Used i5-2500k

[timsharky]

Should I take the risk buying used i5 2500k or go for new i5-3570k? Price difference is 50 euro. He says it was water cooled and overclocked to 4.4 ghz. What would you do?

 

[Blain]

I would buy the new i5-3570k.

 

[nwo]

50 euro is a fairly significant price difference for nearly identical performance.

4.4GHz is a modest OC for a 2500k so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

I bought a used 2500k for a secondary rig, I have no problems with it. Running at 4.2GHz with only a 0.05v offset increase. If I had to do it all over again, I'd definitely get it used. Especially if I can save 50 euro or ~$70USD.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Buy the 3570K

 

[jacktesterson]

i5-2500k

 

[crashtech]

Either the 2500K is a really good deal, or the 3570K you are looking at is overpriced. They should not be 50 euro apart.

 

[DigDog]

Should I take the risk buying used i5 2500k or go for new i5-3570k? Price difference is 50 euro. He says it was water cooled and overclocked to 4.4 ghz. What would you do?

can you be more specific with the prices? the 2500k sounds better btw.

 

[nonameo]

In addition to clock speed, I'd also want to know what voltages he was running it at.

 

[JumBie]

I have another thread http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2366448 in which I went through the same dilemma of choosing to buy a used i5 2500k. If you look at the performance charts I have there that outlines the i5 2500k vs 3570k vs 4670k they all perform exactly the same in gaming. Not sure if you are gaming or not, but regardless you will get about a 5-10% difference in CPU task across the board with a 4670K. Either way they are all top end 4 core cpu's that will handle almost everything you throw at them with ease. I would personally grab the used 2500k as you can used the save cash for something else.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2366448

 

[BonzaiDuck]

In addition to clock speed, I'd also want to know what voltages he was running it at.

Unfortunately, that's the real issue. 4.4Ghz to some might seem a lame overclock for an i5-2500K. But how skilled or crude was the effort to overclock by the owner?

This could be about risk. I seldom if ever buy at EBay, and seldom if ever buy used components unless odds favor their being in tip-top condition.

It is quite possible that the i5-2500K is unflawed and turns out to be a great bargain. The question is -- how much does the buyer know before he places his bet on the used-parts roulette?

 

[JumBie]

Unfortunately, that's the real issue. 4.4Ghz to some might seem a lame overclock for an i5-2500K. But how skilled or crude was the effort to overclock by the owner?

This could be about risk. I seldom if ever buy at EBay, and seldom if ever buy used components unless odds favor their being in tip-top condition.

It is quite possible that the i5-2500K is unflawed and turns out to be a great bargain. The question is -- how much does the buyer know before he places his bet on the used-parts roulette?

Buy from someone with good feedback either through a local forum, or online. That way you are covered either way. Most likely they aren't going to sell you a dud. And if by some coincidence the chip ends up being crap, you can return it to them. Thats the key to buying used, never buy from some random dude, unless its a brand new sealed chip. Also, I purchased tons of parts used, the lottery looks to be in my favor. I have never purchased a used part, whether it be a mobo, cpu, ram, or gpu, that has failed on me. And when I sell my parts I make sure they are in top condition and show the buyer proof. I try to keep the good karma going.

 

[Puppies04]

In an honest world with honest people I would go with the 2500K all day long. In this world I would buy a new chip.

 

[crashtech]

I'd still rather have all the pricing data, instead of just the difference.

 

[timsharky]

Thx guys, I really appreciate your help. He says offset voltage was set to 0.05 and normally it was running on 1.09 voltage. New 3570k cost 210 euro and used 2500k cost 160 euro. You guys are best !

 

[nwo]

Thx guys, I really appreciate your help. He says offset voltage was set to 0.05 and normally it was running on 1.09 voltage. New 3570k cost 210 euro and used 2500k cost 160 euro. You guys are best !

If there is any truth to that, then I'd definitely say i5 2500k all the way!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Buy from someone with good feedback either through a local forum, or online. That way you are covered either way. Most likely they aren't going to sell you a dud. And if by some coincidence the chip ends up being crap, you can return it to them. Thats the key to buying used, never buy from some random dude, unless its a brand new sealed chip. Also, I purchased tons of parts used, the lottery looks to be in my favor. I have never purchased a used part, whether it be a mobo, cpu, ram, or gpu, that has failed on me. And when I sell my parts I make sure they are in top condition and show the buyer proof. I try to keep the good karma going.

I suppose I can't argue with that. I'm just better at doing it with used cars and used engines or trannies than I'd been with used mobos and . . . stuff. But it IS true: When I bought a defective motherboard from Ebay some years back, the seller took it back and reversed the charges.

Thx guys, I really appreciate your help. He says offset voltage was set to 0.05 and normally it was running on 1.09 voltage. New 3570k cost 210 euro and used 2500k cost 160 euro. You guys are best !

I can tell you what this means. it's good that he only had the offset at 0.05V. "1.09V" means he had enabled EIST under the overclock settings.

