best GPU for i5 2500k stock

[Beastofgaming]

I currently have a gtx 660 looking for a upgrade but dont really know what card to get.

 

[adavid]

It all depends on your budget:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html
take a loke here, it will give you a solid direcion.

 

[bignastyid]

Get the best you can afford, the 2500k is still a potent cpu and can handle anything currently available.

 

[bignastyid]

A stock 4690k is only about 15% faster than a stock 2500k.

 

[Beastofgaming]

I feel like a gtx 960 would smart option its a very good GPU for the price also some models have a 4gb of vram really makes me think should I spead more on a gtx 970?

 

[KoopaCreeper]

I feel like a gtx 960 would smart option its a very good GPU for the price also some models have a 4gb of vram really makes me think should I spead more on a gtx 970?

I'm not convinced the jump from a GTX 660 to 960 would be worth it considering the GTX 970 is just $100 more on good days. The GTX 960 is a good card but if you're looking for a significant future-proof upgrade then I'd get the GTX 970.

This one is on sale- good factory overclock and rebate to just $319.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-Desktop+Graphics+Cards-_-N82E16814127832&gclid=CjwKEAjw9PioBRDdpqy0-ofG3DgSJAACe5NEkb7gFfzdUbGz2BzKsEI8kCVxr-TvlEiaiEAiVWDYxRoCHSHw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

If you want something around the GTX 960's price point but slightly faster than the GTX 960, consider this R9 285 below.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161467

 

[KoopaCreeper]

You really need to overclock that 2500K. Stock, a 4690K is significantly better, but if you take your 2500K to 4.5-4.7 or so you can match and beat it.
Overclocking these CPUs is key at this point, since they are pretty old. 4 years is a long time.

I have a 2600K at 4.7Ghz and a GTX 980 and I am getting no bottleneck when I compare my performance to what people on stock 4690Ks are getting.

Although there is no reason not to overclock a 2500K unless he has a bad cooler, there wouldn't be a significant bottleneck at stock.

 

[Beastofgaming]

Would a gtx 970 be bottlenecked by my CPU at stock?

 

[KoopaCreeper]

Would a gtx 970 be bottlenecked by my CPU at stock?

Not significantly. Maybe 1-2 FPS lower than a 4690K, not really a bottleneck at all.

The term "bottleneck" is overused IMO. Obviously an older CPU of the same class may be slightly slower in games, but the performance of the GPU isn't being restricted like it would be with, say, a Celeron or Sempron.

Not to pressure you, but is there a reason why you won't overclock?

 

[Beastofgaming]

I find overclocking is too hard and time wasting I do have a good after CPU cooler but overclocking for me is just too tedious

 

[KoopaCreeper]

I find overclocking is too hard and time wasting I do have a good after CPU cooler but overclocking for me is just too tedious

Suit yourself. Again, you should be fine with a GTX 970.

 

[Beastofgaming]

Thanks guys for all of your input

 

[MikeMote]

Thanks guys for all of your input

@beastofgaming Which GPU did you end up going with? I have a system I built in 2011 with an i5 2500K but the GPU is preventing me from playing games that require 2GB minimum video memory.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K
CPU Fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V
GPU: MSI R6870 Twin Forzr II Radeon HD 6870
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB DDR3 1600
PSU: Corsair Professional Series HX750
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Pro SP 1 (build 7601), 64-bit

 

[Beastofgaming]

Thanks guys for all of your input

@beastofgaming Which GPU did you end up going with? I have a system I built in 2011 with an i5 2500K but the GPU is preventing me from playing games that require 2GB minimum video memory.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K
CPU Fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V
GPU: MSI R6870 Twin Forzr II Radeon HD 6870
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB DDR3 1600
PSU: Corsair Professional Series HX750
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Pro SP 1 (build 7601), 64-bit

I went with a gtx 970 msi but if you want amd get a r9 390