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IntelBX80623I52500K
$246
Intel
▲ 769,602 ▼
 $246 

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

VS
▲ 52158 ▼

4 Cores, 4 Threads @3.4 GHz, Sandy Bridge.
Release date ≤ Q1 2014.

Effective Speed 
+12%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 145,932 user samples
Benchmark your CPU here
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
2,925 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 85% Base clock 3.4 GHz, turbo 4.9 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 60% Base clock 3.4 GHz, turbo 2.2 GHz (avg)
Poor: 60% Great: 85%
SPEED RANK: 343rd / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 74%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 78%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 55%
Gunboat
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed 		65.9 % 73.9 % Faster effective speed.
+12%
Average Score 
+13%
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency 		83.1 Pts 87.4 Pts Slightly lower memory latency.
+5%
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed 		88.4 Pts 94.9 Pts Slightly faster single-core speed.
+7%
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed 		174 Pts 188 Pts Slightly faster dual-core speed.
+8%
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed 		281 Pts 349 Pts Faster quad-core speed.
+24%
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed 		300 Pts 355 Pts Faster octa-core speed.
+18%
Overclocked Score 
+8%
Memory
OC Memory Latency 		94.9 Pts 95.5 Pts +1%
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed 		114 Pts 117 Pts +3%
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed 		227 Pts 234 Pts +3%
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed 		380 Pts 451 Pts Faster OC quad-core speed.
+19%
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed 		399 Pts 456 Pts Faster OC octa-core speed.
+14%
Value & Sentiment 
+239%
Market Share
Based on 68,887,891 CPUs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.11 % Hugely higher market share.
+1,000% 		0.01 %
Value
Value For Money 		68.2 % 93.3 % Much better value.
+37%
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		76 % Much more popular.
+46% 		52 %
Price
Price (score) 		$246 $119 Much cheaper.
+52%
Nice To Haves 
+18%
Age
Newest 		165 Months 127+ Months More recent.
+23%
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed 		407 Pts 460 Pts Faster OC 64-core speed.
+13%
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed 		304 Pts 356 Pts Faster 64-core speed.
+17%
Specifications 
Launch Date
Launch Date 		Q1'11 Q1'12
Recommended Price
Recommended Customer Price 		N/A $235.00
Max Turbo Frequency
Max Turbo Frequency 		3.7 GHz 3.8 GHz
InTru 3D Tech
Intel® InTru™ 3D Technology 		Yes No
Clear Video HD Tech
Intel® Clear Video HD Technology 		Yes No
Intel Insider
Intel® Insider™ 		Yes No
Flexible Display Interface
Intel® Flexible Display Interface (Intel® FDI) 		Yes No

More specs » More specs »
Conclusion 
Average Bench 65.9%
Average Bench 73.9%

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

I have been running an i5-2550k since 2012. With modest overclocking it is only 20% slower in single core processing than the 8th Gen i5's, giving me no reason, even 5 years later, to upgrade. [Oct '17 usbserial]

MORE DETAILS

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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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The Best
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-12600K $165Nvidia RTX 4060 $293WD Black SN850X M.2 2TB $135
Intel Core i5-12400F $112Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $389WD Black SN850X M.2 1TB $78
Intel Core i5-13600K $200Nvidia RTX 4070 $500Crucial T700 M.2 4TB $350
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