IntelBX80662I36100
IntelBX80623I52500K
$246

2 Cores, 4 Threads @3.7GHz, Skylake.
Release date: Q4 2015.

 $246 

4 Cores, 4 Threads @3.3GHz, Sandy Bridge.
Release date: Q1 2011.

Real World Speed
Performance profile from 253,173 user samples
110,166 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 68% Base clock 3.7 GHz, turbo 3.7 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 29% Base clock 3.7 GHz, turbo 3.7 GHz (avg)
Poor: 29% Great: 68%
SPEED RANK: 673rd / 1442
Gaming
Gaming 55%
Gunboat
Desktop
Desktop 64%
Destroyer
Workstation
Workstation 41%
Speed boat
143,007 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 79% Base clock 3.3 GHz, turbo 4.6 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 44% Base clock 3.3 GHz, turbo 0.5 GHz (avg)
Poor: 44% Great: 79%
SPEED RANK: 484th / 1442
Gaming
Gaming 66%
Battle cruiser
Desktop
Desktop 72%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 49%
Yacht
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed
55.4 % 65.9 % Faster effective speed.
+19%
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency
71.8 Pts 83.1 Pts Lower memory latency.
+16%
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed
89.5 Pts +1% 88.4 Pts
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed
159 Pts 174 Pts Slightly faster dual-core speed.
+9%
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed
225 Pts 281 Pts Faster quad-core speed.
+25%
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed
237 Pts 300 Pts Faster octa-core speed.
+27%
Memory
OC Memory Latency
91.3 Pts 94.9 Pts +4%
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed
107 Pts 114 Pts Slightly faster OC single-core speed.
+7%
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed
189 Pts 227 Pts Faster OC dual-core speed.
+20%
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed
274 Pts 380 Pts Much faster OC quad-core speed.
+39%
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed
281 Pts 399 Pts Much faster OC octa-core speed.
+42%
Market Share
Based on 67,715,661 CPUs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
0.15 % 0.24 % Much higher market share.
+60%
Value
Value For Money
79 % Better value.
+16%
68.2 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating
61 % 76 % More popular.
+25%
Price
Price (score)
$76 Much cheaper.
+69%
$246
Age
Newest
102 Months Much more recent.
+36%
159 Months
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP)
47 Watts Much more energy efficient.
+51%
95 Watts
Cores
CPU Processing Cores
2 cores 4 cores Hugely higher core count.
+100%
Threads
CPU Processing Threads
4 threads 4 threads
Lithography
Manufacturing process
14 nm Much newer manufacturing.
+56%
32 nm
Base Clock
Base Clock Speed
3.7 GHz Faster base frequency.
+12%
3.3 GHz
Turbo Clock
Turbo Clock Speed
3.7 GHz 3.7 GHz
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed
285 Pts 407 Pts Much faster OC 64-core speed.
+43%
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed
240 Pts 304 Pts Faster 64-core speed.
+27%
Series
CPU Architecture
Skylake Sandy Bridge
Socket
Motherboard Socket
FCLGA1151 LGA1155
Graphics
Integrated Graphics
HD 530 HD 3000
Launch Date
Launch Date
Q3'15 Q1'11
Cache
Cache
3 MB SmartCache 6 MB SmartCache
Instruction Set Extensions
Instruction Set Extensions
SSE4.1/4.2, AVX 2.0 SSE4.1/4.2, AVX
Embedded Options Available
Embedded Options Available
Yes No
Lithography
Lithography
14 nm 32 nm
Recommended Price
Recommended Customer Price
$117.00 N/A
Bus Speed
Bus Speed
8 GT/s DMI3 5 GT/s DMI
Max Memory Size
Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type)
64 GB 32 GB
Memory Types
Memory Types
DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V DDR3 1066/1333
Memory Bandwidth
Max Memory Bandwidth
34.1 GB/s 21 GB/s
ECC Memory Supported
ECC Memory Supported ‡
Yes No
Processor Graphics
Processor Graphics ‡
Intel® HD Graphics 530 Intel® HD Graphics 3000
Graphics Base Frequency
Graphics Base Frequency
350 MHz 850 MHz
Wireless Display
Intel® Wireless Display
Yes No
# of Displays Supported
# of Displays Supported ‡
3 2
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency
1.05 GHz 1.1 GHz
Turbo Boost Tech
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology ‡
No 2.0
Hyper-Threading Tech
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology ‡
Yes No
Virtualization for Directed I/O (VT-d)
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) ‡
Yes No
PCI Express Revision
PCI Express Revision
3.0 2.0

More specs » More specs »
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The i5-2500K is a second generation Sandy Bridge processor which is currently two generations old and nearly three years out of date. The many users that had the good sense to purchase this processor should feel in no hurry to upgrade as it's still no slouch, even by today's standards. The benchmark figures indicate that, even at stock clock rates, in terms of real-world performance this processor is approximately 20% slower than the best currently available, not bad considering its age. Given that the 2500K has an unlocked multiplier upping its performance by 10% with stock cooling should not pose much of a problem for the majority of owners. Here is a detailed performance comparison of the 2500K vs 4670K.  [Jul '13 CPUPro]

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Processor Rankings (Price vs Performance) April 2024 CPU Rankings

We calculate effective speed which measures real world performance for typical users. Effective speed is adjusted by current prices to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top CPUs. [CPUPro]

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Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.
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