• Competitor rules

    Please remember that any mention of competitors, hinting at competitors or offering to provide details of competitors will result in an account suspension. The full rules can be found under the 'Terms and Rules' link in the bottom right corner of your screen. Just don't mention competitors in any way, shape or form and you'll be OK.

4 years on, do we have any major upgrades from i5-2500k?

Associate
Joined
2 Dec 2008
Posts
410
I've had this CPU since 2011 (currently at 4.2GHz), and am struggling to see any more modern processors out there that actually represent a major upgrade for gaming.

I like the look of the 6 core / 12 thread CPUs, but their clock speeds are always slower, and many games still don't seem to scale over multiple cores all that well.

Is it a case of waiting another year or two and then checking in again?
 
Not really. There are obviously going to be differences but the actual improvement still lingers around the 10-15%.

My 2600k @ 4.5ghz is still going strong and paired with a 290p, I've got no complaints what so ever.
 
Not really. There are obviously going to be differences but the actual improvement still lingers around the 10-15%.

My 2600k @ 4.5ghz is still going strong and paired with a 290p, I've got no complaints what so ever.

Is that on air or water? Mine wouldn't stay stable at 4.4GHz. I would run fine for days or even weeks, but every so often I'd get a hard crash, so I dropped it down by 5% to get some headroom.

Guess I'll wait and see what Skylake brings :)
 
The new consoles are both 8 core systems. As more and more games get ported from the consoles to PC, we'll see 6/8 core support and utilization skyrocket.

When that happens, the x99 range will obliterate your 2500k, though it will still take a few months/year to get a decent amount of games.

Looking forward to see how GTA5 runs on the PC, how many cores it will use etc.
 
The 2500k @ 4.5ghz was under the Alpenfohn K2 before moving to the H100i and the 2600k is now the same. 1.3v using offset +0.030.

I see you're point but it's 2015 and they're still releasing games which aren't optimized for multicore processors.

- Dying Light
- Watchdogs

as examples of the top of my head, pretty sure there are more!
 
Writing multithreaded code is simply difficult unless you're doing batch operations. The fact that both current gen consoles have 8 cores seems more like a ****ing contest than actually useful. Also, aren't they both using AMD x86-64 CPUs? In which case they might be 4 modules rather than 8 distinct cores.

It is possible that 6-8 core CPUs will benefit over the next couple of years though I suppose. In terms of gaming, GPUs seem to have made a lot more headway than CPUs over the past 5 or so years.
 
4 years on, do we have any major upgrades from i5-2500k?

Yes seeing as yours is a 4 core with 4 threads and 6mb cache. Any of the latest chips plus chipset would provide a nice upgrade. From cheaper Z97 to middle range X99 up to highest end 5960X.

4790K, cheap 4 core / 8 thread 8mb cache. DDR3 newer chipset features.

5820K, cheap 6 core / 12 thread 15mb cache. DDR4 Quad Channel memory. Newer chipset All SATA 6GB etc. (Massive upgrade from 2500K) Best price VS Performance VS Features..

5960X, expensive 8 core / 16 thread 20mb cache. DDR4 Quad Channel memory. Newer chipset All SATA 6GB etc. (Biggest upgrade from 2500K)
 
Last edited:
Yes seeing as yours is a 4 core with 4 threads and 6mb cache. Any of the latest chips plus chipset would provide a nice upgrade. From cheaper Z97 to middle range X99 up to highest end 5960X.

4790K, cheap 4 core / 8 thread 8mb cache. DDR3 newer chipset features.

5820K, cheap 6 core / 12 thread 15mb cache. DDR4 Quad Channel memory. Newer chipset All SATA 6GB etc. (Massive upgrade from 2500K) Best price VS Performance VS Features..

5960X, expensive 8 core / 16 thread 20mb cache. DDR4 Quad Channel memory. Newer chipset All SATA 6GB etc. (Biggest upgrade from 2500K)
Those are all very nice numbers but what exactly would be the "nice upgrade"? Are there any games that require more than an i5-2500K to drive a single GPU, for example?
 
Those are all very nice numbers but what exactly would be the "nice upgrade"? Are there any games that require more than an i5-2500K to drive a single GPU, for example?

OP wanted to know what was new, there ya go I helped. Makes no odds to me what people get.

