CPU Comparison
Intel Core i5-2400 vs Intel Core i5-2550K
A side-by-side comparison of specs, performance and value. The Intel Core i5-2400 served as the baseline standard-power quad-core processor for the Sandy Bridge generation. Operating at a 95W TDP, it removed the power constraints of the 'S' series, allowing for a higher 3.1 GHz base clock and a 3.4 GHz turbo boost. Like other non-K i5s of its era, it operates without Hyper-Threading, strictly limiting it to four concurrent threads. It features the full 6 MB L3 cache and Intel HD 2000 integrated graphics. This chip was the quintessential mainstream desktop CPU of early 2011, offering a significant leap in IPC (Instructions Per Clock) over the previous Lynnfield architecture.
The Bottom Line
Overview & Launch
Specifications Compared
Performance Compared
Productivity
Handles legacy Office suites well, but slow for modern web apps.
Marginally faster than the 2500K in multi-threaded tasks due to 100 MHz higher clocks, but still inadequate for modern software.
Gaming
Bottlenecks modern GPUs heavily, but great for pre-2015 games.
The slight clock bump over the 2500K is imperceptible in games. Still completely obsolete for modern titles.
Virtualization
Adequate for a basic pfSense router or NAS OS.
Lacks VT-d, and the lack of an iGPU means no iGPU passthrough, reducing its utility in virtualization setups.
Efficiency
Consumes more power per percentage of performance than modern chips.
Despite the disabled iGPU, power consumption when overclocked is still very high by modern standards.
Specialized Performance
AI / ML
- No AI acceleration
- Cannot run modern local LLMs at usable speeds
- No AI hardware
- Lacks AVX2 and modern instruction extensions
- Unable to handle any practical AI workload
Content Creation
Gaming
- Paired with a GTX 1060, it can run Skyrim and Fallout 3 excellently
- Will severely bottleneck anything above an RTX 2060
- Single-core speed is too low for modern eSports titles like Valorant
- Virtually identical gaming performance to an overclocked i5-2500K
- Cannot function without a discrete graphics card
- Modern games are heavily CPU-limited on this architecture
Industry Impact
Best CPU by Use Case
Target Audience
Strengths & Weaknesses
Pros
- Very cheap on the used market
- Excellent upgrade path to i7-3770
- Good retro-gaming performance
- Easy to cool
Cons
- No Hyper-Threading
- No modern instruction set support
- High power draw relative to performance
- Locked multiplier
- Weak HD 2000 graphics
Pros
- Slightly higher clocks out of the box than the 2500K
- Unlocked multiplier for easy overclocking
- Disabled iGPU meant 100% of the die was dedicated to CPU tasks
- Has become a unique collector's piece
- No iGPU driver conflicts for pure discrete GPU systems
Cons
- No integrated graphics whatsoever
- Lost Intel Quick Sync video encoding
- More expensive at launch than the 2500K for negligible gains
- Lacks VT-d
- No Hyper-Threading
Competitors & Alternatives
Intel Core i5-2400
- AMD Phenom II X4 970Rival
Desktop
- AMD FX-4150Rival
Desktop
- AMD A8-3870KRival
Desktop APU
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core i5-760Rival
Desktop
- Intel Xeon E3-1230Rival
Server/Workstation
Better clocks for nearly the same used price.
Compare head-to-head- Intel Core i5-3450Alt
Ivy Bridge upgrade with PCIe 3.0 and lower power.
- AMD FX-6300Alt
More threads for heavily multi-threaded legacy tasks.
- Intel Xeon E3-1245Alt
Better integrated graphics and similar performance.
- Intel Core i7-2600Alt
Adds Hyper-Threading for a significant multi-thread boost.
Intel Core i5-2550K
- AMD Bulldozer FX-4170Rival
Desktop Enthusiast
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core i5-2500KRival
Desktop Enthusiast
- Intel Core i7-2600KRival
Desktop Premium
- AMD FX-6200Rival
Desktop Multi-thread
- Compare head-to-headIntel Core i5-3570KRival
Next-Gen Enthusiast
Our Verdict on Each
An iconic processor that dominated the 2011 market, now best suited for retro gaming builds and lightweight server tasks.
Best for: Building a cheap retro-gaming PC or home server using recycled parts
Read the full reviewAn intriguing engineering footnote that disabled the iGPU for theoretical overclocking gains, but its minor clock bump and higher price over the 2500K made it one of the least relevant 'K' series processors Intel ever launched.
Best for: Purchasing as a collector's item to complete a Sandy Bridge CPU collection.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Intel Core i5-2400 or Intel Core i5-2550K?
Based on our editorial ratings, the Intel Core i5-2550K comes out ahead with a score of 5.5/10. That said, the best choice depends on your workload — check the spec and performance breakdown above for gaming, productivity and efficiency differences.
Which is faster for gaming, Intel Core i5-2400 or Intel Core i5-2550K?
For gaming, the Intel Core i5-2550K leads with a gaming performance score of 23/100 among Intel Core i5-2400 and Intel Core i5-2550K.
Do Intel Core i5-2400 and Intel Core i5-2550K use the same socket?
Yes — all of these CPUs use the LGA 1155 socket, so they share compatible motherboards.
Which is faster in multi-core benchmarks?
The Intel Core i5-2550K posts the highest multi-core benchmark score. Multi-core results: Intel Core i5-2400 (2,800), Intel Core i5-2550K (4,500). Benchmark figures are approximate and workload-dependent.