i7 2600 vs i7 2600k

DenSweeP

DenSweeP

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I know the k has the unlocked multiplier. What though is the difference between these two? I have also heard that the 2500k actually gives better gaming performance than it's big brother. Confirmation?
 
Confirmed, the performance hike is almost so nominal that you won't be able to see or determine it, the unlocked multiplier is the only selling point worth considering

I did take apart my 2600K machine to see if I could tell the difference, and sure enough, it has GT Stripes on the CPU where the normal 2600 doesn't :P
 
My 2600k runs awesome but even better when clocked to 4.4 Mhz, so I love it especially with all the other crap one has to run in the background these days ie: xfire, origin, Steam, battlelog for stats :) etc etc

And it beasts in 3D rendering....
 
Pretty much if you don't plan to overclock then just get the 2600. However if you are even considering overclocking then you definitely need the 2600k since the regular 2600 has very little headroom for overclocking. At stock they are both exactly the same.
 
The 2600 and 2600k perform the same at factory standards. The 2600k can be overclocked much better than the 2600.

However the 2500k can be overclocked quite well to match (and in some cases beat) the 2600 range. So it comes down to if you want to clock or not. If not, then the 2600 is your best bang for buck. If you want to OC then an overclocked 2500k can give you the same performance (and better) as the 2600k (not OC'd of course) for a lower price.

If you want all the power you can get. Get the 2600k and OC.

That or wait for IvyBridge to come out.
 
Simple answer...Avoid the i7 2600 and 2600K and get a i5 2500k.
They perform exactly the same in games, its only once you get into video editing and encoding that the i7 pulls ahead.
Considering that the i5 2500K is roughly a R1000 cheaper and offers the exact same real world gaming performance, sometimes even a little bit better than its big brother. its really a no brainer... Buy a i5 2500K.


Edit: Also I can confirm that the 2500K runs as fast as its big brother. I have 3 i5 2500K rigs and 2 i7 2600K rigs xD While gaming I can't see a difference between any of them.
 
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I have heard for some games you hae to turn HT off on the i7 as it cause issues. I got the i5-2500k, went from i5-750. The i5-2500k is really awesome. Will be interesting to see how these new Ivy Procs will perform.
 
R4C3 said:
My 2600k runs awesome but even better when clocked to 4.4 Mhz, so I love it especially with all the other crap one has to run in the background these days ie: xfire, origin, Steam, battlelog for stats :) etc etc

And it beasts in 3D rendering....
Click to expand...

4.4 Mhz? Don't you mean giga hertz? Isn't 1000 Mhz equal to 1 ghz?
From that how on earth do you run something with 4.4 Mhz lol
 
The Joker said:
Simple answer...Avoid the i7 2600 and 2600K and get a i5 2500k.
They perform exactly the same in games, its only once you get into video editing and encoding that the i7 pulls ahead.
Click to expand...

Joker is correct in this as well. The performance difference is barely noticeable. There are some instances where the i7 has better performance in game. But that difference is so small it would be impossible to notice it unless you actually constantly run FRAPS or something similar and stare at your frame counter instead of paying attention to the game. Or if you sit there with a stop watch and time how fast your level loads to see the couple of seconds difference it actually makes etc etc.

Here are the facts:

i7 2600k:
Clock: 3.4GHz
Cache:8mb
Cores:4
Threads:8

i5 2500k:
Clock: 3.3GHz
Cache:6mb
Cores:4
Threads:4

The minimal difference here is laughable for the almost R1000 extra you have to pay between the 2. All the i7 really does is add 4 extra virtual threads. This does nothing for gaming. Only helps editing software and such. Not much use for most gamers.
 
It is, but most of us use our PC's for some high end functions ASIDE from gaming
If you ahve the cash to go i7, do it
itsnotacpuitsalifestyle :)

AND
Everyone who knows him knows that RACE downclocks his CPU to 4.4 Mhz (About the same speed as your average pocket calculater) to negate his skill, he calls it his handicap
 
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Xero said:
It is, but most of us use our PC's for some high end functions ASIDE from gaming
If you ahve the cash to go i7, do it
itsnotacpuitsalifestyle :)

AND
Everyone who knows him knows that RACE downclocks his CPU to 4.4 Mhz (About the same speed as your average pocket calculater) to negate his skill, he calls it his handicap
Click to expand...

Hahaha oops ya sorry typo meant Ghz lol.
 
simon said:
yeah I was getting kinda worried there. You rocking some real dos games hey?
Click to expand...

ahah yes remember that I used to play the 8 bit worm game on my 286(now much better on a cellphone) in the Orange monochrome colour screen :P
 
I would strongly suggest against running a oc like that for day to day use, unless you have a seriously awesome water cooling setup.
4.8 Ghz seems to be the sweet spot, for the 2500K, offers good temps and all of mine seem stable at 4.8Ghz. Cooler wise I would recommend going with a high end closed loop water cooler, something like a Antec Kuhler 920 or a Corsair H100.
 
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