Intel® Core™ i5-2500K Processor
6M Cache, up to 3.70 GHz
Discover newer Intel Processors and experience Improved performance
Expert reviews
The overall review score is calculated from averaging this product's international review scores.
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05/27/2016
SummaryAlthough the new Sandy Bridge architecture may not be revolutionary, it is a much improved version of Nehalem as it seems to do everything a little better. When compared to the Clarkdale Core i5 661 processor which we reviewed exactly a year ago, the ...
techspot.com -
02/11/2013
SummaryNow that Piledriver-based CPUs and APUs are widely available (and the FX-8350 is selling for less than $200), it's a great time to compare value-oriented chips in our favorite titles. We're also breaking out a test that conveys the latency between frames....
tomshardware.com
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08/23/2012
SummaryAs you may know, a while back, we came to some difficult realizations about the validity of our methods for testing PC gaming performance. In my article Inside the second: A new look at game benchmarking, we explained why the widely used frames-per-second...
Techreport.com -
11/07/2011
SummaryDue to issues with customs/logistics (no fault of AMD's), we're a bit late with our Bulldozer review. I suppose that is fitting in this case, but luckily, this gives us the chance to take a bit more time with the review, testing the Bulldozer CPU under it...
HardCOREware.net -
10/12/2011
SummaryAfter so much postponing, AMD is finally releasing its new processor series based on the “Bulldozer” architecture, the FX, featuring models with four, six, or eight processing cores. Let’s test the top-of-the-line, the eight-core AMD FX-8150 (3.6 GHz),...
hardwaresecrets.com -
04/25/2011
SummaryThe general conclusion is a bit banal: Sandy Bridge is much better than the previous core. Not as much as Core 2 (Conroe) was better than Pentium 4, but it's still a larger step forward in terms of architecture than Nehalem compared with the..
ixbtlabs.com -
04/05/2011
SummaryOverall, this is a big win for Intel. The new processors are faster and offer lower processing power than their Lynnfield counterparts and those are positive developments in the server space. Processors like the Xeon E3-1260L will be very popular in the u...
servethehome.com -
02/10/2011
SummaryIt was exciting this week to finally see Intel's Sandy Bridge platform work under Linux with OpenGL acceleration without any problems, but it was even more exciting to see just how fast the Core i5 2500K graphics were under Linux using an open-source M...
phoronix.com -
01/27/2011
SummaryThe long awaited and much anticipated Sandy Bridge architecture from Intel hit the ground running at CES just 2 weeks ago. This architecture promises better overall performance, the latest version of Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, and great overcl...
techwarelabs.com -
01/24/2011
SummaryWith Sandy Bridge, Intel has set new standards in both performance and power consumption. Not only is the new hardware faster and more efficient, it is also not that expensive. These LGA1155 chips obliterate their comparably priced competition, with the Core i5-2400 and i5-2500K offering the best overall value. The i7-2600K offers a slight clock speed bump and Hyper-threading, but with most applications, the performance boost is generally not worth the US$100 extra over the i5-2500K. However as
silentpcreview.com -
01/24/2011
SummaryThe long awaited Sandy Bridge architecture is here and I really think that it was worth the wait. Intel is very excited about this new line of processors and they want you to be too. It is always great to see companies improve on existing products an...
thinkcomputers.orgProsGreat performance, 1.2GHz overclock, Overclocking is made easy with a P67 motherboard, 95W TDP and low CPU temperatures
ConsCannot be overclocked on a H67 motherboard, Consumers need to buy a new motherboard on top of purchasing the CPU
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01/16/2011
SummaryThere’s so many good things about Sandy Bridge, I scarcely know where to begin. First off, it’s a new processor architecture that offers valuable performance enhancements that even the average user will enjoy. This includes the new Intel Turbo Technolo...
futurelooks.com -
01/13/2011
SummarySo, no matter how attractive the price of new Core i5-2500, Core i5-2400 and Core i5-2300 processors looks like and how appealing their performance is, you should be reasonable and understand very well that you can’t get off cheap if you decide to move to a new platform. It is quite possible that it would make..
xbitlabs.com -
01/03/2011
SummaryIntel never quite reached 4GHz with the Pentium 4. Despite being on a dedicated quest for gigahertz the company stopped short and the best we ever got was 3.8GHz. Within a year the clock (no pun intended) was reset and we were all running Core 2 Duos...
anandtech.com -
01/03/2011
SummaryWe were surprised to see so much performance and overclockability from this supposedly low-end and multiplier-locked quad-core CPU. However, it's not that much cheaper than the incredible so we struggle to see the point of it. It might be very fast an...
