Worth upgrading to 2500k?

[Orija]

I currently have an AMD X2 555 BE 3.2 GHz with its quad cores unlocked to an X4 955 3.2 GHz, 1) would it be worth upgrading to the 2500k? The primary use for my pc is gaming.

2) Is there any significant difference between the 2500k and 2600k? What role does the core speed play from a gaming point of view?

Thanks for your time.

 

[stahlhart]

2) Is there any significant difference between the 2500k and 2600k? What role does the core speed play from a gaming point of view?

I think that, for gaming, you'd get more bang for the buck going with a 2500K and applying the difference towards the GPU.

 

[pugh]

The 2500k will blow it out of the water. I went with it instead of 2600. Love it. Put that extra cash towards a nice GPU.

Look at the cpu review chart here at AT.

 

[Meghan54]

2500k without a doubt. Not really worth the extra the 2600k costs, unless you absolutely must have the most expensive of everything.

 

[Arkadrel]

I currently have an AMD X2 555 BE 3.2 GHz with its quad cores unlocked to an X4 955 3.2 GHz, 1) would it be worth upgrading to the 2500k? The primary use for my pc is gaming.

2) Is there any significant difference between the 2500k and 2600k? What role does the core speed play from a gaming point of view?

Thanks for your time.

Most games Intel i2500k is like 5%-35% faster than say a
Phenom II x4 980BE (3.7ghz Phenom II x4 chip).

*if* you have your "unlocked" x4 955 @ 3.2ghz, yeah big differnce.
See if you cant overclock your CPU more (then save the $ and put that towards a new GPU instead)

You should wait, until september 19th (rumored release date of bulldozer).
See how that performs and its price, and what happends to the market, it could push prices down if its good.

 

[blotto]

I got pissed at the whole BD delay and not working with 880fx boards, so I sold my 1055t that ran at 4.0ghz and bought a 2500k and run at 4.7ghz. Difference is noticeable. Windows is all around snappier and games feel faster on CF 5870s. I don't run benchmarks, if I need numbers to justify an upgrade it wasn't worth it, I have to see or feel the difference.

 

[skipsneeky2]

As a prior owner of a 2600k and now a 2500k,there is virtually no difference between the two for gaming.

So pick up the 2500k and enjoy it

If you do heavy rendering and all that perhaps a 2600k would be a better choice but strictly for gaming the $100 difference can go towards a new gpu.

 

[BladeVenom]

There's only a very small difference between 2500k and 2600k in games. Even that difference doesn't matter most of the time because more games are GPU restricted than CPU restricted.

As for the CPU you already have, does it cause slowdowns in any of the games you are playing?

 

[rgallant]

-what games?
just saying
-rumor has it bf3 using fb2 engine was built to use 2-8 cores.[re consoles]

-1 core for sound only[confirmed?] so 4-1 =3 cores to run the game and all the back ground crap.

-so having HT could be helpful maybe. I forgot to turn HT on in the bf3 Alpha so I can't say ,
-some 6 core amd users reported all 6 cores used.

-you can't turn it on , if you don't have it

 

[Plimogz]

What graphics card are you using at the moment? what resolution? and (it's been asked before, but) what games?

A 3.2GHz Phenom II isn't half bad. Sure a 2500K is faster -- and way faster in CPU intensive games if overclocked to 4.4 -- but depending on your budget and current system configuration, a change of GPU could well yield way more bang for your upgrade buck.

 

[flexcore]

Personally I say to get your GPU upgrade first and see if you get acceptable gaming performance for the time-being with that. Then when you do have to upgrade you can get the best performance CPU available. Phenom II x4 may not be the fastest but they still can put up respectable FPS.

 

[paperwastage]

I'd say look into RAM, GPU or an SSD first, if you only game.

I upgraded my Phenom II x2 (unlocked to x4) to a 2500k b/c i needed the extra speed in computing, with the bonus of a little bit of gaming

 

[happy medium]

I currently have an AMD X2 555 BE 3.2 GHz with its quad cores unlocked to an X4 955 3.2 GHz, 1) would it be worth upgrading to the 2500k? The primary use for my pc is gaming.

2) Is there any significant difference between the 2500k and 2600k? What role does the core speed play from a gaming point of view?

Thanks for your time.

If your using or plan on using a dual gpu setup soon yes, if not, stick with what you have for a while. You wont "see" any difference except in benchmarks.

 

[Orija]

I currently have a 9800gt but will be getting the 6950 or 6970 soon. I plan all types of games, Rage, BF3, Skyrim, Metro and all other heavy stuff too. I think I'll get both the 2500k and the gpu.

 

[Plimogz]

Upgrading that 9800GT will be simpler and more rewarding than going for a 2500K.

Unless you happen to be in the habit on gaming at 800x600 resolution, that is.

Cards with performance around 6870 - 560TI will serve up roughly 2 or 3 times the framerates. particularly improved will be minimum FPS, which will very much help with playability.

No question you should get new graphics card before switching out your entire system for less significant performance gains.