Q6600 vs Core I5 2500k

FinalSquall · 27 Jul 2011 at 17:04

Ok, apologies if this is obvious. So Im thinking of getting a new PC (by doing a first time build), I currently have a Q6600 running at 2.4GhZ (stock), and I am wondering what the advantages of the Core I5 2500k @ 3.3Ghz are, other than the clock speed, or is the speed the only difference?

Faruko · 27 Jul 2011 at 17:12

it really depends, what OS, what GPU, what resolution ? RAM, we need more info to actually see how an i5 upgrade would benefit you

but without that i would say OC the Q6600 and youll be fine for a year, and youll have A LOT more CPUs on the market, Bulldozers and Ivy Bridge

the i5 does have L3 cache wich really makes a difference, and the lower nm size means the i5 uses less TDP

FinalSquall · 27 Jul 2011 at 17:16

Thanks for the Reply

Well on Windows 7, and In general really, altho I would imagine 4GB DDR3 is what il get, I am not planning an upgrade, I am going to build a new rig, I am just curious as to what advantages other than Clock speed the I5 has over my current processor, Overclocking sadly isn't an option on my current rig as the its store bought and manufactured by Packard Bell = No OC options.

iamtheoneneo · 27 Jul 2011 at 17:16

i went from a q6600@3ghz to an i7920@4ghz and noticed a massive improvement in games. if you play stuff like arma 2, witcher2 then an upgrade is a must.

FinalSquall · 27 Jul 2011 at 17:18

Heh, Im thinking an I7 will be out of my budget range sadly, and currently I dont play that many games because having to play on Low settings (I have a 9600 GSO) depresses me to the point I go crazy playing them.

iamtheoneneo · 27 Jul 2011 at 17:26

my advice would be to get a 260,270 or 280 second hand from ebay, the OCUK MM (250 posts required) or similar second hand vendors.

your cpu is only a small part of the problem. ie the reason your running stuff on low is bc your gpu is not fit for purpose.

for £50 you could blag yourself a new card and possibly an extra 2gb of ram.

whats your board etc???

FinalSquall · 27 Jul 2011 at 17:36

Pretty sure its quite a naff MB, not even 100% sure how to find out, all I know is that It disables me from Overclocking, so I should really aim to get a new one, and I figure if I need a new Mobo and GPU I might aswell go for a new build (Only got 3GB Ram aswell so id need another stick of RAM)

All I can show you is this

Mainboard
Manufacturer : Packard Bell
Multi-Processor (MP) Support : No
Multi-Processing (MPS) Version : 1.40
Model : MCP73
Version : 1.XX
Serial Number : ULTH01900281
BIOS : 02/10/2009-MCP73-6A61NFK1C-00
Chipset : A61N

Idleman · 27 Jul 2011 at 18:02

Just looked up your board, it`s a socket 775. ** Linking to auction sites is strictly prohibited - Please read FAQs regarding rules ** Is this the one?

FinalSquall · 27 Jul 2011 at 19:01

Yes it is, which I believe means that a Core I5 wouldnt be able to fit in it? Although I am guessing the board is just generally outdated and cant work with DDR3 RAM and the newer GPUs like GTX4 series+? This is all stuff I need to learn, and your help and input is greatly appreciated =)

Justintime · 27 Jul 2011 at 19:30

No your board won't run any i-series based cpus, completely different socket. Same for DDR3. Your pcie should be ok with a GTX460 etc.. as its backwards compatiable with 1.0 but your power supply may not be adequate (very unlikely to be actually) for such a card.

Faruko · 27 Jul 2011 at 19:42

your socket its 775, and i-CPU are 1156 (i-1° gen) 1155 (i-2° gen) 1366 and now comes the newer 2011 for ivy bridge (was 2011 ?)

FinalSquall · 27 Jul 2011 at 19:48

Thanks all for your input

Aye, so as I am definitely going to go for a newer GPU and most probably a Core Ix CPU It is logically best to go for a new rig completely really.So what I mainly want is the reasons other than clock speed that the I5 out performs the Q6600 (if there are any), or is the main reason that the I5 requires a better mobo which supports DDR3. Sorry if the question is confusing

Thank you for your assistance!

Justintime · 27 Jul 2011 at 19:54

Its just a newer architecture, faster clock for clock and supports more optimisations etc.. DDR3 is just another area which helps, a Q6600 for example on an LGA 775 board that supported DDR3 (P5K-C etc..) would still not compare to say an i7 920 even at the same clockspeed, for example if both were clocked to 3Ghz the i7 would still outperform it by a good margain..

FinalSquall · 27 Jul 2011 at 20:01

Thanks

Right, and the performance of an I5 and the Q6600 at the same clock speed would be quite similar, I assume the I7 out performs it because it runs 2 threads per core

Justintime · 27 Jul 2011 at 20:12

No, the i5 Quads will still outperform the Q6600 and the duals will as well in single/dual core only scenarios, the newer i5 2500k will outperform it by a very healthy margain, Hyperthreading is only good where its supported.

JasonKnights · 27 Jul 2011 at 21:17

Pay the bit extra for the 2600k and be a bit more future proof, if games next year start using multi threading like they promise, then the 2500k will be out of date, not only that if you convert or encode videos, there so fast, my last CPU was a q9550 at 3.6ghz and the sandy bridge wipes the floor with it.

Justintime · 27 Jul 2011 at 21:44

JasonKnights said:
Pay the bit extra for the 2600k and be a bit more future proof, if games next year start using multi threading like they promise, then the 2500k will be out of date, not only that if you convert or encode videos, there so fast, my last CPU was a q9550 at 3.6ghz and the sandy bridge wipes the floor with it.

Don't quite get this? the 2500k is a Quad core, multi threaded apps will work just dandy on it, i don't know that much about the future of gaming but i doubt the 2600k will ever be utilised fully i.e even HT plus all cores maxxed out anytime soon, are there that many truly quad utilising games now? (i'm not that much of a gamer)

FinalSquall · 27 Jul 2011 at 22:05

Thanks for your input mates

I would go for a core I7 if it was just the price of the processor, but from what I can tell the Mobo's for I7s are also more expensive, although I may be wrong about that. And im not sure, but from what I can see when u splash out on better CPUs and Mobos, u have to get a more expensive GPU, GPU-wise I will probably go for the GTX 580, altho I might go for a cheaper one, but I cant quite find any GPU's for better value.

Thanks

Justintime · 27 Jul 2011 at 22:24

2500k and 2600k use the same motherboards.

Confused Stu · 27 Jul 2011 at 22:48

Here's a direct comparison between a Q6600 at stock speed and an i5-2500k at stock speed: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/53?vs=288

As you can see, for most things the difference is quite pronounced. For gaming, the improvements are there, but not as large as spending the same amount on just a new GPU (depending on your current one of course).

I went from a Q9400 at 3.8GHz to an i7-2600k at 4.6GHz and it's definitely noticeably quicker. Gaming, I noticed a huge improvement in GTA4 in particular, and several other games showed small improvements where my crossfire setup was obviously a little CPu constrained.

Whether it's worth the change over is purely down to you. When was the last time you were sat waiting for your PC to complete something where your hard drive wasn't the thing slowing you down?