Upgrading i5 2500 to i7 2600K. Worth it?

[Nightbeat]

Hey,

I’m currently using a 2500 non-K.

Upgrading to a i7 2600K with P67 motherboard would cost me about 70$, is it worth it for gaming?

I definitely want to overclock it.

I’m currently using a H61 motherboard.

Arctic Freezer 7 Pro

8GB (4x2) 1333Mhz RAM

Asus GTX 970 Strix

250GB+120GB SSD

Seasonic S12II-430

Should I upgrade my PSU for overclocking a 2600K?

Thanks.

 

[Bill_Bright]

You'll have a little headroom, but not a lot. Being a decent supply from Seasonic, you are probably fine since it is very rare for both the CPU and GPU, and all the other components to draw maximum power at the same point in time. But when taxed, that load will push that supply and that may force its fan to ramp up speed for much of the time. I hate fan noise, so if me, I would want something a little bigger.

For sure, if you do anything else (like add more sticks of RAM and/or more drives), I would get a bigger PSU.

 

[bug]

Seems a bit steep for what you're getting in return. But if you're ok with the price, go for it.

That CPU is a 95W part. The graphics card draw less then 200W. Other components will draw 10W or less. So I think your PSU is fine.
Of course, not a W are equal, draw on each rail also matters. Like @Bill_Bright said, with overclocking, you might come close the the PSU's limits. Just run a load test for a couple of hours and keep an eye out for freezes or reboots.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I would rather save and put that money towards a better machine overall. Youre investing money on an old platform thats been dead for a long time and theres no telling how long the P67 setup will last given its age.

Sure you could spend that $70 but thats quite an expensive band aid. $70 is Ryzen 3100 money and that 3100 will pound the 2600k into the dirt.

 

[droopyRO]

I would say you save the money and buy a modern platform. 16GB of RAM are a must for new AAA games. That PSU is at a limit especially if it is an old one.

 

[BlaezaLite]

I would rather save and put that money towards a better machine overall. Youre investing money on an old platform thats been dead for a long time and theres no telling how long the P67 setup will last given its age.

Sure you could spend that $70 but thats quite an expensive band aid. $70 is Ryzen 3100 money and that 3100 will pound the 2600k into the dirt.

Aww, don't say that about 1155! I've just got a z77 to replace my dell 7010 H61, a Xeon e3 1240 V2 up from a I5-2400 and arctic freezer 7 pro too! He'd still get some alright gaming but Xeon e3 1270 V2 or 3770k instead and get pcie 3 too?

 

[dgianstefani]

Absolute waste of time and money. Save for a 3300x and a b450 instead.

 

[dirtyferret]

Hey,

I’m currently using a 2500 non-K.

Upgrading to a i7 2600K with P67 motherboard would cost me about 70$, is it worth it for gaming?

I definitely want to overclock it.

I’m currently using a H61 motherboard.

Arctic Freezer 7 Pro

8GB (4x2) 1333Mhz RAM

Asus GTX 970 Strix

250GB+120GB SSD

Seasonic S12II-430

Should I upgrade my PSU for overclocking a 2600K?

Thanks.

depends on what your need is?

Is it for one or two games that can take advantage of the higher clocks and HT and show a real world difference? That makes sense.

Is it to tackle new games at high settings moving forward? Then it makes more sense for a modern platform.

 

[er557]

you could buy el cheapo chinese x79 dual socket board, with two 48$ 15 cores each ivy bridge xeon v2, and you can keep many of your components, just a thought, for a multiple of your current performance, GO MOAR CORES

 

[TheLostSwede]

Don't touch P67 boards, unless you know it has the bug free chipset or you might risk losing data, or at least the two SATA 6Gbps ports.

 

[Deleted member 67555]

I build older machines for fun and I have used both CPU's and I'd hard pass on that...
If you can can get a 3770 for the same price that might be worth it. but a 2500 to a 2600 is an upgrade but won't be noticed on most modern anything.

 

[Prime2515102]

Me personally... If I wasn't in the market for an upgrade to current gen, I'd say it's worth it. Overclocking an i5 2500k yielded MASSIVE performance improvements for me (3.3Ghz/3.7boost vs. 4.7Ghz all cores 24/7). It's now running in my brother's computer at 4.2Ghz with the stock cooler (4.4 was stable but I didn't want to take any chances with somebody else's computer).

So, you're getting the "k" plus hyperthreading. That's not a bad bump for $70 if you ask me.

If you weren't overclocking, then hell no.

And put it this way... It would be a a lot bigger performance boost than my move from that 2500k to a 7700k which I can tell you was a LOT more than $70. lol That move was for a lot more than just gaming though.

But then, you're still missing things like M.2, USB 3 (can be added on though) etc.

But, for that budget, and if that is the system you'd be using for a while, I'd do it.