Bit-Tech.net -
01/03/2011
SummaryHey all and welcome to the new year! We've mentioned in some other reviews that 2011 is going to be a very significant year in the processor industry as we'll be faced with two changes. The first being a new architecture for both Intel and AMD, chang...
guru3d.com -
01/03/2011
SummaryWe are lagging a little bit behind the official media embargo date for Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors and honestly, all of the information shown below on this page has been released or leaked previously by Intel, so there should be no real surpris...
hardocp.com -
01/03/2011
SummarySandy Bridge has arrived with a bang. There has been much talk and speculation since we got a little peek back in 2008. The Nehalem architecture has been extremely successfull over the past 2 years, showing insane multimedia capabilities. Sandy Bridge ...
hitechlegion.comProsNew Sandy Bridge Architecture, Blazing Fast Cache Speeds, Intel HD Graphics 3000, New AVX Instruction Support, Improved Productivity, Intel Quick Sync, InTru 3D, Improved Turbo Boost, Fully Unlocked (CPU and GPU),
ConsNone,
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01/03/2011
SummaryWith a collection of improvements Sandy Bridge as a whole is a worthwhile replacement for the first generation Core processors. Their integration of the built-in GPU has improved ten fold along with a much more efficient Turbo Boost they have been able...
lanoc.org -
01/03/2011
SummaryToday marks the launch of a new CPU architecture and chipset family from Intel marking the replacement for the Clarkdale and Allendale platforms that used the LGA-1156 interface. This marks a top-to bottom change as the new CPUs cannot be ...
MotherBoards.org -
01/03/2011
SummarySo we have the replacement for the LGA1156 series of processors that just seemed to be finding their feet. With them coming it at three differing price points but not really for three different markets, we have to split this conclusion into three parts...
overclock3d.net -
01/03/2011
SummaryTock- that’s where Intel is with the launch of their second generation Core CPU aka Sandy Bridge. For those who are unaware, Intel’s been following their Tick Tock model for the past few years where TOCK introduces a new generation of CPUs while TICK r...
tbreak.aeProsExcellent performance, Great Price, Runs very cool,
ConsRequires new motherboards, Confusing name scheme
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01/03/2011
SummaryExactly one year ago today, we posted our biggest (in terms of wordage) launch article ever. The product at hand? Intel's Clarkdale processors, which at the time, were the most sophisticated offerings on the market. They were also the first to bring a...
techgage.com -
01/03/2011
SummaryIt is a New Year and time for a new CPU. We have been hearing about this one from Intel for quite a while now and it is time for us to see exactly what it has to offer in terms of performance and power.Of course the CPU we are talking about it Sandy ...
vrworld.com -
01/02/2011
SummaryIMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure...
benchmarkreviews.comProsGreat compute performance, New 32nm GPU process, Very Low TDP, Improved AESNI,
ConsNo Hyperthreading
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01/02/2011
SummaryToday’s launch of the Sandy Bridge is an evolution in processor design. Clock per clock, Intel's Lynnfield already has a good performance over AMD’s current offering, and Sandy Bridge just made the gap even wider. Sandy Bridge is 10-40% faster than th...
Bjorn3d.comProsVery fast, Much improved power efficiency over last generation and competitor's processor, Runs really cool, Improvements over previous generation, Improved integrated graphics, Overclocks really easily with K models, Full hardware transcoding support, Cost-efficient...
ConsNonK models have limited overclocking potential
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01/02/2011
SummaryThe Sandy Bridge architecture is very exciting as it incorporates so much into such a small package. While the architecture may not be revolutionary, it is a large step forward from the Nehalem/Westmere architectures, as it does almost everything a lit...
hardwareunboxed.com -
01/02/2011
SummaryThere are a number of performance related aspects to summarize here, including CPU, graphics, and motherboard / chipset performance. First let’s focus on CPU performance relative to previous generation Intel processors. The Core i7-2600K is arguably t...
hothardware.com -
01/02/2011
SummaryIt seems just like yesterday that Intel launched the Core 2 Duo series of CPUs and re-established itself as the king of the hill for x86 CPUs. As hard as it may be to believe, that was four and a half years ago. Since then Intel has been following ...
legitreviews.com -
01/02/2011
SummaryWhen the Sandy Bridge processors first entered our labs we were anticipating a substantial performance increase over the previous generation Core architecture, and to that end the 2500K and 2600K managed to not only meet our expectations, but also gre...
neoseeker.com -
01/02/2011
SummaryIntel's new Sandy Bridge IGP manages to claim the performance leadership of all integrated graphics solutions on the market. It offers nearly twice the performance of its predecessor within the Clarkdale CPU. This means that it can compete with the wea...
techpowerup.comProsGPU performance greatly improved compared to last generation, Up to 4x AA support, 32 nm CPU, plenty of computation power, GPU fully integrated in the CPU die, Support for DirectX 10.1, Turbo Boost increases GPU clock, HDMI Audio bitstreaming supported, H...
ConsNo support for DirectX 11, Limited GPU performance, Drivers not as mature as the ones from ATI or NVIDIA, No support for CUDA, PhysX, OpenCL
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01/01/2011
SummaryThis true quad-core processor offers a lot of performance for the money, but gamers may want to spend the savings on a dedicated 3D card to pair with it. ...
computershopper.comProsVery fast performance for the price, Unlocked multiplier for easy overclocking
ConsNew chipset requirements mean you'll need a new Socket 1155 motherboard, Integrated graphics performance still slow compared to cheap dedicated 3D cards
Retail prices reported as of 26 Jun 2022 03:12:14 GMT