That leaves the question: Was he a carefree idiot, or was he mindful of prevailing advice about load voltages for the i5-2500K? The EIST voltage with that offset wouldn't reflect the load voltage at which he'd run the overclock. But a 4.4 Ghz overclock -- if done properly -- would not result in "CPU abuse."

Whether or not the load VCORE was excessive, any damage would have been attenuated somewhat with the power-saving EIST (etc) enabled.

It's probably worth the risk, I guess. Personally, I'm not happy with either the IB or Haswell offerings compared to my i7-2600K. I'm looking to build an IB-E system this year -- putting together a list and fiddling with my accounts so that I won't regret paying for it later.

 

[Sable]

I would buy the new i5-3570k.

Yep.

 

[tweakboy]

Get the 2500k ,,with 8 threads I believe. It should be much faster then the latter.

 

[crashtech]

There is a 3570K for sale in the For Sale forum for $180, about €134 right now. I guess not every seller would do international shipping, but it seems like €210 is a lot. In the UK they retail for £160.

 

[ghost03]

That fact that you're bothering to post about it means you're worried about the condition of the used CPU.

Even if its totally fine, you'll never know that with 100% confidence and, based on the fact that you're concerned now, I'm assuming your concerns will stick with you for the rest of the time you use the CPU.

If it didn't bother you, I would get the used one. Since it does seem to bother you, the 50 euro is probably worth it for peace of mind. Another vote for 3570k.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

That fact that you're bothering to post about it means you're worried about the condition of the used CPU.

Even if its totally fine, you'll never know that with 100% confidence and, based on the fact that you're concerned now, I'm assuming your concerns will stick with you for the rest of the time you use the CPU.

If it didn't bother you, I would get the used one. Since it does seem to bother you, the 50 euro is probably worth it for peace of mind. Another vote for 3570k.

I didn't know that the OP was particularly bothered. I think I and others had raised this issue. But if the used chip is stable at commonly known overclocks and voltages for that chip, he'd know what to expect for the remainder of the CPU's life, I suppose . . .

 

[crashtech]

If the 2500K is healthy, it's a no-brainer at that price delta!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

If the 2500K is healthy, it's a no-brainer at that price delta!

This is sort of like the JFK assassination: There will never be a consensus about it. It is unlike that "mystery" for the fact that over and above any consensus or that most things "happen only one way," the OP has a set of personal preferences for what he wants and what he wants to spend, given all the expected costs and benefits.

Frankly, watching the frenzy here over Cinebench scores, I can see that I'm "future-proof" myself with an SB-K chip for the time being. Maybe that works for the OP, but only he can answer it.

Here's something else:

http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-H530-D...5#desc_content

Used to be the case that I could actually save money building my own system. There's still the benefit of a learning curve: if you build it, you can likely service it. In thirty years, I've never taken a computer in for "repair under warranty," never had an extended service agreement, never had "Geek Squad" fix anything or install anything for me, and never needed to avail myself of "data resurrection" or "virus cleaning" services for $130 per issue.

But it begs the question: Whaddaya want? What can you get? How do you want to get it?

As for the Staples non-K bargain, you can't overclock it, can't upgrade the PSU, can't do a lot of things or so I suppose. But your average Mainstreamer on the street probably feels good to get a computer for that price.

And I have to wonder why I'm willing to spend three times that for an overclocked, SSD-bootable speed-demon.

I suppose I could even buy the "previously-owned" i5-2500K myself and stick it in my parts locker in the event that something goes wrong with my 2600K. But let's face it: that ain' gonna happen. I'd do better to pick up an inexpensive Z77 motherboard to put in the closet . . . until that day . . .

But the OP wants a "current" computer and upgrade from what he has -- not necessarily a new one.

 

[nwo]

To be honest, I was also reluctant to buy a used CPU for my main rig so I went with a new 3570k. Luckily, the new i5 3570k was actually cheaper than a used 2500k. Thank you Micro Center ($149.99 + tax) which helped make it a no brainer decision for me.

A few weeks later, I had no issues purchasing a used 2500k combo from the forums and I was extremely happy with my purchase. The deal was too good to pass up and I certainly do not regret my choice especially since the 2500k has been treating me well.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

To be honest, I was also reluctant to buy a used CPU for my main rig so I went with a new 3570k. Luckily, the new i5 3570k was actually cheaper than a used 2500k. Thank you Micro Center ($149.99 + tax) which helped make it a no brainer decision for me.

A few weeks later, I had no issues purchasing a used 2500k combo from the forums and I was extremely happy with my purchase. The deal was too good to pass up and I certainly do not regret my choice especially since the 2500k has been treating me well.

So . . . you get it both ways. I have to manage the entire household IT budget, with family "mainstreamers" who don't need either "latest and greatest" or quad-core. But that includes my personal preferences for just wanting to build another machine after 30 months since the last one, like my car-mechanic can't help building up several cars at his home because . . . "he can."

If the fam-damn-ily really wanted quads and wanted them "now," I can see myself scouring the web for either OEM SB cores (K as a bonus) or used offerings.