Intel Core I5 2600K or I7 2600?

Let me put it this way.

Core i7 when compared to the Core i5 for gaming does not make a big difference.

The important bit for gaming is the graphics card -- many games nowadays are more GPU dependant than they are CPU dependant.

Obviously, having a good CPU is important -- but the i7 is 'overkill' for the purpose of gaming and the extra money is actually better spent on a high end graphics card.

There's a $100 dollar difference between the 2600k and 2500k.

That $100 extra is not justified for the few extra frames in gamplay. That's really how small the difference is.

You can pair a Core i5 2500k to a very expensive card, like a Radeon 79xx series, for example. It wouldn't break a sweat. Just buy a good cooler for the CPU and overclock the hell out of it.

First of all, there is no such thing as an Intel Core I5 2600K...

There are Intel Core I5 2500K, Intel Core i7 2600 and i7 2600K. The "K" means unlocked, can be overclocked.

In this case, the 3.30GHz of the i5-2500K and the 3.40GHz of the i7-2600K are almost the same, no difference that you will ever feel any way.

For gaming, Intel Core I5 2500K offers the same performance as Intel Core i7 2600K for about $100 less. Use that $100 to buy a better graphics card, very important for gaming performance.

Only for professional quality video editing, CAD design and heavy multitasking, the Intel Core i7 2600K is best, and worth the extra $100.

Hyper threading is a feature that is only used when needed, and will not affect gaming performance or any other performance in an adverse way.

Also, the stock Intel CPU cooler sucks. Especially if you plan to do any overclocking, don't cheap out and spend the extra $35 for a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU cooler.

Core i7 is better suited to heavy video editing and such.

The Core i5 offers similar performance in games at a much cheaper price.

i5 is going to be quicker. you do no longer % 16GB, i'm a great gamer and that i warfare to fill my 6GB of RAM, till you intend to multitask like a madman the extra 8GB of RAM is relatively no longer likely to do lots, extra suitable making an investment it in quicker RAM ie. 1600 or 2100MHz

I7... the work memory is huge