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SodiumBenzoate · Jul 31, 2015

http://www.techspot.com/article/1039-ten-years-intel-cpu-compared/

I found this really great article showing the relative performance of the most popular Intel processors from (almost) each generation since the introduction of the "Core 2" processors in 2006.

In synthetic benchmarks, the performance increases over time look pretty steady.

Gaming benchmarks, however, are another story. Here is Metro Redux, a relatively CPU-intensive game according to the article: (all benchmarks using a GTX 980 and as-similar-as-possible other components)

The 2500K came out in 2011 and is still performing ~90% as well as the current-generation chip. That's pretty amazing for 2500K owners.
Considering the APU/GPU-heavy architecture of modern consoles, this trend isn't all that surprising. I wonder if this pseudo-flatlining of CPU importance is a permanent change in PC gaming going forward? Skylake comes out very soon, and I doubt that will change anything too significantly.

MikeE21286 · Jul 31, 2015

Love my 2500k. The goat

GavinUK86 · Jul 31, 2015

I'm guessing the 2600k would rank in between the 2500 and 2700 right?

djplaeskool · Jul 31, 2015

I thought getting my i7-3930k at the premium it was at three years ago might have been a mistake, but my LGA2011 setup is still a fuckin' champ.

Mupod · Jul 31, 2015

My 2500k has been happily trucking along at 4.5ghz since 2011. I'll be upgrading for Skylake, but I'm not expecting anything super dramatic.

grmlin · Jul 31, 2015

Well, reminds me that I have to upgrade my PC in the near(er) future.

Still rocking a Phenom II X6 1055T...

Arkeband · Jul 31, 2015

I got my i7-970 as some kind of promotional deal by working for Geek Squad (nabbed it for $200, came with a sweet heat sink/fan), so it's interesting to see that the difference between that (I assume it sits slightly above the 870) and the 4790k still isn't all that much.

Enigmatic Rainbow · Jul 31, 2015

One of my older computers has a 2500k that's been overclocked to 4.6GHz since day one, was probably one of my best purchases. Still feel no need to upgrade it at all yet.

Senteevs · Jul 31, 2015

I have an i5-750. Feel no need to upgrade.

jay · Jul 31, 2015

As a 2500k owner this topic is of interest to me.

spyshagg · Jul 31, 2015

The single threaded performance increase in these 15 years is appalling honestly.

Denton · Jul 31, 2015

2500K@4ghz represent

I figured this CPU would get me through the whole gen, which seems likely with the DX12 making CPUs even more efficient.

So it seems this CPU will last me some 8 years. Insane.

CypherSignal · Jul 31, 2015

spyshagg said:
The single threaded performance increase in these 15 years is appalling honestly.

It hardly is; there's an upper limit to diminishing returns. What's appalling is how slow PC gaming applications (and I point to MS/Khronos/IHVs et al, not devs, mostly) have been in properly utilizing multiple cores. The spread in the gaming numbers will probably be a lot more interesting in a couple of years

Gaz Pwnage · Jul 31, 2015

Heres to hoping my 4690K lasts as long as the 2500k has.

Palette Swap · Jul 31, 2015

Clicked expecting a 2500K thread lol.

I can't really think of another CPU that has held so well for so long over my 20+ years of PC gaming.

Avallon · Jul 31, 2015

Where does the i5-3570K rank?

Baron_Calamity · Jul 31, 2015

That explains why I have so much doubt about replacing my desktop.

ValfarHL · Jul 31, 2015

What about the jump from pentium 4 to the core 2 duo? That was pretty massive, no?

Like others here, I'm still a happy camper with my 2500k at 4.5Ghz.

RedSwirl · Jul 31, 2015

So do people consider the 2500k to be the new Q6600?

evilalien · Jul 31, 2015

Avallon said:
Where does the i5-3570K rank?

A little above the 2500K since it is the equivalent chip from the following generation.

dex3108 · Jul 31, 2015

I don;t think that i will replace my 2600K soon

And i am still running it at stock speed

Helznicht · Jul 31, 2015

I wonder how DX12 is going to change these charts?

gelf · Jul 31, 2015

My i7 860 still serves me well for everything I want to play. Very happy that no upgrade has been needed thus far.

Xander51 · Jul 31, 2015

I used an i7 975 overclocked to 4 Ghz for quite a while. Felt its relative slowness a little in video rendering, but for gaming its still rock solid. Alas, it now sits mostly unused in a conference room in my dad's office.

I don't know that Skylake will be the revolution that some are predicting especially compared to the efficiency of Broadwell, but I still think Intel will easily maintain their stranglehold on CPU performance.

Daingurse · Jul 31, 2015

My 980x at 4.0ghz still feels good. I'm getting some serious longevity out of LGA 1366.

Deleted member 17706 · Jul 31, 2015

Denton said:
2500K@4ghz represent

I figured this CPU would get me through the whole gen, which seems likely with the DX12 making CPUs even more efficient.

