TechRadar Verdict
The Core i5 2500T performs so well you can almost forgive Intel about the lack of overclocking potential... almost.
Pros
- +
Lower power
- +
Reasonable overclocking on the graphics
Cons
- -
Locked multipliers
- -
Could be hard to find
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Hitting the low-powered, green gamer is Intel's Core i5 2500T. We've already had a good look at Intel's Core i5 2500K processor; it's getting a reputation as the go-to chip if your budget won't quite stretch to an Intel Core i7 2600K.
Although it's getting all the attention as the flagship chip in the second generation Core i5 line-up, there are a couple of other interesting family members. Not because of their overclocking ability – they don't really have any – but because they're low power chips.
The most interesting one of these is this Core i5 2500T.
It's the T part of the name that's the important bit – it means that the chip has a TDP of just 45W. That may still sound like a fair old chunk of power, but it's a remarkable 50W lower than the 2500K.
On the flip side, unlike the 2500K, the multipliers aren't unlocked so there's not a lot you can to improve on the default 2.3GHz (3.3GHz with Turbo) clock speed.
It's not the only lower-power member of the family – there's also the 2500S. The S series of chips have slightly higher TDP of 65 Watts.
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