent performance. Worst case scenario? You screw up every component in your system. I witnessed one system have a SATA (not due to the bugged chipset) failure that basically destroyed the file system on the hard drive and wrote garbage after appearing stable for a few minutes.

If you're dead set on trying it, no one can stop you. You can play with the speed bins all you want, but BCLK can be a recipe for trouble if mishandled.

All and all I honestly feel an i5 is worth the difference. Easy to handle, easy to overclock. 4.0 GHZ is pretty much assured on stock voltage, and 4.5 - 4.6 can be reached by many chips with only a small bump. Do you need the speed now? No. Later on when you want to keep the chip relevant instead of buying a new one? This is an overall better long term investment since it should chew through anything released in the next year or two, whereas a midrange GPU seems to get old faster than high end CPU.

 

[toneekay]

im very confused why you have changed processors so much? isn't that costing you more money and time when you could have just settled for one good processor. IMO you should just hang on to your i3 2100 untill you can either afford the 2500k or wait till Ivy bridge chips hit shelves next year. I dont believe there would be a game out there that an i3 2100 would struggle with so i cant see the point in you upgrading just yet.

It's a long story, but lately I've been building systems with components I have laying around and/or can find new/used locally in good condition. I have a lot of spare stuff from the past which actually saves me money on buying newer parts. Sometimes I'll have to buy a couple things, but in the end, the computers end up being sold off to people that want them. I first started off with the E5300 and invested about $200 in a build around it, and pretty much.... I've built, sold, made profit, found something better, built, sold, made profit, etc... So far I haven't spent anymore than $250 tops, and currently have a pretty decent little setup which will eventually get sold.

I guess you can call me an enthusiast? My final build is going to be an i5-2400... And after that, it's time to start dumping money back into my car!

The Geforce 560 TI will perform nicely in most/all games paired with that chip on stock.

I highly advise against trying to overclock a 2400 by messing with the BCLK. What you gain isn't worth the long term risk to the system (in my opinion). Best case scenario? You gain five percent performance. Worst case scenario? You screw up every component in your system. I witnessed one system have a SATA (not due to the bugged chipset) failure that basically destroyed the file system on the hard drive and wrote garbage after appearing stable for a few minutes.

If you're dead set on trying it, no one can stop you. You can play with the speed bins all you want, but BCLK can be a recipe for trouble if mishandled.

All and all I honestly feel an i5 is worth the difference. Easy to handle, easy to overclock. 4.0 GHZ is pretty much assured on stock voltage, and 4.5 - 4.6 can be reached by many chips with only a small bump. Do you need the speed now? No. Later on when you want to keep the chip relevant instead of buying a new one? This is an overall better long term investment since it should chew through anything released in the next year or two, whereas a midrange GPU seems to get old faster than high end CPU.

Yea, I'm not going to try to mess with the BLCK just yet; as far as I know, the multiplier is capped at x38 so that should bring me to at least 3.4ghz @ 4 cores (compared to turbo boost running 3.4ghz @ 1 core).

I've always been an Nvidia fan, and will still remain an Nvidia fan, but the prices for the AMD's looks soo good!

 

[oby20]

if its your possibly last build of the year then an i5 2500k will make it your last build in 2 years
you may add more cash in it but it will definitely save your future cash because you may never want building again and again

 

[toneekay]

Believe me, I've thought about it plenty of times, but right now I can get the 2400 about 80 bucks less than the K so that's why I'm sticking with that route. 80 bucks can go a long way in a build, and that's what I'm planning on doing with it. I'm also pretty confident in the 2400 for a couple years to come since I only use my computer for gaming and watching movies lol.