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IntelBX80623I52500K
$246
IntelBX8070811400F
 $246 

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

6 Cores, 12 Threads @2.6GHz, Rocket Lake.
Release date: Q1 2021.

Real World Speed
Performance profile from 189,616 user samples
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: 505th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 66%
Battle cruiser
Desktop
Desktop 72%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 49%
Yacht
46,609 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 101% Base clock 2.6 GHz, turbo 4.2 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 88% Base clock 2.6 GHz, turbo 4 GHz (avg)
Poor: 88% Great: 101%
SPEED RANK: 134th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 94%
Nuclear submarine
Desktop
Desktop 96%
Nuclear submarine
Workstation
Workstation 86%
Aircraft carrier
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed
65.9 % 94.2 % Much faster effective speed.
+43%
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency
83.1 Pts 87.2 Pts +5%
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed
88.4 Pts 147 Pts Much faster single-core speed.
+66%
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed
174 Pts 285 Pts Much faster dual-core speed.
+64%
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed
281 Pts 544 Pts Hugely faster quad-core speed.
+94%
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed
300 Pts 855 Pts Hugely faster octa-core speed.
+185%
Memory
OC Memory Latency
94.9 Pts 95 Pts +0%
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed
114 Pts 153 Pts Much faster OC single-core speed.
+34%
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed
227 Pts 303 Pts Much faster OC dual-core speed.
+33%
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed
380 Pts 588 Pts Much faster OC quad-core speed.
+55%
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed
399 Pts 913 Pts Hugely faster OC octa-core speed.
+129%
Market Share
Based on 68,936,156 CPUs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
0.1 % 0.77 % Hugely higher market share.
+670%
Value
Value For Money
68.2 % 123 % Hugely better value.
+80%
User Rating
UBM User Rating
76 % 90 % More popular.
+18%
Price
Price (score)
$246 $106 Much cheaper.
+57%
Age
Newest
166 Months 43 Months Much more recent.
+74%
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP)
95 Watts 65 Watts Much more energy efficient.
+32%
Cores
CPU Processing Cores
4 cores 6 cores Much higher core count.
+50%
Threads
CPU Processing Threads
4 threads 12 threads Hugely higher thread count.
+200%
Lithography
Manufacturing process
32 nm 14 nm Much newer manufacturing.
+56%
Base Clock
Base Clock Speed
3.3 GHz Faster base frequency.
+27%
2.6 GHz
Turbo Clock
Turbo Clock Speed
3.7 GHz 4.4 GHz Faster turbo frequency.
+19%
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed
407 Pts 1120 Pts Hugely faster OC 64-core speed.
+175%
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed
304 Pts 1049 Pts Hugely faster 64-core speed.
+245%
Series
CPU Architecture
Sandy Bridge Rocket Lake
Socket
Motherboard Socket
LGA1155 FCLGA1200
Graphics
Integrated Graphics
HD 3000 None

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]

MORE DETAILS

The Rocket Lake i5-11400F paired with a B560 motherboard and 3200 RAM ($365 USD) offers unprecedented value for money to gamers. It completely prices AMD's 5000 series out of the market. Rocket Lake brings higher IPC (early samples indicate +19%) which translates to around a 10% faster Effective Speed than both Intel's 10th Gen and AMD’s 5000 series. Despite Intel’s performance lead, AMD continues to outsell Intel. Given the scale of Intel's operation, it’s inexplicable that their marketing remains so neglected. Little effort is made to counter widespread disinformation such as: “it uses too much electricity” or the classic: “it needs more cores”. Intel’s marketing samples are routinely distributed to reviewers that appear better incentivized to bury Intel's products rather than review them. Not enabling XMP or only testing with BIOS power limits enabled is akin to leaving the handbrake on during a race. Mind-numbing “scientific” and rendering benchmarks are presented as gospel. Different games, mostly unplayed by real users, are cherry picked for each “review”. When it's convenient, canned game benchmarks are chosen such as Ulletical’s CSGO which runs at nearly double the in-game fps. Credible benchmark data, which necessarily includes replicable video footage from popular games, is the exception rather than the rule. At every release, AMD’s marketers coordinate narratives to ensure another feast of blue blubber. Nonetheless, towards the end of 2021, Intel’s Golden Cove is due to offer an additional 20-30% performance increase. At that time, with a net 30-40% performance lead, Intel will probably regain significant market share despite AMD's class-leading marketing. In the meantime, most PC gamers need look no further than the 11400F. [Mar '21 CPUPro]

MORE DETAILS

Processor Rankings (Price vs Performance) November 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]

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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The Best
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-12600K $169Nvidia RTX 4060 $296WD Black SN850X M.2 2TB $135
Intel Core i5-12400F $111Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $345WD Black SN850X M.2 1TB $80
Intel Core i5-13600K $209Nvidia RTX 4070 $500Crucial T700 M.2 4TB $350
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