I have trouble deciding between which of the two processors is more useful in the long run as well which one will run and over clock better.The $100 difference for me isn't a problem, but I just rather not waste those $100 unnecessarily. As for video encoding and editing and whatnot I don't really find myself doing that. Does the i7 at least perform a little better than the i5?

EsIn terms of FSX I doubt that you will see any difference between the two. I chose the i7 2600K because I also use Photoshop and thought that the extra cache/HT might help. The i5 2500K oc's easily possibly easier than the 2600 and make sure that you but good quality motherboard and RAM around the 1600 Mhz mark. I would go for at least a GTX570 for either.RegardsPeterH

I believe the FSXMark 11 benchmarks show a meaningful difference in performance between the two at similar clock speeds in FSX?I am happy with my 2500k, but if you can stretch to the 2600 (or a 2700k?) and you are keen to have the smoothest FSX experience, then it might be worth the $100 or so.That said, if you can sit tight a little longer, why not wait until the Ivy Bridge release? They should perform slightly better again than the current Sandy Bridge range out of the box and they should have a bit more overclocking headroom too.

I believe the FSXMark 11 benchmarks show a meaningful difference in performance between the two at similar clock speeds in FSX?

No, they don't. The benchmarks show a difference in performance with extreme overclocks vs milder ones, not to mention faster memory.

No, they don't. The benchmarks show a difference in performance with extreme overclocks vs milder ones, not to mention faster memory.

I stand corrected then!Cheers(and yes, closer inspection does show that for the SB range, clock speed has the most significant impact)

I stand corrected then!Cheers(and yes, closer inspection does show that for the SB range, clock speed has the most significant impact)

I think that's easily attributed to budget as well. Someone less apt to splurge on a 2600k in here is also less likely to dump a lot of voltage through their 2500k! Or that's my theory

I have trouble deciding between which of the two processors is more useful in the long run as well which one will run and over clock better.The $100 difference for me isn't a problem, but I just rather not waste those $100 unnecessarily. As for video encoding and editing and whatnot I don't really find myself doing that. Does the i7 at least perform a little better than the i5?

If you want garunteed OC performance @ low voltage then buy an Intel Core i7 2700K for 20 bucks more than the 2600K.Also, be SURE to buy the Asus P8Z68 Deluxe GEN 3 motherboard. This will give you Ivy Bridge compatibility AND PCIE3 compatibility.

I'd wait and get a i7 3770K (similar price of the 2700K) and get an Asus Z77 mobo. No need to get a Pro or Deluxe version imo.

No need to get a Pro or Deluxe version imo.

Why are you telling people not to get the Deluxe? If there any OC features removed? Do the regular boards still have the same OC capability?

Im on the I5 2500K here, and im not an Oc mad-man like alot of other people in here is.. (yes, im admitting that i failed my overclock experiments.. yaiks..)Im running a Win7 64 bit system with a GTX560Ti II and 8GB of memory on 1333Mhz and im doing great.Im flying through Orbx PNW landing at Skagit or Fall City in a carenado 208 without dropping below 25fps. Im not maxing everything out, but its still a beautiful and stunning experience for me, so the 2500k is good enough. That said, I would lissen to advice given here on investing your money on newer hardware (Ivy bridge). That will make you more compatible for future release`s of games for a longer period ahead then my system..