What's the best hardware for a 2500k overclock?

DTWD

DTWD

DTWD

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I am looking to purchase some new kit for a PC. I am looking at the 2500k and wanting to OC it, as high as I can would be nice, but anything above 4GHz would be acceptable.

What would you recomend for the mobo/ram combination plus cooling to achieve a good OC?

I would like 16GB of RAM, both while it's cheap and because I do a lot of video/after effects/photoshopping that eats RAM.

I don't want to go fully liquid cooled, however I would be happy to go with a sealed unit like the H80 etc.

It's all going in a HAF X (planned) if that makes a difference.
 
Even the worst motherboard will get a i5 2500K to 4GHz+

Are you just wanting suggestions for CPU/RAM/MOBO and Cooler?


Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail with FREE TrackMania 2 Canyon PC Game £161.99
(£134.99) £161.99
(£134.99)
Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £99.98
(£83.32) £99.98
(£83.32)
Corsair Vengeance Blue 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit (CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B) £99.98
(£83.32) £99.98
(£83.32)
Antec Kúhler H2O 920 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366/AM2/AM2+/AM2+/AM3+) £79.99
(£66.66) £79.99
(£66.66)
Sub Total : £368.29
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £75.56
Total : £453.35

The board is tested here - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/z68xp-ud3-dz68db,review-32228.html - shouldn't find it hard to get 4.5Ghz out of that lot.
 
It is made my the same manufacturer as the Corsair H80's. Bear in mind the fan's are different and it's oem.

The 920 is not quite as good with the fixing mechanism, but apart from that I reckon the 920 is a better overall package that then corsair etc.
 
The 920 does have a longer warranty, the chillcontrol software, and better fans.

The Gelids that come with that bundle look to have some weak specs, even the blade design of them doesn't look very aggressive.

And what Scouger says is true, the Antec counterparts perform better than the Corsair equivalents.
 
Is there a better bang for your buck if you get the OcUK H2Flo without the fans and added some good fans?

I mean regardless of warranty and software, if it's the same hardware that gives you the opertunity to spend £30 on fans, which will surely be better than the Antec ones won't they? Or is the 920 really just an overall good package?
 
DTWD said:
Is there a better bang for your buck if you get the OcUK H2Flo without the fans and added some good fans?

I mean regardless of warranty and software, if it's the same hardware that gives you the opertunity to spend £30 on fans, which will surely be better than the Antec ones won't they? Or is the 920 really just an overall good package?
Click to expand...

Are you open to air cooling at all? If so have a look at: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-081-TR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395 with a couple of fans of your own choice.

Between the H80/H2Flo and the Antec 920, the difference in performance will be minimal however the Antec 920 has better software to control the fan speed and has RGB LEDs on the pump. Its main downfall compared to the OCUK cooler is its mounting mechanism which I personally found quite fragile. The 920 is a nice package but I found it to be very loud to get the same performance as a high end air cooler.
 
Last edited:
Right'o, I got all the above kit the other week and due to general busyness haven't had time until now to think about OCing it.

Where do I start?
 
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