i5 2500k good enough for 1080p?

Steveh_monkey

Steveh_monkey

Steveh_monkey

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Joined
22 Apr 2006
Posts
313
Hello,

I'm looking to upgrade my old i5 2500k based rig, with the target resolution / framerate being 1080p60. I originally looking at building a new rig from scratch, but after reading a few things it seems that may not be necessary. My current setup is

i5 2500k @ stock speed
MSI p67A-GD5
4gb of RAM
GTX 670

When I originally built this I built it with overclocking in mind, so it has a non-stock CPU cooler, but because I didn't have the know how so I never got round to overclocking.

So my idea is instead of doing a full upgrade I can just upgrade my RAM and GFX card, something like
My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £279.48 (includes shipping: £10.50)​
​

From what I understand, if I get this and overclock the 2500k to something like 4Ghz, then that should be enough to play the majority of modern games on max settings at around 60FPS, and will probably be able to maintain that for about another year or so.

Any thoughts on this? The idea of keeping the total cost of the upgrade to under £300 is obviously pretty alluring, but I'd be paying for a full upgrade (e.g. built around a Ryzen 1600) if there were enough advantages.

Many thanks for any help
 
Yes the 2500K is still a ok CPU and they all do atleast 4.5Ghz with a £25 heatsink dumped on top.

There must be a million OC guides for the boards such as - http://www.overclock.net/t/963798/msi-p67a-gd55-review-and-oc-guide

6GB card or 8GB RX580 worth the xtra too.

P.S - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team...nnel-kit-tlred38g2400hc11cdc01-my-061-tg.html - although I seem to remember high speed DDR3 being tough for that generation cpu+board to run.

In fact I seem to remeber that generation CPU+board not gaining much from 1600Mhz to higher speeds, so maybe a 8GB 1600Mhz kit which should be cheaper would be wiser, so you are not investing money into out of date tech.

P.S usual stuff too,

1) check GFX card lenght to your case
2) hope your PSU is ok
3) update the boards BIOS.
 
Last edited:
you've got members market access.
i'd be looking at getting 16gb ddr3 ram for £60ish (or 8gb for £30ish) and a 290x for £120ish
then overclock the 2500k and you've got yourself a very decent 1080p gaming rig
this route will give you most bang for your buck and the upgrade comes in at sub-£200. #win
 
Asus realbench is good.

Cinebench, superPi can show before and after gains quickly.

XTU is another.
 
I think you would be absolutely fine without overclocking. Your plan to increase the memory and get a 1060, well, excellent idea! I think it will solve all your problems. Consider overclocking later.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, good to get my hunch confirmed. Apparently my mobo can handle up to 2133Hz so I think I'll aim for that.

I remember years ago when the i5 2500k came out reading a review that said "this is the only CPU you will need for many years to come". I never expected that to actually be true!
 
Steveh_monkey said:
Thanks for the advice everyone, good to get my hunch confirmed. Apparently my mobo can handle up to 2133Hz so I think I'll aim for that.

I remember years ago when the i5 2500k came out reading a review that said "this is the only CPU you will need for many years to come". I never expected that to actually be true!
Click to expand...

intel getting sloppy then game developers trying to code a game to run on most common software for max sales. Now finally starting to move to hex cores with ryzen piling on the pressure, soon start to see more core/thread coding in games but still, the percentile for hardware is 4 core system - been a while since i've checked steam hardware survey

recommend Gigabyte over the asus dual. Hated that card due to the poor design in cooling VRM and none on the ram chips and its thicker then 2 slots, strix is the card to have for asus.
Also better support from Giabyte rep and RMA wise on here and UK based

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £219.89 (includes shipping: £9.90)​
​
 
Get that 2500K overclocked to unleash its maximum potential. It's free performance waiting at your finger tips. For that you'd need a mid range cooler. Anything in the region of £30-40 should be good enough.
 
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