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2500K vs 4670K for cpu limited games?

N

nx02nx02

Senior member
I know most people will say the 4670K is better but what about for games that are CPU limited?
It kind of seems like in these games the higher clocked 2500K would be better? Or is this wrong?

I'm thinking I will get about 4.8 GHZ out of the 2500K and 4.2 GHZ out of the 4670K.

I can only get one right now for my main gaming computer and I want whichever one is better for these specific games.

There are alot of games that I play that are CPU limited and do not scale well with multiple cores and only seem to benefit from higher clocks.
 
You forget the IPC advantage of the 4670K. There is no scenario where the 2500K is better. You most likely need the 2500K to be at 5Ghz at least.
 
Hypothetically, if you already have a 2500K, I see little reason to upgrade if you just want to game. But, if you are starting from scratch and can easily go with either one, the choice is simple: 4670K. There is little to no reason why you should stick with the older processor.
 
At stock the 4670k is ~6% faster CLOCKSPEED than the 2500k.

But compare benches:
In 7zip, it's 18% faster
In CB10 ST it's 25% faster
In CB11 ST it's 16% faster

So the speed difference is coming from more than just clockspeed, and I don't think it's unreasonable to claim that the Haswell i5 is in the neighborhood of 20% faster than SB overall. If you buy that, Haswell is probably in the neighborhood of 14-16% faster clock-for-clock.

To beat Haswell at stock, you need to put SB to 4.0-4.1, and if you think you can get Haswell to 4.2, you're talking about 4.8-4.9 for parity. On top of that, you need an older motherboard with a less nice chipset. Overall, theses are both top tier gaming CPUs, if you already have SB, I don't think you should feel pressed to upgrade. But if you're building a new system, unless you have access to an insane deal, Haswell is the better pick.
 
Ok thanks for the replies. There is one more thing for me to consider though.

I am on somewhat of a limited budget for this upgrade and this will actually be my first overclock ever.

I read that the 2500K is easy to overclock and the 4670K is very hard to overclock.

I also read that the 2500K can do 4.8 GHZ with a cheap $30 cooler. And the motherboard will be cheaper?

How much for a air cooler to get the 4670K to about 4.5 GHZ?

Also I need the cheapest Asus motherboard I can get for now that will still overclock good.
I dont really need any other features on the motherboard.

Thanks again for the replies.
 
nx02nx02 said:
How much for a air cooler to get the 4670K to about 4.5 GHZ?
Click to expand...
With a Hyper 212 which can be had for less than 30 shipped (20 if you get a MIR), my 4670k is sitting fine at 4.4GHz with a single BIOS change but I haven't had time to really tweak it. I think the BIOS was pre-set to 1.212v for this clock which I'll accept as stable, perhaps with less voltage. I did replace the TIM under the IHS of my 4670k with PK-1 and don't have stress temp readings yet but this thing likes to be overclocked.
 
I also read that the 2500K can do 4.8 GHZ with a cheap $30 cooler. And the motherboard will be cheaper?
Click to expand...
You can get the 2500K to 4.8... but it won't be on air. You may be able to find a cheap 1155 mobo, but it won't have the modern tech of an equivalent 1150 board.

How much for a air cooler to get the 4670K to about 4.5 GHZ?

Also I need the cheapest Asus motherboard I can get for now that will still overclock good.
I dont really need any other features on the motherboard.
Click to expand...
That's a pretty hefty OC you want from a budget board... I just see it as a recipe for disaster.

FWIW, I was spec'ing an IB Celeron for a general purpose build, for less than $30 I was able to upgrade to Haswell and it's better feature set... it simply makes more sense. If all you want to do is OC the snot out of your chip, get a used 2500K for $100, put a 212 or Macho on it and turn it up...
 
Where are you buying? Are you in the US? Is there a specific reason you need an Asus MoBo?

Newegg has a continuous stream of affordable bundles for the most recent intel chips:
i5-4670k + MoBo for $312 .

I don't see any SB bundles, in fact Newegg does not appear to even have the i5-2500k in stock. Amazon has it for $304 (with a warehouse deal for potentiall $285)...meaning the CPU alone is as expensive as a Haswell MoBo+CPU.

Basically, unless you have a friend who's upgrading and will give you a good deal on a known good CPU+MoBo or something, I sort of think you're barking up the wrong tree by considering SB.
 
Charlie98 said:
You can get the 2500K to 4.8... but it won't be on air. You may be able to find a cheap 1155 mobo, but it won't have the modern tech of an equivalent 1150 board.

