Intel Core i5-2500K Price, Specs & Reviews | TimeToPick

Intel Core i5-2500K Price, Specs & Reviews | TimeToPick

Available Prices

NeweggIn Stock

$69

Free shippingBuy

Merchant	Base	Promo	Shipping	Availability	Total
Newegg	$69	—	FREE	In Stock	$69	Buy

About This Product

The Intel Core i5-2500K is a 2nd generation Sandy Bridge desktop CPU with 4 cores and 4 threads, offering a base clock of 3.3 GHz and a boost clock of 3.7 GHz. Its unlocked multiplier allows for significant overclocking, which can provide performance comparable to some lower-end modern CPUs in single-threaded tasks. At its current price, it is suitable for basic computing and light gaming when paired with a dedicated GPU, but it will struggle with modern AAA titles and demanding multi-threaded applications.

Best for: Budget Retro Gaming

Pros

Unlocked multiplier for overclocking
Adequate for basic computing tasks
Good single-thread performance when overclocked
Inexpensive platform cost

Cons

Weak multi-threaded performance
High power consumption for its performance

Performance Benchmarks

Cross-source performance, value, and efficiency at a glance

Scores are grouped by benchmark family so it is easy to compare raw speed, threaded output, and real-world value without mixing scales.

Cinebench R23Cinebench 2024Geekbench 6PassMark

Render Workloads

Cinebench R23

Single-Core

69730%

Multi-Core

2,4505%

Next-Gen Scale

Cinebench 2024

Single-Core

00%

Multi-Core

00%

Cross-Platform

Geekbench 6

Single-Core

65120%

Multi-Core

1,9189%

Based on 825 user submissions.

Large Sample Pool

PassMark

Overall

4,1436%

Single-Thread

50%

PassMark rank: #2,608

Value & Efficiency

How much output you get per watt and per dollar

These derived metrics use Cinebench R23 multi-core performance to keep the value calculation consistent across the catalog.

Performance per Watt

25.8 pts/W

Performance per Dollar

35.5 pts/$

Popular Comparisons

Most people compare Core i5-2500K with

These pairings are pre-ranked from the comparison engine so readers can jump straight into the most relevant alternatives.

AMD A12-9800 3.8 GHz Quad-Core Processor

Closest Rival

vs AMD AMD A12-9800 3.8 GHz Quad-Core Processor

Multi-core 1,979 · $83

"6% better single-core, 24% better multi-core, $19 more expensive"

Upgrade Verdict

This is a significant sidegrade, not an upgrade. The i5-2500K generally outperforms the A12-9800 in CPU tasks, despite the A12's lower TDP and newer architecture. You'd also need a new motherboard and RAM, making this a costly downgrade.

Compatible Motherboards (0)

See full guide →

No compatible motherboards are in our catalog yet for this socket.

Compatible RAM (3722)

See full guide →

Mushkin Blackline 16 GB

2x8GBDDR3-1600

N/A

Mushkin Blackline 16 GB

2x8GBDDR3-2400

N/A

Mushkin Blackline 16 GB

2x8GBDDR3-2400

N/A

Mushkin Blackline 16 GB

2x8GBDDR3-2133

N/A

Compatible CPU Coolers (0)

No compatible CPU coolers are in our catalog yet for this socket.

Complete the build

Build a PC with Intel Core i5-2500K

Create a fully compatible build with our System Builder.

Manual Builder →Buy for $69 →Smart Wizard →

User Reviews

Be the first to share your experience

Login to Review

Rating

0.0/5

No reviews yet

Sort byLogin to Review