Summary
The speed and visibly smart performance of the 2nd Gen Core family makes this latest series of processors the top choice for any PC user. The i5 is the balance of price, performance, and features while the i7 series is the pro choice for the high end enthusiast. Today’s review CPU, the i7-2600K @ 3.4 GHz stock unlocked currently sells for $314.99 at NewEgg.com which is a fair amount of cash to spend on a processor. The stellar performance and ease of over-clocking definitely warrants the higher price tag. If you are going to invest in a long term high performance computer this CPU is the best current choice. This powerhouse is able to multi-task highly demanding applications without pause. The 2600K is a highly flexible workhorse that promises to provide extreme performance when needed and step down to save power during lighter usage. The i7 is an excellent choice for highly efficient raw horsepower and the flexibility to use the integrated GPU until budget allows for a dedicated option such as the Sapphire HD 6950
Conclusion
If you are on the fence between the i5-2500K and i7-2600K I would suggest pairing a Z68 chipset motherboard with the i7-2600K and wait a dozen or so paychecks to purchase your graphics card of choice. The inclusion of Intel Hyper Threading in the i7-2600K makes a world of difference in multi-threaded programming and multi-tasking. This CPU is designed to handle a range of demanding tasks, not just a couple of specific purposes. For example running several instances of virtual machines while encoding video and playing a HD video stream will stress the CPU, but the complex array of Intel technologies and raw performance potential of this CPU will handle the workload. Overall the i7-2600K is the choice processor if you want the best PC performance with the understanding that a higher investment now will net you a system that will be able to hop, skip, and jump for many years to come.
2600k @ 3.6, Turbo booster to 4 gigahertz, Msi P67a-gd65, Corsair Vengence 1600 8 gigs(1.5), Msi gtx 560 ti Frozr 2 overclocked. Very awesome system! Plays everything I throw at it! This system will last for years!