it depends on your budget and requirements.
core i5 2500k offers plenty of performance for its price. additional performance can be had by overclocking the cpu.
core i5 2400 isn't bad either. it is partially unlocked and slightly slower than stock core i5 2500k.
from ivy bridge core i5s - core i5 3450, 3470, 3550.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007671&IsNodeId=1&Description=ivy%20bridge%20core%20i5&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20
if you can buy cpus from a microcenter, you can get core i5 2500k ($170) or 3450 ($150).
http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.phtml?N=0+4294966995&Ntx=AllPartial&Ntt=intel%20core%20i5&Ntk=all
for gaming, any of these core i5 will do. get the one closest to your set price range.
 

motorneuron

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Dec 8, 2011
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Ha, well isn't it pretty obvious? Just get the one with the fastest clock. Technically that's the i5-3570k, but it's only 100 MHz faster than the 3550, so get that. Especially if you're not going to OC, you probably shouldn't get a sandy bridge (e.g. the i5-2500).
 
yeah. since non k (partially locked) core i5 cannot be overclocked as much as the unlocked k series cpus, it is better to get the the one with higher stock clockrate. however, if the partially locked cpu's price is too close to the unlocked k series one, then the unlocked one would be better for gaming.
 

jhonsm007

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i want to buy i5 processor and my budget 11,000 indian rupee($190 approx.)
need this cpu for gaming and don't want overclock. tell me cpu for this (dont tell me i5 2500k however this my last choice :( )
 

taseas

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The best i5 cpu are the new core i5 ivy bridge processors. For what I have heard the i5 3470 is pretty good for its money but how will you use it ? For gaming or photo/video rendering ?
 
If you don't want to overclock

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-3570K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B007SZ0E1K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344921195&sr=8-1&keywords=3550k


If you do want to overclock:

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i5-2500K-Quad-Core-Processor-Cache/dp/B004EBUXHQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1344921212&sr=1-1&keywords=2500k

SB runs cooler from what I hear, but your not OC so the IB will be good for you.


"Ivy Bridge's temperatures are reportedly 20°C higher compared to Sandy Bridge when overclocked, even at default voltage setting"

"5% to 15% increase in CPU performance"
"25% to 68% increase in integrated GPU performance"