That's a pretty hefty OC you want from a budget board... I just see it as a recipe for disaster.

FWIW, I was spec'ing an IB Celeron for a general purpose build, for less than $30 I was able to upgrade to Haswell and it's better feature set... it simply makes more sense. If all you want to do is OC the snot out of your chip, get a used 2500K for $100, put a 212 or Macho on it and turn it up...
Click to expand...
Being unfamiliar with Haswell OCing m'self, what are budget boards averaging? My Asrock Z87 Pro4 is a solid piece of hardware so far and was easy as the wallet. Paid less for it than my Abit BH6 way back in 98 :wub:
 
Essence_of_War said:
Where are you buying? Are you in the US? Is there a specific reason you need an Asus MoBo?

Newegg has a continuous stream of affordable bundles for the most recent intel chips:
i5-4670k + MoBo for $312 .

I don't see any SB bundles, in fact Newegg does not appear to even have the i5-2500k in stock. Amazon has it for $304 (with a warehouse deal for potentiall $285)...meaning the CPU alone is as expensive as a Haswell MoBo+CPU.

Basically, unless you have a friend who's upgrading and will give you a good deal on a known good CPU+MoBo or something, I sort of think you're barking up the wrong tree by considering SB.
Click to expand...

I am in the USA.
I found a 2500K new for $180 online but that bundle you posted seems like a good deal.
Will that motherboard overclock ok?
 
PliotronX said:
Being unfamiliar with Haswell OCing m'self, what are budget boards averaging? My Asrock Z87 Pro4 is a solid piece of hardware so far and was easy as the wallet. Paid less for it than my Abit BH6 way back in 98 :wub:
Click to expand...

It looks like they are rebating the Z77 boards, probably to clear them out. You can get a fair budget Z77 ATX board for about $80. It looks like the base ASRock Z87 1150 board is about $100, PRO4 is about $115.
 
[QUOTE Is there a specific reason you need an Asus MoBo?

[/QUOTE]

I only really need 2 features from the motherboard right now.
Overclocking potential and the F8 thing at bootup where you can select what drive to boot from? Do all motherboards have this?

So what's the cheapest motherboard that can do both of those things?
 
I found a 2500K new for $180 online
Click to expand...

Not trying to beat a dead horse, but that's like paying full retail for a 3 year old car. I bought my 2500K brand new in '11 for $150... it's a good chip but I wouldn't revisit it.
 
What the others said. The 2500K is an older, slower chip.

If you still have one, things haven't come far enough for most people to be compelled to upgrade, but they certainly haven't moved backward. A 4.5GHz 2500K is not much better than a stock 4670K. Between the two, I'd probably opt for the Haswell chip and a bargain-bin board, over the Sandy Bridge with a more expensive and very feature-dated board.
 
Never buy old CPU's, especially because Intel never gives you a deal on them. I think I got my 2500K for $180 in 2011. The 4670K is newer with more features. While Sandies offered great clock speed, the 4670K can easily keep pace at its lower clocks because of the higher IPC (and it's probably more power efficient to boot).
 
4670K it is then.

Just 2 more questions though.

Can the Asrock mobo that Essence_of_War posted overclock ok and does it have the F8 boot menu thing?

Sorry for the noob question.
 
nx02nx02 said:
I only really need 2 features from the motherboard right now.
Overclocking potential and the F8 thing at bootup where you can select what drive to boot from? Do all motherboards have this?

So what's the cheapest motherboard that can do both of those things?
Click to expand...

Honestly, this statement has me concerned. Why exactly are you so focused on overclocking? Why do you think you need it? As others have said, the newer chips are going to cost roughly the same and perform better at stock speeds then moderate overclocking of the sandy bridges. Clock speed ain't everything anymore.
 
The reason I am so focused on overclocking is because most of the games I play are CPU limited and I want to get the best performance possible which is why I posted this thread.

I know the 4670K is better clock for clock and has more IPC and more features.

It's ok though, I agree with everyone and am going with the 4670K.
 
Out of curiosity, what games are you playing and at what resolutions that you're so sure you're CPU bound? And what GPU are you using presently?

Anyway, all motherboards should allow you to set the boot device priority. The Pro3 is a fine board. With a decent HSF, and decent case airflow, you should be able to get a reasonable OC.
 
ASRock makes fine boards. I'm sure you'll be happy with that combo. Let us know when you have it together!
 
cool. Well it's settled then i am getting that combo.

I have a gtx 760. 1080P

games like, ARMA 3, ARMA 2, Rome 2, Civ 5 HoI series. Strategy games. etc.
 
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