Help for a newb

[Ualaa]

For pure gaming, there isn't a lot of difference between the i5 2500K and the i7 2600K.
Especially if you're going to five box...

The i7 has hyperthreading, which means one logical core for each physical core (the i5 only has physical cores).
The i7 is about $100 more expensive.

If you're doing something in addition to gaming, and more so as you multitask more, the logical cores start to become more important.
If you're spending $200 on an i5, $300 on an i7 isn't that much more expensive.
Especially if you're going to be putting more than five accounts on the system.

For your usage, the logical cores will likely be a benefit.

[Bollwerk]

For pure gaming, there isn't a lot of difference between the i5 2500K and the i7 2600K.
Especially if you're going to five box...

The i7 has hyperthreading, which means one logical core for each physical core (the i5 only has physical cores).
The i7 is about $100 more expensive.

If you're doing something in addition to gaming, and more so as you multitask more, the logical cores start to become more important.
If you're spending $200 on an i5, $300 on an i7 isn't that much more expensive.
Especially if you're going to be putting more than five accounts on the system.

For your usage, the logical cores will likely be a benefit.

I disagree. In older versions of Intel CPUs, yes. But MiRai's tests of the 2600K show that the hyperthreading makes a pretty big difference in this generation, if you're boxing many toons.

My own personal experience has verified this. I had a 2500K for a while and was pegging all 4 cores consistently (5-boxing). After reading MiRai's tests, I bought a 2600K and now run at about 50%-70% average CPU load.