Good luck to the OP on making a decision :)
 
Those are all very nice numbers but what exactly would be the "nice upgrade"? Are there any games that require more than an i5-2500K to drive a single GPU, for example?

No games 'require' anything more than a i5 2500k to run, no.

You'll definitely get more performance with a x99 setup though, but not enough of a difference for many to upgrade.
 
If you play games that can use hyperthreading, as already mention there aren't that many so far as programming games to benefit from this can be hard work, upgrade to a 2nd hand 2600K/2700k.

There will be more games in the future that will benefit from this as already mentioned the current gen of consoles have pretty poor CPUs and developers have to use more cores to get the performance required.

Otherwise holdout for as long as you can. :)
 
The new consoles are both 8 core systems. As more and more games get ported from the consoles to PC, we'll see 6/8 core support and utilization skyrocket.

When that happens, the x99 range will obliterate your 2500k, though it will still take a few months/year to get a decent amount of games.

Looking forward to see how GTA5 runs on the PC, how many cores it will use etc.

Games aren't actually "ported from" consoles, so it doesn't really work how you're suggesting.
 
Games aren't actually "ported from" consoles, so it doesn't really work how you're suggesting.

This was true for previous consoles, though the new consoles are x86 and so are much easier to port compared to the previous generation consoles.

There are many articles on this subject if you use a search engine to find them.

One example:

"When consoles are first launched, games are first developed on console and then ported to PC," he added. "Because it's our architecture there, it's easier to port the games. And because they're first developed on our hardware, there should be a performance advantage. They should run better on our hardware. So if we can create that performance advantage on the PC, from a graphics point of view, then we can give our customers a better gaming experience and grow our market share."

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/xbox-one-ps4-amd-apu-pc-gaming,24295.html
 
Last edited:
Games aren't actually "ported from" consoles, so it doesn't really work how you're suggesting.

They are developed on PCs and they will develop techniques to utilize more cores as they will need to when making games for the current consoles due to their poor single core performance.

These techniques will be passed on to PC games as well.
 
This was true for previous consoles, though the new consoles are x86 and so are much closer to PC's than previously.

It's true full stop, people just assume X86 means it'll run on anything x86.

The different systems use different APIs, and games aren't "ported" they have to be compiled specifically for each platform they're being released on.

They are developed on PCs and they will develop techniques to utilize more cores as they will need to when making games for the current consoles due to their poor single core performance.

These techniques will be passed on to PC games as well.

That is different to claiming that they're made for consoles then "Ported" to PC.
 
It's true full stop, people just assume X86 means it'll run on anything x86.

The different systems use different APIs, and games aren't "ported" they have to be compiled specifically for each platform they're being released on.



That is different to claiming that they're made for consoles then "Ported" to PC.

My point is clear - the PS4 and Xbox1 are now much more similar to PC's than ever before. Games are easier to convert or "port" to the PC, plus the fact that the consoles have 8 cores and 8GB of RAM also means the games are more likely to utilize these on the PC.

More information for you, since you seem to have a hard time digesting this:

The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are very similar. Both have processors based on AMD’s “Jaguar” x86 processor architecture and both have graphics chips derived from AMD Radeon products. While some technical details differ, they are far more similar to each other than any competing consoles in the past.

They’re also more similar to a PC than any console before (with the arguable exception of the original Xbox, which used a Pentium processor). The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 both used custom processors much different from the x86 processors in PCs, which made porting a chore. That’s why ports from one console to the other, or from console to PC, were often delayed or buggy.

You might think the new generation’s similarity to the PC would be a boon, and in some respects that’s true. Virtually all cross-platform games hit computers and consoles simultaneously and technical issues are less common than with early 360/PS3 ports. But the more advanced hardware of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is resulting in games that challenge mid-range PCs.

Not just memory comes in eights. The new consoles also have eight x86 processor cores. Each one is less powerful than even a mid-range notebook processor from AMD or Intel, but they’re formidable when combined, and coding for eight slow cores is not similar to coding for two extremely quick cores.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-the-ps4-and-xbox-have-raised-pc-system-requirements/

There is a wealth of information available on this subject. They all point to the same facts: The consoles being 8 cores, having 8GB and on x86 means that the PC version will leverage these properties.

