To 2600K or not to 2600K : That is the question

[toyota]

Btw, SB is ideal for non-enthusiasts and non-overclockers because of its high ghz and enhanced turbo-boost. For that type of consumer (probably 90% of the market), SB is a huge win and a brilliant marketing design by Intel. Thats who Intel designed these chips for, not for enthusiasts at Anandtech (unless they are still on dual cores wanting to go quad).

and many "enthusiasts" are still on Core 2 duos and quads so this is a massive upgrade and much better than the jump to 1156 for the same amount of money.

 

[IntelUser2000]

Come to think of it, the desktop Sandy Bridge gains seem similar to laptop Core 2 gains few years back: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2056/13

 

[amenx]

and many "enthusiasts" are still on Core 2 duos and quads so this is a massive upgrade and much better than the jump to 1156 for the same amount of money.

Oh absolutely, no question there. But I laugh when I see i7 owners salivating at SB (or even i5 750/760 owners at 4ghz).

 

[brencat]

Go for the 2600K. The extra couple inches of e-peen is worth it.

Best response so far in this thread

:biggrin:

 

[Nemesis 1]

For benching the 2600K makes perfect sense. For just gaming the 2500K is a steal. I can't decide...

I have had world records . Go for the pure gamer 4 threads at 4.8 ghz on air . What to think about $220 plus M/B your set to go. Unless ya go all out benching is without reward. Second best will always be first loser.

 

[shabby]

I would go 2600. I have no intention to overclock, so the extra $23 for a "K" is a waste.

Think you'll lose a lot of resale value of a non-K cpu, just another thing to think aboot.

 

[Jumpem]

Think you'll lose a lot of resale value of a non-K cpu, just another thing to think aboot.

I've never resold any computer equipment. It always ends up finding a new home with a family member or less well off neighbor.

 

[RussianSensation]

For benching the 2600K makes perfect sense. For just gaming the 2500K is a steal. I can't decide...

It's actually very simple. For gaming, 2500k or 2600k will have little to no performance difference from a Core i5 760 @ 4.4ghz, however that Quadfire 4870X2 setup is definitely underutilized because AMD has never been able to sclae well beyond 3 GPUs. You are better off dumping those videocards and going HD6950/70 CF imo. Upgrading your CPU while still using power hungry DX10 videocards is not very smart.

 

[Castiel]

It's actually very simple. For gaming, 2500k or 2600k will have little to no performance difference from a Core i5 760 @ 4.4ghz, however that Quadfire 4870X2 setup is definitely underutilized because AMD has never been able to sclae well beyond 3 GPUs. You are better off dumping those videocards and going HD6950/70 CF imo. Upgrading your CPU while still using power hungry DX10 videocards is not very smart.

Just ordered a pair of 460's russian

 

[Nemesis 1]

So what about the 2500k or 2600k . 2500k is the smart money

 

[RussianSensation]

Just ordered a pair of 460's russian

Ya, I saw that!!

Honestly, with a pair of 460s (esp overclocked to 850mhz), you are going to be cranking 8AA, at which point there is no way SB will have any measuralbe performance impact in games compared to a Core i5 @ 4.4ghz (perhaps in Civ5 and SC2). Just save your $$ and think about upgrading when 22nm chips ship or even when LGA2011 arrives. Also, that C400 Crucial M4 SSD (AT frontpage) is sure looking fine and dandy if you feel like dropping $$ on something.

I could definitely see how you'd want to upgrade to SB if you were using the system for something outside of gaming.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Nothing I do benefits from HT. Both "K" chips completely rip. That's a good set of benchmarks posted by the OP. Since I'm an Adobe CS5 user (with some Adobe Premiere work) I'm leaning towards saving the hunsky and getting the 2500K (after a couple judicious returns of unopened merchandise, that is )

 

[Emultra]

and many "enthusiasts" are still on Core 2 duos and quads so this is a massive upgrade and much better than the jump to 1156 for the same amount of money.

I'm still on an Athlon64 3200+ with 2GB RAM and a 7600GT. Looking to get a 2500/2600K, 8GB RAM and a 460 or 560. Think I'll notice the upgrade when gaming?

