I5-2500k vs i7-2600k

[Gallarian]

I know there have been several thread concerning this topic, but my question is a specific one, not just a general comparison.

Current system:

MSI P55A-G55 mobo
Intel i5 760
4GB RAM
GTX 580 1.5GB

Im looking at upgrading my mobo to a Asus P8P67 Pro Rev.3 and my CPU to either an i5-2500k or an i7-2600k purely for the reason of playing Battlefield: 3.

With this agenda in mind;

is spending an extra £100 on the i7 worth it? or would I see more of an improvement by buying the i5 and spending the money saved on upgrading to 8GB of RAM instead?



Thanks,
Joe

 

[rolli59]

You will benefit more from the 8GB than the CPU they are pretty level in gaming performance.

 

[Supernova1138]

I'd say just overclock your current CPU if you really need the extra performance, you have a board that can do it, and the first gen i5s OC quite well. I doubt you are going to see enough of a performance boost with a 2500k or even 2600k over your i5 760 to justify the dropping that much money for a new CPU/mobo combo, not unless you plan on overclocking the new CPU to its maximum stable overclock. The GTX 580 is more likely to bottleneck BF3 performance than your i5.

 

[homiezheadsup]

I agree. Especially because you're going to be getting the P67 chip which really doesn't give you that much extra benefit. Sure you can OC it higher than your current setup, but do you really need that much cpu power?
I recently upgraded to an 2600k, but I went from a E6600 C2D.

 

[mattyg_nz]

To quote Toms Hardware "Best Gaming CPU - Sept 11":
"As such, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than the Core i5-2500K..." coupled with the title "Past the Point of Reason".
Key note: GAMING CPU.

If you find yourself video editing or 3D rendering, then this is a good question.
Otherwise, get the RAM.

 

[Gallarian]

I have no idea about overclocking and dont want to even try it when Im using stock cooling fans.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

Gallarian, You dont have to overclock the Intel® Core™ i5-2500K or the Intel Core i7-2600K. If you would like to try to overclock one of them it has never been easier to overclock a processor. With this processors you can simple put go into the Bios and change the multiplier on the processor from 33 to a higher number (like 40 to start) and you have just overclocked your processor. The stock HSF (heatsink/fan) will work well at stock temperatures and even with small overclock. After that I do advise that you get a good 3rd party HSF.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team