No doubt you'll reply that all these sources are completely wrong and that you believe that games developed for the new consoles are completely written from scratch and share no inheritance with the common x86 architecture, without providing any sources to backup up your own claims :rolleyes:
 
My point is clear - the PS4 and Xbox1 are now much more similar to PC's than ever before. Games are easier to convert or "port" to the PC, plus the fact that the consoles have 8 cores and 8GB of RAM also means the games are more likely to utilize these on the PC.

More information for you, since you seem to have a hard time digesting this:









http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-the-ps4-and-xbox-have-raised-pc-system-requirements/

There is a wealth of information available on this subject. They all point to the same facts: The consoles being 8 cores, having 8GB and on x86 means that the PC version will leverage these properties.

No doubt you'll reply that all these sources are completely wrong and that you believe that games developed for the new consoles are completely written from scratch and share no inheritance with the common x86 architecture, without providing any sources to backup up your own claims :rolleyes:



Your response demonstrates that you don't actually understand what you're saying, or what I'm saying in my posts. This is the issue of regurgitating information that you don't fully understand, just because the source is solid. You assume it says thing it doesn't.

You are responding to things I never actually said. Your second quote, that's actually nonense. The CPUs in the Xbox 360 and PS3 were not responsible for "buggy ports", because as I've said games are not "ported". That, and it assumes the notion that most games that were multi-platform were buggy on PC. This is also simply untrue. Some were, and they were as a result of lazy development, not "porting".

The implication is that the game is completed and then the console version is then converted to work on another platform. This is simply untrue. Games are compiled from source code. When you don't have access to source code, you can't develop a build of software for an additional platform.

I've not once said that the hardware configuration of the consoles isn't going to have a carry over the development of PC games. Game engines will (and are being) be made to take advantage of the setup that the consoles have got, which will definitely have a carry over. This isn't what you've been saying though.

Additionally, any time the actual raw performance of consoles goes up, so does the average quality of PC games in a visual context, because the baseline of hardware is now more powerful.

The problem I have with the information you're repeating is that you're trying to use a layperson's understanding (or rather lack of understanding) of a complex subject, to explain said subject in a technical manner. Which you can't do with the extremely basic understanding (or lack of) you have of the subject.

I never once said that games for the consoles are written completely from scratch, but because of your lack of understanding of the subject, you have assumed that's what I've said.
 
Your response demonstrates that you don't actually understand what you're saying, or what I'm saying in my posts. This is the issue of regurgitating information that you don't fully understand, just because the source is solid. You assume it says thing it doesn't.

You are responding to things I never actually said. Your second quote, that's actually nonense. The CPUs in the Xbox 360 and PS3 were not responsible for "buggy ports", because as I've said games are not "ported". That, and it assumes the notion that most games that were multi-platform were buggy on PC. This is also simply untrue. Some were, and they were as a result of lazy development, not "porting".

The implication is that the game is completed and then the console version is then converted to work on another platform. This is simply untrue. Games are compiled from source code. When you don't have access to source code, you can't develop a build of software for an additional platform.

I've not once said that the hardware configuration of the consoles isn't going to have a carry over the development of PC games. Game engines will (and are being) be made to take advantage of the setup that the consoles have got, which will definitely have a carry over. This isn't what you've been saying though.

Additionally, any time the actual raw performance of consoles goes up, so does the average quality of PC games in a visual context, because the baseline of hardware is now more powerful.

The problem I have with the information you're repeating is that you're trying to use a layperson's understanding (or rather lack of understanding) of a complex subject, to explain said subject in a technical manner. Which you can't do with the extremely basic understanding (or lack of) you have of the subject.

I never once said that games for the consoles are written completely from scratch, but because of your lack of understanding of the subject, you have assumed that's what I've said.

My original post that you quoted and replied to:

The new consoles are both 8 core systems. As more and more games get ported from the consoles to PC, we'll see 6/8 core support and utilization skyrocket.

When that happens, the x99 range will obliterate your 2500k, though it will still take a few months/year to get a decent amount of games.

Looking forward to see how GTA5 runs on the PC, how many cores it will use etc.

Your reply to my post:

Games aren't actually "ported from" consoles, so it doesn't really work how you're suggesting.

It's clear that I was commenting on the hardware implications of games ported from the new consoles to PC.

What 'doesn't really work how I'm suggesting'? Regardless of how the game is ported, my post was clearly arguing that porting games from the new consoles to the PC would have hardware implications, such as the 8 core support/utilization.

It would appear that you don't understand what your typing from one minute to the next.
 
Back
Top Bottom