P.S. As far as the PSU goes, that depends on your GPU. You could be pushing it, but you might be ok.

 

[Calmmo]

You can OC the snot out of that 2600k so why not, crazy voltages etc, if it makes it a year, good. Just don't expect magic, it'll be a bit faster than your current rig, but things are going to be tough to keep up with such an outdated CPU.
It will improve things but don't expect getting anything more than maybe a years worth of... postponing the inevitable.
Not knowing where you live/financial situation makes it hard to recommend anything tho.

 

[Assimilator]

You'd be going from 4c/4t to 4c/8t so it would definitely be an upgrade and would definitely last a bit longer...

But not much longer. A year, at best.

Rather save that money towards buying a second-hand Ryzen system. If you can find a 1600 + B350 board with 16GB of RAM you'd be good for quite a few more years. You can then sell your current 1155 parts to recoup some of the cost, although you won't get much for them.

 

[jboydgolfer]

i made a nearly identical upgrade several years ago, when i was still running my legendary 2500k, i upgraded to a 4790k iirc, & i was not impressed. it would be dishonest to say its black & white, usage & scenarios are different for users, so although 4 extra threads didnt benefit me, it might be a benefit to you. personally, i almost always take a higher clocked, lower physical core Count CPU over a lower clocked, higher virtual core CPU. meaning, id rather 6 cores at 5Ghz, over 6 cores & 6 threads at 4.3Ghz. but that is my personal preference & choice.

honestly, id shoot for more of an upgrade than a model step up, i go 2 family steps, or i dont at all, meaning 2012's CPU to 2014's CPU.

 

[bobbybluz]

A 3770K in a Z77 mobo would be a wiser move if you can do it cheaply. I still have one in regular use and it's a better performer than the 2600K I have in another Z77 board. Both are running at 4.6Ghz. I had nothing but headaches with the P67 boards. It's surprising how long that platform has lasted and survives today.

 

[dr.noob]

Some users here forgot that investing into a new cpu+board also means new ram so yes for 70$ you should do it and overclock. I still use the 2600k 4.3 to play Cuisine Royale 30-60 players and it's still amazing.

 

[Vario]

Ditch the system and go with something modern. Sell your old parts to recoup the cost.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I'll chime back in here by adding this to the mix - a new motherboard constitutes a new computer when it comes to Windows licensing. This mean, if your current Windows licenses is an OEM/System Builders license, as the vast majority are, to be legal, you would have to buy a new license too because under no circumstance can OEM/SB licenses legally be transferred to new computers.

So that adds even more money you are throwing at this old computer.

If you are dead set on upgrading from that i5-2500 to an i7 in the immediate future, your current board supports several i7s. This ASUS H61 board supports the i7-2600K. If waiting to build the budget for a new computer is not in the picture, I recommend you look into used i7s and stick with that board. With the money you save, if not ready to go for a whole new computer, you might have enough left over to up your RAM to 16GB.

But you really need to think strategically (long term) here. You current board uses DDR3. That will not carry over to a new (current) board as they use DDR4. And it is unlikely the 2600K will carry over either. And since you are venturing into the realm of advanced users, you likely will need a new PSU with the new computer, not to mention a new case to get the latest USB version and better cooling options.

My point is, if upgrading this old system now to carry you over until the budget supports a new computer, I agree with the others and just wait - especially since this computer is still working.

Some users here forgot that investing into a new cpu+board also means new ram so yes for 70$

No we didn't. It seems you forgot to do your homework before posting.

A new board does not always mean new RAM. And to that, some of us knew already, and some of us checked before posting: H61 boards use DDR3 and so do P67 boards. Not all DDR3 is compatible of course, but there is a good chance this RAM will carry over.

But the question remains, is it worth investing in old technology hardware now? Or is it better to just wait, build up the budget and buy all new with the latest technologies?

 

[dr.noob]

70$ is not what i would call a real investment. I was talking about the suggestion someone did about upgrading to Ryzen.

I just wanna add that 8 threads is a really a nice upgrade for those playing games like battlefield online with + 30 players.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

is it worth it for gaming?

If you're going to run the 2600K at stock, then no. OC, most likely, yes. But understand that if you OC the 2600K (4.2 GHz is very easy), then you will need something better than the stock cooler.

 

[freeagent]

If your 2500K is a dud, then sure why not? You get the threads and extra cache, you would notice that. 60 would be a better deal, but you could probably get that for your 2500K..

 

[biffzinker]

Can you overclock on a H61 motherboard? The OP said he’s using a H61, last I knew it wasn’t possible.

 

[freeagent]

I honestly couldn't say.. the last 3 chipsets I've used were X48, X58, and Z77 lol.

 

[Caring1]

Can you overclock on a H61 motherboard? The OP said he’s using a H61, last I knew it wasn’t possible.

Baseclock maybe, from 100 to 103MHz which isn't that much really.