# Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge GPU Performance



## W1zzard (Dec 30, 2010)

Intel's new Core processors based on the Sandy Bridge Architecture have been released. They bring a new integrated graphics core that effectively doubles rendering power compared to the last generation. It also includes numerous new features geared to both the gamer and consumer.

*Show full review*


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## (FIH) The Don (Jan 3, 2011)

pretty good 

but IS this a quadcore with HT? 

i get some places saying its a quad without HT'

edit : its a true quad


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## 1nf3rn0x (Jan 3, 2011)

Seems good, now we need reviews of how the actual cpu performs. Great as always wiz.


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## theonedub (Jan 3, 2011)

Little typo/missing link in the first page of the review: 

Let's talk about the processor core quickly. It is a quad core design, that features Hyper-Threading technology on some models, which effectively doubles the number of threads to eight. Intel has performed several changes to the ar*chitecture to improve performance and performance per Watt, you can the full details in our Sandy Bridge CPU reviews: [add link to omega reviews here].*


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## wolf (Jan 3, 2011)

FYI sandy bridge CPU reviews are surfacing all over the place, looks promising!


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## LittleLizard (Jan 3, 2011)

I was astonished by the performance of the graphics core!. It's almost as powerful as a new gen low end card. If you add the fact that Intel video drivers are terrible, if they improve them, the performance could go quite a lot higher!. It would be like when nvidia released the Big Bang drivers.


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## johnnyfiive (Jan 3, 2011)

Plenty of Sandy Bridge reviews popping up on the web. Looks like a nice improvement for sure, but nothing like C2D to i7, but definitely improved performance... and the overclocking ease...  so easy with that unlocked multi.


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## alexsubri (Jan 3, 2011)

now just waiting for the 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 review!


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## Bjorn_Of_Iceland (Jan 3, 2011)

would come in handy if you keep upgrading the videocard. Sell the card now to have funds for that shiny new ultra gpu comming in and still be able to use the pc for the meantime.


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## theJesus (Jan 3, 2011)

Great review, as always 

Not a bad chip it seems like, especially if you don't really game.


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## Wrigleyvillain (Jan 3, 2011)

Wooo


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## bear jesus (Jan 3, 2011)

I must admit the performance looks quite acceptable for most users who are not in to high end gaming, i have a friend with an on board Intel GPU and he can't even watch HD video  so this should do well for people like him.

Can these gpu's be overclocked past the turbo speeds?


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## Steevo (Jan 3, 2011)

I like the pricing. 


Now we know what the "proprietary technology" that AMD shared with Intel as part of the dropped lawsuit was.


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## Imsochobo (Jan 3, 2011)

theJesus said:


> Great review, as always
> 
> Not a bad chip it seems like, especially if you don't really game.



agree'd

With amd's fusion comming on strongly nvidia will loose chipset business for good and low end graphics.

Nvidia is getting squeezed by intel and amd.


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## HalfAHertz (Jan 3, 2011)

finally some incentive for amd and nvidia to push integrated and low end graphics a bit


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## Imsochobo (Jan 3, 2011)

HalfAHertz said:


> finally some incentive for amd and nvidia to push integrated and low end graphics a bit



where is nvidia in the picture ? I can't see them getting a gpu into a cpu in amd or intels cpu's.
And nvidia have shut down chipset division a long time ago, they havent really made anything new since the 6 series, as the nforce 9 series for amd doesnt support Phenom II properly, they are pretty much useless.
NF200 pci-e chip is also pretty out of date.

so its basicly just to wait for better fusion chips. krisna to name one.


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## bear jesus (Jan 3, 2011)

HalfAHertz said:


> finally some incentive for amd and nvidia to push integrated and low end graphics a bit



I thought AMD already was pushing really hard with integrated graphics due to the fact almost everything i see to do with AMD has "the future is fusion" plastered everywhere.

Although i know portable fusion products are popping up soon i have no idea what kind of time frame they have put on the desktop parts.


