Desktop PC for non gamer

[ravs316]

Hi guys.

My wife needs a desktop PC she would like to have an i5 2500k [due to the budget], she mainly uses: Visual Studio 2010, SQL Server, Photoshop and that kind of software.

My questions are:

■ Overclock for her worth [about 4ghz-4.4ghz]? is there any important improvement stock speed vs overclock speed?
■ If overclock doesn't worth which CPU will be better i5 2400 or i5 2500 and which chipset?

Thanks in advance
RAVS

 

[davcon]

First off the 2500K represents a very good value.
Will overclocking provide any improvement for a non-gaming platform = not really.
The 2500K is a good buy = only $10 more then the non-k 2500.
Best options would be 16GB of ram and an ssd.
Optimal would be a cpu with hyperthreading but the i7's are expensive.

 

[rds1220]

I agree with DaveCon. The overclock would probably not really give you better performance. Also with a good aftermarket fan/heatsink you should be able to easily hit 4.5 GHz.

 

[amuffin]

Get a good graphics card, photoshop is gpu accelerated. I suggest a gtx 560ti, and if you want you can play games also!

 

[de5_Roy]

Hi guys.

My wife needs a desktop PC she would like to have an i5 2500k [due to the budget], she mainly uses: Visual Studio 2010, SQL Server, Photoshop and that kind of software.

My questions are:

■ Overclock for her worth [about 4ghz-4.4ghz]? is there any important improvement stock speed vs overclock speed?
■ If overclock doesn't worth which CPU will be better i5 2400 or i5 2500 and which chipset?

Thanks in advance
RAVS

■ Overclock for her worth [about 4ghz-4.4ghz]? is there any important improvement stock speed vs overclock speed?
overclock will show it's worth in cpu intensive tasks. core i5's max. single core turbo boost at stock speed in 3.7 ghz - and that's only for as long as the cpu thermals allow it. 4.4 ghz oc is on all 4 cores, not one core like stock settings. that's 700 mhz speed bump on all 4 cores. you'll need a good cpu cooler to cooler the overclocked cpu.
■ If overclock doesn't worth which CPU will be better i5 2400 or i5 2500 and which chipset?
core i5 2400 is locked and a bit cheaper than the 2500 and 2500k.
for chipset, z68 would be best for the core i5 cpus. you can use x8+x8 cfx/sli (mobo dependent), ssd caching, usually more sata and usb ports compared to h6x chipsets. asus, gigabyte have some good z68 motherboards, asrock has some too.
if you want more info on full system, open a thread in the new build section and use this form:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[ravs316]

Best answer selected by ravs316.