i7-975 vs i5-2500K

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Aggregate performance score

Core i5-2500K
2011
4 cores / 4 threads, 95 Watt
2.60
+18.2%
Core i7-975
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 130 Watt
2.20

Core i5-2500K outperforms Core i7-975 by a moderate 18% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-2500K and Core i7-975 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking17341848
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.390.13
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore i5 (Desktop)Core i7 (Desktop)
Power efficiency2.591.60
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Bloomfield (2008−2010)
Release date9 January 2011 (13 years ago)2 June 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$216$476

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i5-2500K has 200% better value for money than i7-975.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-2500K and Core i7-975 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores4 (Quad-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads48
Base clock speed3.3 GHz3.33 GHz
Boost clock speed3.7 GHz3.6 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/s1333 MHz
L1 cache64 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache6 MB (shared)8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size216 mm2263 mm2
Maximum core temperature73 °Cno data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data68 °C
Number of transistors1,160 million731 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2500K and Core i7-975 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration11
SocketLGA1155FCLGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i7-975. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXIntel® SSE4.2
AES-NI+-
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Turbo Boost Technology2.01.0
Hyper-Threading Technology-+
Idle States++
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access+no data
Demand Based Switchingno data-
PAEno data36 Bit
FDI+no data
Fast Memory Access+no data

Security technologies

Core i5-2500K and Core i7-975 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-+
EDB++
Identity Protection+-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i7-975 are enumerated here.

VT-d-no data
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i7-975. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size32 GB24 GB
Max memory channels23
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/s25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel HD Graphics 3000N/A
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+no data
Graphics max frequency1.1 GHzno data
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2500K and Core i7-975 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported2no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2500K and Core i7-975.

PCIe version2.02.0
PCI Express lanes16no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i5-2500K 2.60
+18.2%
i7-975 2.20

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i5-2500K 4123
+18%
i7-975 3493

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i5-2500K 653
+21.2%
i7-975 539

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i5-2500K 1924
+2.1%
i7-975 1884

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i5-2500K 4773
+16.4%
i7-975 4101

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i5-2500K 15956
i7-975 16628
+4.2%

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

i5-2500K 5853
+0.3%
i7-975 5837

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

i5-2500K 11.67
i7-975 7.36
+58.6%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

i5-2500K 5
i7-975 6
+11.5%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.60 2.20
Recency 9 January 2011 2 June 2009
Threads 4 8
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 130 Watt

i5-2500K has a 18.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 36.8% lower power consumption.

i7-975, on the other hand, has 100% more threads.

The Core i5-2500K is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-975 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2500K and Core i7-975, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i5-2500K
Core i5-2500K
Intel Core i7-975
Core i7-975

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i5-2500K or Core i7-975, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.