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## Inioch (Jan 3, 2011)

Bjorn_Of_Iceland said:


> would come in handy if you keep upgrading the videocard. Sell the card now to have funds for that shiny new ultra gpu comming in and still be able to use the pc for the meantime.



It would, just remember that the P67 chipset doesn't have FDI so can't use the integrated graphics, you need H67 or Z67 comin later this year.

I've been in the situation many times that I've upgraded or broke my video card and would've needed an integrated, nowadays I just keep a spare 3450 around.


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## kylzer (Jan 3, 2011)

Meh its an ok chip

but 1356 is where the fun will begin 

ocing via QPI on the Z68 chipset am creaming myself 

and BD well its quick that will make some fanbois QQ hard


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## Nesters (Jan 3, 2011)

If you look here:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/...ore-i5-2600k-i5-2500k-and-core-i3-2100-tested

You can see that Sandy Bridge is great, easily getting 4.4 ghz on air but that's for unlocked chips...
Also in the review I didn't see you mentioning QuickSync.

$200 Sandy Bridge beats $999 i7 EE if OC'ed and is close at stock.

And yes, 2500K doesn't have HT.


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## Hayder_Master (Jan 3, 2011)

u r the best w1z, awesome review
question w1z, is there is any way to reach this IGP cores i mean what about overclocking.
other thing if this happen that's mean more heat for CPU, and even without with high overclock on CPU+QPI and run some high 3D's stuff=extreme heating


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## GSquadron (Jan 3, 2011)

I was not hoping to see more than 9.0 for this cpu.
Still bulldozer is a better "invention"


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## mdm-adph (Jan 3, 2011)

Well, that wasn't as terrible a performance from an Intel IGP as I thought it would be.

In the test system specs, you list the X2 550 processor has having ~8000k of cache -- thought it had ~7000k roughly due to the disabled cores?


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## Lycos (Jan 3, 2011)

I am especially interested in the OpenCL performance of the integreated GPU. Would it be possible that someone with a Sandy Bridge CPU run GPU Caps Viewer ?

Also: Did someone already use Sandy Bridge for Distributed Computing? Seti@Home / BOINC.


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## WarEagleAU (Jan 3, 2011)

Kind of impressed but its meh in graphics and that is not Intels strong suit. Waiting on CPU review though because it should be decent.


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## Lycos (Jan 3, 2011)

WarEagleAU said:


> Kind of impressed but its meh in graphics and that is not Intels strong suit. Waiting on CPU review though because it should be decent.



It's slightly faster than AMDs upcoming Fusion stuff (Ontario), which basically is a HD5450. So better than expected


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## [H]@RD5TUFF (Jan 4, 2011)

Good stuff.


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## pantherx12 (Jan 4, 2011)

Lycos said:


> It's slightly faster than AMDs upcoming Fusion stuff (Ontario), which basically is a HD5450. So better than expected



If it's basically the hd5450 then according to this very review, sandybridge is the same/not as good as fusion.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i5_2500K_GPU/8.html

That's 3 out of 4 and the one it looses is 1% behind.

If you look through each result the results are all over the place so it's very close admitedlly but it's not faster, it's about the same.


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## wahdangun (Jan 4, 2011)

hmm still slower than llano


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## Reefer86 (Jan 4, 2011)

thanks wiz, really good read, your introduction was fantastic for me as ive not followed intel for a fair few years. Very informative so thanks alot


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## dnihilist (Jan 4, 2011)

Not into paying for something I won't use....


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## laszlo (Jan 4, 2011)

excellent choice for office ;you can watch hd pron all day


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## miloshs (Jan 6, 2011)

Its quite about time you incorporate World of Warcraft tests for integrated GPUs


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## demonkevy666 (Jan 6, 2011)

anyone noticed he scored this lower then the phenom II reviews ? why ? 
lol seemed kinda odd.


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## beautyless (Jan 9, 2011)

I want to ask what DirectX version you used in the games tests?


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## mastrdrver (Jan 30, 2011)

As always Wizz, nice work.

I have not seen an english review site though mention about how bad Sandy Bridge's AF filter is. Still 3870 criteria. Watch the two videos on the page. Its pretty horrid.


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