Intel Core i5-2500K vs Intel Core i7-920

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Core i5-2500K compared with Core i7-920

	IntelCore i5-2500K	IntelCore i7-920
Overview
Released
Released	January 2011	November 2008
Cores and clocks
Cores
Cores	4	4
Threads
Threads	4	8 (better)
Base clock
Base clock	3.3 GHz	2.66 GHz
Boost clock
Boost clock	3.7 GHz (better)	2.93 GHz
L3 cache
L3 cache	6 MB	8 MB (better)
Cores
Cores	Four cores without Hyper-Threading; Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 and VT-x supported; VT-d not supported.	Four cores with Hyper-Threading; eight simultaneous threads. PCStats confirms a locked CPU multiplier; base-clock overclocking is possible, so locked does not mean all overclocking is disabled.
Clocks
Clocks	Maximum turbo is a single-core frequency. The multiplier is unlocked, but motherboard support and cooling determine available overclocking; the original H67 platform does not support CPU multiplier overclocking.	Intel's product brief gives up to 2.93 GHz single-core Turbo Boost. Intel's 17 November 2008 sale notice names the 920 and confirms immediate system and boxed retail availability.
Graphics and AI
Built-in graphics
Built-in graphics	Yes	No
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 3000; 850 MHz base, up to 1.10 GHz; two displays; Quick Sync Video. Available display outputs and access to integrated graphics depend on the motherboard.	No processor graphics; a separate graphics solution is required. Intel's desktop comparison chart lists graphics as not applicable.
Platform
Socket
Socket	LGA1155	LGA1366
Base power
Base power	95 W	130 W
Unlocked
Unlocked	Yes	No
Memory support
Memory support	Up to 32 GB; two channels; DDR3-1066/1333; 21 GB/s maximum bandwidth as published by Intel; ECC not supported.	Three channels of DDR3-1066 in Intel's exact-model product brief. A later Intel comparison chart incorrectly lists two channels; the original product brief is used here.
PCIe
PCIe	PCIe 2.0; up to 16 CPU lanes. Motherboard support determines available slot configurations.	Intel's product brief describes X58 chipset PCIe 2.0 graphics connectivity, including two ×16 links. These are chipset connections, not CPU-integrated PCIe lanes. CPU-to-chipset QuickPath Interconnect runs at 4.8 GT/s for the 920.
Process
Process	32 nm; Sandy Bridge; 37.5 × 37.5 mm package; 72.6°C Tcase limit, not a junction-temperature limit.	45 nm; Nehalem architecture.
Cooler
Cooler	LGA1155-compatible cooling required. Intel's 5 January 2011 announcement gives 9 January availability for quad-core systems; APH Networks' contemporaneous exact-model review also identifies 9 January as the processor's release date.	Requires an LGA1366/X58 platform; incompatible with LGA775 motherboards. Intel's retired specification page could not be read, so optional package temperature and separate maximum-power values are omitted.