Upgrading from 2500k

[triggerthat]

Hi all,


I got a clocked 2500k which I think needs upgrading. I don’t game anymore but would like the idea of it further down the line and encoding. It will be mostly be office work.

What’s a good route with what motherboard? Not bothered about budget and was thinking secondhand

 

[Tetras]

Cheapest option I'd consider at the moment is something like this (assuming you don't need the graphics):

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i5-12400F 2.50GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6AR-IN) = £98.99
• 1 x Asus Prime B760M-A WIFI D4 (LGA 1700) DDR4 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6KG-AS) = £105.99
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AJ-TG) = £56.00

Total: £260.98 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

CPU cooler is in the CPU box.

With better performance and upgradability:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £179.99
• 1 x Asus Prime B650M-A WIFI II (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6K6-AS) = £129.99
• 1 x TeamGroup Vulcan EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C38 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLABD532G6000HC38ADC01) (SKU: MY-0B2-TG) = £89.99

Total: £399.97 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

It is hard to recommend anything before 12th gen, but if you're going used I would stick to AM4 as you should have plentiful options due to upgraders. I'd avoid buying into anything older than 5000 (like 5600/5700X) because that's really what you want for gaming in the future.

 

[triggerthat]

Thanks, is it worth keeping to AM5? What does another £100 to £200 do to the spec? Was thinking high end 7 version for future proofing. And then I can drop in a 3070 later on.

 

[ED209]

Thanks, is it worth keeping to AM5? What does another £100 to £200 do to the spec? Was thinking high end 7 version for future proofing. And then I can drop in a 3070 later on.

As others have posted on other topics I would be avoiding 13/14th gen Intel due to the issues they are currently having.

Don't think They have mentioned anymore of what the issues are or what CPUs its effecting.

If you want something better than 12th gen and future proofing then it would be AM5

 

[Tetras]

What does another £100 to £200 do to the spec? Was thinking high end 7 version for future proofing. And then I can drop in a 3070 later on.

The 7700 / 7700X perform so similar in games that there's not much point, I doubt you'd notice any difference running those CPUs with a 3070.

I'd say (for gaming) you either get a 7500F/7600, or you pay the extra for a 7800X3D.

If your encoding/decoding uses AVX-512 (I think AV1 can) then there's maybe a case for the 9600X or 9700X.

 

[FredFlint]

Hi all,


I got a clocked 2500k which I think needs upgrading. I don’t game anymore but would like the idea of it further down the line and encoding. It will be mostly be office work.

What’s a good route with what motherboard? Not bothered about budget and was thinking secondhand

If you are doing encoding on the CPU, 7950x is good value(~£440).

 

[w00dy85]

If you are doing encoding on the CPU, 7950x is good value(~£440).

That would also be a massive jump in performance, I noticed the difference when I jumped from my overclocked 2500K to a 3900X.

 

[WARburton]

If you want something better than 12th gen and future proofing then it would be AM5

this

 

[Apex]

You want to be on AM5 if you're doing a rebuild.

 

[Boomstick777]

Hi all,


I got a clocked 2500k which I think needs upgrading. I don’t game anymore but would like the idea of it further down the line and encoding. It will be mostly be office work.

What’s a good route with what motherboard? Not bothered about budget and was thinking secondhand

You can buy some really decent used office type PC's secondhand, from the bay of e, or C E-X, there are some real bargains out there for this type of full system, you could always add a Low profile GPU down the road if you did want to game again.

 

[Drumroll]

You can buy some really decent used office type PC's secondhand, from the bay of e, or C E-X, there are some real bargains out there for this type of full system, you could always add a Low profile GPU down the road if you did want to game again.

The only issue with those office builds will be the PSU, and in some cases, non-standard motherboard/case (Alienware, for example).
I would be more tempted to get a pre-owned AM4 with 5800x3D or 5900x (if the focus is productivity) if the price is right. Otherwise, AM5 and some 7600 for now.

 

[Boomstick777]

The only issue with those office builds will be the PSU, and in some cases, non-standard motherboard/case (Alienware, for example).
I would be more tempted to get a pre-owned AM4 with 5800x3D or 5900x (if the focus is productivity) if the price is right. Otherwise, AM5 and some 7600 for now.

I've had a ton of these systems over the years, they have been rock solid for me. I know that C E-X provide a 2 year warranty on their systems as well. I think the OP isn't planning on gaming, there are some really great deals there on office type PCs. Easy to chuck in a LP graphics card if the need for gaming arises. The RTX 4060 LP, RTX 3050 LP, RX 6400 LP and RTX A2000 are great options for gaming later on.

 

[Drumroll]

The issue I was raising is about PSU capacity. Anything that requires extra power would need to have such cables available from the PSU. Most builds will use non-standard formats, not even allowing the user to replace the PSU if needed.
CEX is a good shout as the 2 year warranty is appealing, specially for something expensive.
OP mentioned adding a 3070 down the line. Hard to believe any office prebuilt would have enough juice left to add such GPU.
Best bet is a second hand system integrator system, if available. Replacing an ATX PSU if needed is an easy task. Also most parts are standard.
A B-grade case at OCUK is a good start if going for a DIY and wants to save some money off the bat.