Is the Core i5 2400 worth it?

[lsquare]

I know it can't be overclocked, but if the processor can be obtained cheaply, would it be worth it? What about on a per performance per dollar basis?

 

[dma0991]

Obviously. Almost all SB processors have a very good price/$ value except for the Core i5 2500 and Core i7 2600 IMO if the buyer is not interested in better virtualization support than their K counterparts. The Core i5 2400 would definitely have better price/$ than the Core i5 2500 if you're not interested in overclocking.

 

[Crap Daddy]

It's only 30$ cheaper, if you think you can do better things with those 30 bucks then go for the 2400. It all depends on what you do with your machine.

 

[Puppies04]

I know it can't be overclocked, but if the processor can be obtained cheaply, would it be worth it? What about on a per performance per dollar basis?

It all depends, are you 100% sure you don't want to overclock either now or in the future. Also depends how long you are likely to keep the CPU for, a 2500k is going to have a lot higher resale value than a 2400 in 12 months time.

 

[Envian]

I'd go for 2500K, you can overclock it easily and run it at 4.0 GHz with stock cooler.
Or, save money for the SSD drive, that'll make your windows run faster than a 5.0 GHz processor...

 

[lsquare]

It all depends, are you 100% sure you don't want to overclock either now or in the future. Also depends how long you are likely to keep the CPU for, a 2500k is going to have a lot higher resale value than a 2400 in 12 months time.

I upgrade the CPU on an annual basis so I'm not worried what 12 months from now will be like.

 

[lsquare]

I'd go for 2500K, you can overclock it easily and run it at 4.0 GHz with stock cooler.
Or, save money for the SSD drive, that'll make your windows run faster than a 5.0 GHz processor...

I already have a Crucial M4 128GB SSD. The 2500K is more and I'm not sure I can justify the extra expense for that if the 2400 gives me reasonably good performance for the money.

 

[middlehead]

It's only 30$ cheaper, if you think you can do better things with those 30 bucks then go for the 2400. It all depends on what you do with your machine.

That's essentially the recommendation I gave to a friend a few days ago. I told him if you're not sure how much overclocking you're going to do I'd wager you won't do enough to need the 2500k, and that that $30 can currently get you a decent stick of 4GB DDR3 memory.

 

[paperwastage]

I upgrade the CPU on an annual basis so I'm not worried what 12 months from now will be like.

resale value of 2500k > 2400, if you'd care?

 

[Hulk]

2500k and overclock. For an extra $30 you can get about 25% more performance with an easy 4GHz overclock which is really a simple matter for a 2500k. If you have an SSD then you care about performance.

 

[toyota]

I'd go for 2500K, you can overclock it easily and run it at 4.0 GHz with stock cooler.
Or, save money for the SSD drive, that'll make your windows run faster than a 5.0 GHz processor...

it is not a good idea to run 4.0 on the stock cooler.

2500k and overclock. For an extra $30 you can get about 25% more performance with an easy 4GHz overclock which is really a simple matter for a 2500k. If you have an SSD then you care about performance.

so its really about 60 bucks more since its best to have a decent cooler even for 4.0.

 

[Skott]

MicroCenter sells the i5 2400 for $150 and thats a really nice price if you live near one of their stores. I'd say if you want to OC or think you'll possibly want to try to OC get the 2500k. If you have no plans to OC get the 2400. Just my opinion.

Edit: Yes, I think the i5 2400 is worth it. Especially if you are on a tight budget.

 

[toyota]

and you can always raise the turbo on the 2400. a stock its 3.2/3.3/3.3/3.4 but you can raise the max to 3.8, I believe.

 

[skipsneeky2]

About to build a system myself in a few weeks with either a i5 2500k or i5 2400 with the 1090t crossing my mind.

1090t where i shop is $70 cheaper then a overpriced i5 2500k at $240 but a i5 2400 is $200 .


Gonna slap in a single gtx570 and the question the Op is asking is pretty good cause i'm in the same boat but cause i wanna fit a ssd into my build .

 

[toyota]

About to build a system myself in a few weeks with either a i5 2500k or i5 2400 with the 1090t crossing my mind.

1090t where i shop is $70 cheaper then a overpriced i5 2500k at $240 but a i5 2400 is $200 .


Gonna slap in a single gtx570 and the question the Op is asking is pretty good cause i'm in the same boat but cause i wanna fit a ssd into my build .

if you want to get the most out of a gtx570 in every game then you will need a 2500k and an aftermarket cooler to oc it.



