the price is so good

nevineloutfi88

ny

This is the processor I used as the centerpiece of the computer I built for my husband for Christmas. He so needed a new machine because his dual core AMD rig had become unstable and unreliable after many years of heavy use. He wanted an Intel based system, and this processor offered the best quality and price. It has 4 fast cores, hyperthreading, and overclocking ability, and it was the best Intel Sandy Bridge processor for the price. I got in on a sweet deal where the price was dropping because the next generation was coming out. Even though at the time of this writing, there are even better processors available, and their prices are dropping now as the next better thing is arriving, I still think this processor can be a fine brain for a respectable and stable computer suitable for work and leisure. I find that the system I made with this processor has fewer odd quirks than do the ones I made using AMD processors.

MoiraWhitlock

USA

I love this thing! Updated from an i5-760. The price has dropped on these as well, and although there are quite a few processors out now that claim to surpass this one, for the value and speed for most consumers these days it is more than enough in my opinion. Easy to install, has lasted with no problems so far for over a year. Has given my computer's processor rating for windows index a boost to 7.6 out of 7.9. More than enough speed for gaming and multimedia use, and was definitely a smart upgrade for me. I suggest it to anyone wishing to build their own PC or buy a premade with this processor. Pentium has been a solid brand for years.

thirdeyeee

USA

I love it. I used the i5 2500k 3.3 GHz Sandybridge processor for my first computer build and saw no troubles. I've had my computer up and running for about 4 months and have yet to receive any processor failure. My computer runs all the games that I play flawlessly (Starcraft II, Heroes of Newerth, Diablo III) and the processor heat remains fairly cool at all times.

chanieldoi

Los Angeles, CA

Great CPU that over-clocks well. Doesn't overheat and can run any app or game at very high settings. Stock speed is fine for most people but you could push it to 4Ghz with better cooling. 6MB cache seems to put even more speed in the overall performance, running with windows 7 seems to make it fly.

thelaxplaya7

USA

The performance on this CPU is like Day and Night versus the competition. I decided to spend a little more money on Intel and I tell ya it's worth it. I can really see the speed on my W7 professional, don't wait for BD besides who needs 8 cores get this one and enjoy what I call real performance. Good price easy to overclock and the best thing is Sandy Bridge. It runs way cool too, oh and read the instructions the heatsink was very easy to install and basicly everything so do your homework before you post your review because most of the issues encounter is compatability and or knowledge. I bought this chip along with other parts to make a new setup, and this is really the version of the socket set Intel was looking to put out. I went from a Wolfdale dual-core setup to this, and the jump is simply incredible. Even at stock speeds, this CPU flies and blows almost everything currently on the market away. Overclocking on the platform is very simple (after researching, of course) but really, not necessary unless you are looking to blow away your friends. If your PC is feeling sluggish and your CPU/socket set is holding you back, it might be time to jump on ship. I held off on sockets LGA1366 and 1156 for this platform, and it was WELL worth the upgrade. If you aren't going to be overclocking, look into one of the non-K chips. If you are, however, this CPU will give you the best bang-for-the-buck: It's slightly higher-clocked and hyper-threading enabled counterpart, the i7-2600K, doesn't warrant the price jump.

knivesii

Los Angeles, CA

This processor is one of the new Sandy Bridge processors. According to benchmarks, this chip is 30% faster than the i7 950 at an equivalent price. One of the new things this CPU has over previous generations of CPUs is integrated graphics (Intel HD 3000). This gives the computer accelerated video encoding, and support for HDMI 1.4 (3d blu-ray content) if you have appropriate software. The integrated graphics are not powerful enough for most modern pc gaming though. The processor will automatically overclock itself up to 3.7 Ghz using Turbo Mode technology. If the processor is running below a power, current and temperature threshold, the processor will overclock itself when applications require more processing power. Another thing to note, this model is the K series compared to the regular i5 2500, which means its unlocked and can be overclocked (even more) via motherboard. To do this, you'd need a new socket 1155 P67 (not H67) motherboard, but this comes at the expense of losing the ability to access the integrated graphics portion of the CPU. As it stands right now, it's a great processor, at a great price. I'd recommend this for all enthusiasts and gamers who are upgrading. This is the chip to buy.

HamletJB

Sacramento, CA

This processor is Intel newest generation of processor of 2011.  It is the successor to the popular LGA1056 I5 platform.  The most interesting part of this is that the new 1055 platform is suppose to belong to the mid range system since its power rival to those of top end I7 and AMD 6 core system.  The K serie processor also process a very high level of overclock potential, just a few change to the bio and you for yourself near 33% speed boost.  I find nearly 50% performance boost in my gaming experience sicne I upgrade from my old AMD Phenom II X4 processor to this.  In addtion to the good IPC, another shining point of this processor is that it got intergrate graphic in the processor itself.  Even through it is not enough for hard core gaming, it is very good for everyday office use.  Another plus to this is that it only require the use of dual channel of DDR3 while the higher priced I7 require the use of triple channel of ddr3 to get thye most out of the processor. In conclusion, this processor is a must buy for those who enjoy gaming for cheap.  It is the best valued processor for those who want to build a new system that has overclock capability.  

xellos2099

Chicago, IL

AMAZING processor for the money! Outperforms the more expensive i7's on the 1366 platform in most benchmarks I've ran. (@4.8Ghz) Overclocks while keeping temps low (on air) and chews through everything I've thrown at it. Simply amazing that these things cost less than many of the older chips! Let me tell ya, when I was looking to get a new cpu/ram/mobo upgrade 2 weeks ago, I'm glad I stumbled across Sandy Bridge and waited. This thing, on stock voltage (meaning I didn't need to touch anything but the multiplier) took me up to 4.0 ghz, and I stopped there because that was my goal. However, there have been people who have gotten this thing as high as 4.5-4.8ghz ON AVERAGE, these are not the highest numbers out there, these are the MOST COMMON numbers out there. Loads games like Crysis and Bad Company 2 in literally 10 seconds and 5 seconds, respectively. Opens up programs faster, it does everything you want it to and more. The stock heatsink provided is not the best in the world, but even at stock clocks it kept my temps hovering around the 60s on load, I did replace it with my arctic cooling freezer 7 pro and bumped it to 4ghz and temps go up to about 61 on load with case open. Now is the time to buy this thing, how much more can I say, it has the best price/performance ratio of any cpu pretty much in the world right now, beats out even the 6 core in many games (BTW this cpu keeps all of my games such as Crysis and BC2 at consistent 60+ fps because it does not bottleneck the gpu at all), will definitely not regret this purchase!

loneknives

Santa Cruz, CA