 

[toyota]

I'm still on an Athlon64 3200+ with 2GB RAM and a 7600GT. Looking to get a 2500/2600K, 8GB RAM and a 460 or 560. Think I'll notice the upgrade when gaming?

yeah but you should have upgraded at least 1 or 2 other times instead of waiting this long. theres no way you have enjoyed gaming on that pc for the last 3 or 4 years.

 

[mv2devnull]

On the other hand, why does X3 Terran Conflict get a boost from hyperthreading? Last time I checked, the game doesn't even efficiently use 2 cores, let alone 8 threads...

That (and X3 reunion) has been one of my longest lasting games so far, hence why I care...

Yes, X3 are single-threaded CPU-bound beasts. What could use the additional cores are the GPU and sound drivers, but why would HT make a difference there? (It could make things worse, could it not?).

Difference between 2500K and 2600K clocked same -- the extra cache probably can explain that.


I'm not totally convinced of 'K' either. Show me some 2600S benchmarks before I can properly to K or not to K.

 

[Emultra]

yeah but you should have upgraded at least 1 or 2 other times instead of waiting this long. theres no way you have enjoyed gaming on that pc for the last 3 or 4 years.

Hehe true, but I've been doing mostly WoW and older games. Got a big backlog waiting for the new SB rig. I'm also going from a slightly defective 19" CRT to a Syncmaster 2233RZ. Waiting for SB to come out since there's finals coming up anyway.

 

[stahlhart]

Hehe true, but I've been doing mostly WoW and older games. Got a big backlog waiting for the new SB rig. I'm also going from a slightly defective 19" CRT to a Syncmaster 2233RZ. Waiting for SB to come out since there's finals coming up anyway.

Same here. I just lived without playing anything post-2004 for several years -- it wasn't really that important to me, and I got tired of the upgrading treadmill and stepped off it for a few years. Ready to get back on now and start getting caught up on the backlog.

The games are still new to me, anyway -- and they're a lot cheaper to get now.

 

[Jumpem]

Well, if getting into BIOS and setting the multiplier from default to 45x (for 4.5GHz) is too much of a hassle, then I agree, the 2600 is probably the better chip for you!

I have other reasons for not overclocking. Such as the risk, albeit sleight, of data degradation. I have data that is worth much more to me than a few more frames per second.

 

[toyota]

I have other reasons for not overclocking. Such as the risk, albeit sleight, of data degradation. I have data that is worth much more to me than a few more frames per second.

you have a higher risk of getting struck by lightening than having a mild oc to 4.0 doing any damage.

 

[nyfirefly11]

Not sure what I want to do...I upgraded to a i7 920 2 years ago, which is more than enough for 80% of what I do. That said, I'm starting to do a lot more transcoding and CS5 work, and I wouldn't mind an upgraded mobo with usb 3 and better cooling.

Or maybe that's just me rationalizing

 

[Markfw]

Not sure what I want to do...I upgraded to a i7 920 2 years ago, which is more than enough for 80% of what I do. That said, I'm starting to do a lot more transcoding and CS5 work, and I wouldn't mind an upgraded mobo with usb 3 and better cooling.

Or maybe that's just me rationalizing

Yes, rationalizing . Overclock that baby to 4 ghz !

 

[nyfirefly11]

Yeah, I've gotten it to 3.8 no prob...though the vreg does get a bit hot.

 

[mosox]

If you need to run benches/read benches in reviews in order to notice the difference between your old CPU and your new one you're doing it wrong (throwing away your money).

Anyone who is able to notice a difference in regular PC usage between the Intel i5-750/Phenom II 955 and the new Sandy Bridge is not human, must be an alien.

 

[hotboyz012345]

So i m also getting core i7 2500k thanks for saving my bucks.i m only a enthusiast gamer.

 

[mosox]

What's your CPU upgrade path on this platform once you bought one of those two CPUs: That is the question.

Come on, one CPU, one mobo? Another CPU, another mobo? What is that? I'm running my fourth CPU on my mobo (AM2+). Two of them were top of the line when I bought them and I still have a long way to go to the top of the line CPU on my mobo. What's next, CPU integrated in the mobo?