Is the Intel i5-2500 still good for gaming in 2017?

[Rahul_666]

Hi guys,

I was recently sorting through all my PC parts I had collected over the years. I had a few CPUs with me (Intel i5-2500, Q9650, E8400, E6570, Pentium 4). I saw a few videos on youtube that the i5 CPU I've is still good for most games. Well those videos where posted 6 years ago.

Is this CPU still good? Also I was planning on getting the mini iTX Asus P8Z77-I (It has UEFI/BIOS so most modern GPUs should work I assume like the GT 7xx to GT10xx series). I have an old mini tower atx PC, so I could just swap it with this and add a better PSU and GPU. Which GPU would be best for this build?

I wouldn't want to spent a lot on this build either. More like a budget gaming PC.

 

[vapour]

Too weak for current AAA gaming What games do you play? What is the budget?

 

[why_wolf]

It's really surprising how well these old guys hold up. Better of course if you have a K model to squeeze some extra life out of it. https://youtu.be/gMFd0aVhVKU

 

[Martell1977]

My i7 950 can run Forza Horizon 3 on high settings...Your i5 si faster, so yeah, it's still a relevant CPU, especially if you OC it. A CPU is never obsolete unless it can't perform as you need. If on a tight budget, you don't have much to lose trying it out and seeing it if performs as you want/need.

 

[Rahul_666]

Too weak for current AAA gaming What games do you play? What is the budget?

I'm not a heavy gamer. But I do play occasionally like RE7, FIFA18.
To scale things down I could switch to a 1440x900p monitor I have with me instead of my current Dell 1080p display. I would like to keep the budget strictly within $400. Because I'll be getting a new gaming rig for myself next year. This is just for my lil brother.

 

[Martell1977]

To scale things down I could switch to a 1440x900p monitor I have with me instead of my current Dell 1080p display. I would like to keep the budget strictly within $400. Because I'll be getting a new gaming rig for myself next year. This is just for my lil brother.

1080p should be fine. I would go with the 2500k and OC it. Drop in a 1050 / RX 560 for lowest price or a RX 470/570 for a good higher performance GPU and enjoy. This is assuming you are thinking of getting a new GPU, not used.

For a PSU, use this as reference:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

 

[Rahul_666]

To scale things down I could switch to a 1440x900p monitor I have with me instead of my current Dell 1080p display. I would like to keep the budget strictly within $400. Because I'll be getting a new gaming rig for myself next year. This is just for my lil brother.

1080p should be fine. I would go with the 2500k and OC it. Drop in a 1050 / RX 560 for lowest price or a RX 470/570 for a good higher performance GPU and enjoy. This is assuming you are thinking of getting a new GPU, not used.

For a PSU, use this as reference:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Unfortunately the model I've is just i5-2500 not 2500k. Does it mean I cannot OC? Also I think I'll stick with the GT 1050/RX560 GPU. RX470 is too expensive and wouldn't it be a bottlenecked by the CPU?

 

[Sakkura]

Unfortunately the model I've is just i5-2500 not 2500k. Does it mean I cannot OC? Also I think I'll stick with the GT 1050/RX560 GPU. RX470 is too expensive and wouldn't it be a bottlenecked by the CPU?

The 2500 can still be overclocked, but only by 0.4 GHz.

Spoiler

 

[Martell1977]

Unfortunately the model I've is just i5-2500 not 2500k. Does it mean I cannot OC? Also I think I'll stick with the GT 1050/RX560 GPU. RX470 is too expensive and wouldn't it be a bottlenecked by the CPU?

As mentioned, minor OC only on those, however, that 400mhz might smooth things out a bit for you. Might be worth the effort. only you can decide.

The 470/570's are a bit crazy right now, but I think that would be a good balance with that CPU as most games are more about the GPU than the CPU. I don't think it would bottleneck, and if it did, it wouldn't be by much.

The 1050 and 560 are pretty evenly matched in performance so just get whatever has a better price. For the 1050, I suggest ASUS or EVGA, for the RX 560 I suggest Sapphire, ASUS or XFX.