So it seems this CPU will last me some 8 years. Insane.

Same. I bought it when it came out back in 2011. I think this is the longest I've been able to keep using a single processor without feeling the need to upgrade.

Honestly, it's a bit disappointing how little advancement there has been in processor power when it comes to PC games.

StrayngerDaynger · Jul 31, 2015

2600k at 4.6ghz all day. Best PC component purchase EVER!

BennyBlanco · Jul 31, 2015

3770k has served me well. never even bothered to overclock.

Denton · Jul 31, 2015

Zefah said:
Same. I bought it when it came out back in 2011. I think this is the longest I've been able to keep using a single processor without feeling the need to upgrade.

Honestly, it's a bit disappointing how little advancement there has been in processor power when it comes to PC games.

Hah, I make up for the cpu upgrade bug with gpu upgrades instead.
When I got this CPU in 2011 I got GTX 560Ti with it.
18 months ago I got AMD 280X.
2 months ago I got GTX 970.

All in chase of max details at 1080p at 60fps

Engell · Jul 31, 2015

Lets see a similar graph for graphics card performance....

Today's graphics cards are 50x faster than 10 years ago

Stop It · Jul 31, 2015

I wonder if Intel regrets making the i5 2500k.

A £170 chip that still kicks it in the gaming side today. My one is on a diet of 4.4Ghz in summer, 4.6Ghz in winter and still is nowhere near being the bottleneck of my system. That would be my GTX 780, bought for £360. Insanity.

Also, AMD have had what, 4 years to catch up and...ouch.

RS4- · Jul 31, 2015

I had a Q6600 from 07 to 11; I couldn't really use it to its potential because I had some shit awful OCZ ram. I don't think I really went past stock clocks either, might've been a bad mobo choice as well.

2600k since then, no issues at all. Hell, been using a 6950 since then as well. I haven't really made any upgrades. Maybe next year.

Erudite · Jul 31, 2015

Glad I bought the 2500k when I did. Just bought a 980 Ti and it's good to know I won't have to worry too much about a bottleneck.

Nokterian · Jul 31, 2015

I7 2600k owner here this puppy is also very solid today.

rpg_fan · Jul 31, 2015

I7-870 here, still no reason to change.

Tevos · Jul 31, 2015

3770k here, never had to overclock and haven't had any problems at all.

/knocks on wood

Mr_Antimatter · Jul 31, 2015

i7 2600k owner here. I think over locking this may honestly last me a few years yet. Quite amazing, really.

byropoint · Jul 31, 2015

Not surprised, the only thing worth upgrading for are the new chipset peripherals and that's not a must-have for a lot of people.

LCGeek · Jul 31, 2015

2500 and 3570 owner here damn things are a beaut when OC'ed.

ersocaster · Jul 31, 2015

grmlin said:
Well, reminds me that I have to upgrade my PC in the near(er) future.

Still rocking a Phenom II X6 1055T...

Awesome chip. Can be pushed to 3.5GHz on stock voltage. Some have even been able to get that while under stock voltage.

Felix Lighter · Jul 31, 2015

I bought an i7 930 in 2010 and it was still extremely viable @ 3.9 Ghz when I replaced it and the i7 920 which for all intents and purposes is the same chip was actually released at the end of 2008.

Two Words · Jul 31, 2015

Going from a Q6600 to an i7 4790 this week

rrs · Jul 31, 2015

the only that makes my (non overclocked) 2500K cry is GTAV, and most of my issues with it is due to my 1 GB VRAM GPU bought with it

NewVegasDog · Jul 31, 2015

i7 4790k here. The thing is a beauty. Not sure if I want to OC just yet though. But it was worth it for what I paid for.

Vanguard · Jul 31, 2015

Still rocking my i7 920, and don't see myself upgrading it any time soon either. Though to be fair I don't game on my pc as much as I used to, but will defo be looking to retire it by 2017 I guess.

MultiCore · Jul 31, 2015

Vanguard said:
Still rocking my i7 920, and don't see myself upgrading it any time soon either. Though to be fair I don't game on my pc as much as I used to, but will defo be looking to retire it by 2017 I guess.

I had an i7 920 as well up until last spring.

I overclocked it to 4ghz, and the processor loved it, but my EVGA motherboard didn't.
X58 boards are so expensive, it was better to just upgrade to my 4790k.

MutFox · Jul 31, 2015

i7 920 from 2008 here.
Haven't had any issues with any game I've thrown at it.

mrklaw · Jul 31, 2015

As well as showing how well older CPUs are holding up, it really should give confidence to people looking to put together a gaming PC on a budget. All the talk in the gaming PC thread about 'wait for skylake' seems unnecessary unless you want the cutting edge. Just get a current CPU or even look for used 2500k/3570k options to keep costs down, and pump any excess into the GPU.

GrizzNKev · Jul 31, 2015

My 2500k is a beast.

Korezo · Jul 31, 2015

So i7 2600k is probably gonna give me another gen of gaming.

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