The Intel Core i5-2500K was a desktop processor with 4 cores, launched in January 2011, at an MSRP of $216. It is part of the Core i5 lineup, using the Sandy Bridge architecture with Socket 1155. Core i5-2500K has 6 MB of L3 cache and operates at 3.3 GHz by default, but can boost up to 3.7 GHz, depending on the workload. Intel is building the Core i5-2500K on a 32 nm production process using 1,160 million transistors. You may freely adjust the unlocked multiplier on Core i5-2500K, which simplifies overclocking greatly, as you can easily dial in any overclocking frequency. With a TDP of 95 W, the Core i5-2500K consumes a good deal of power, so decent cooling is needed. Intel's processor supports DDR3 memory with a dual-channel interface. The highest officially supported memory speed is 1600 MT/s, but with overclocking (and the right memory modules) you can go even higher. For communication with other components in the machine, Core i5-2500K uses a PCI-Express Gen 2 connection. This processor features the Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics solution. Hardware virtualization is available on the Core i5-2500K, which greatly improves virtual machine performance. Programs using Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) will run on this processor, boosting performance for calculation-heavy applications.