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[skipsneeky2]

if you want to get the most out of a gtx570 in every game then you will need a 2500k and an aftermarket cooler to oc it.



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Wow one hell of a serious game despite i don't play it there will be more games that really benefit from a quality cpu over a budget one and show the same performance gaps .

Looks like with those numbers in that chart any idea of a phenom 2 should be washed away .

 

[Puppies04]

it is not a good idea to run 4.0 on the stock cooler.

so its really about 60 bucks more since its best to have a decent cooler even for 4.0.

Wrong on both points. 4ghz is achievable on standard or very slightly tweaked voltage, the standard intel cooler is fine for this.

 

[LoneNinja]

Most people don't overclock, I think the 2400 is worth it vs a 2500.

 

[Puppies04]

Most people don't overclock, I think the 2400 is worth it vs a 2500.

This throw away comment is awsome, "most" people don't come to anandtech to post questions about computers either.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Most people don't overclock, I think the 2400 is worth it vs a 2500.

Depends on the title me i'm more interested in single gtx570 performance at stock and oced in BF3 as that's the only fps or the only game i'm really playing right now till i find interest in other titles .

Skyrim seems to eat up any processor stock or oced for breakfast but i never got into those games.

The i5 2400 would allow you to drop it into a cheaper h67 and perhaps have more money for a better gpu or maybe a ssd which i do want myself cause i'm using a first generation seagate 4 platter 1.5tb and its a slow sob with its 15.4 ms seek time...reads are behind the times too but for storage it would be fine .

 

[toyota]

Wrong on both points. 4ghz is achievable on standard or very slightly tweaked voltage, the standard intel cooler is fine for this.

wrong according to you? I ran my cpu at 4.0 on stock cooler and it would get too hot. even at stock speeds it would get into the mid 70s at times. at 4.0 there was no chance of even running a stress test as it would hit 80 C in less than 30 seconds.

 

[colaxs]

I have an i5 2400 setup paired with an unlocked radeon 6950 and there are few games where my cpu seems to be a bottleneck. I may get flamed for this but unless you want to go for multigpu setups, the 2400 will do just fine if you are cpu oc averse like me.

Besides, cpu intensive games are as rare to find these days as games with physx lol. The charts I've seen so far, barring skyrim, only show serious fps differences in games which are running on high fps to begin with. *cough cod

 

[T_Yamamoto]

blah blah blah... these days as games with physx lol. The charts I've seen so far, barring skyrim, only show serious fps differences in games which are running on high fps to begin with. *cough* cod

lol, hope this doesnt start a trollwar

 

[Puppies04]

wrong according to you? I ran my cpu at 4.0 on stock cooler and it would get too hot. even at stock speeds it would get into the mid 70s at times. at 4.0 there was no chance of even running a stress test as it would hit 80 C in less than 30 seconds.

Yeah I suppose me and everyone else in general hardware/cpus and overclocking that have come to the general consensus that 4.0ghz is fine on a stock cooler. Sorry yours ran into problems, not sure if you have a "hot" environment, a case with sub adequate cooling or a bad chip but I have built 2 rigs that run 4.0ghz as a 24/7 OC on the stock cooler (although 1 has now bought aftermarket) and my gaming rig ran 4.0 fine on the standard cooler while I waited for my aftermarket one to turn up. By fine i mean not touching 75 degrees c running a couple of "high" IBT runs back to back or prime 95 for 30 mins , I will add though that all 3 setups had extra case fans installed.

Edit spelling

 

[toyota]

Yeah I suppose me and everyone else in general hardware/cpus and overclocking that have come to the general consensus that 4.0ghz is fine on a stock cooler. Sorry yours ran into problems, not sure if you have a "hot" environment, a case with sub adequate cooling or a bad chip but I have built 2 rigs that run 4.0ghz as a 24/7 OC on the stock cooler (although 1 has now bought aftermarket) and my gaming rig ran 4.0 fine on the standard cooler while I waited for my aftermarket one to turn up. By fine i mean not touching 75 degrees c running a couple of "high" IBT runs back to back or prime 95 for 30 mins , I will add though that all 3 setups had extra case fans installed.

Edit spelling

even on cool days it would hit 80 C very quick in IBT but of course I would stop it immediately to keep from going higher. heck on just stock clocks it would get near 80 C on maximum setting in IBT. with the A70 cooler it now runs 25 C cooler and that is with the fans on low settings. no way would I ever permanently run 4.0 on stock cooler.