PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

EPYC 7282

2019

Why buy it

✅+300% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅540% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 8945H across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (13,500 vs 17,500).
❌Launch MSRP is still $650 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 8945H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1400% higher power demand at 120W vs 8W.
❌Older platform position on SP3 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 8945H moves to FP7/FP7r2/FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +36.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 8W instead of 120W, a 112W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2/FP8 with DDR5 support instead of SP3 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 780M, while EPYC 7282 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7282, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 7282

2019

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅+300% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅540% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +36.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 8W instead of 120W, a 112W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP7/FP7r2/FP8 with DDR5 support instead of SP3 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 780M, while EPYC 7282 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 8945H across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (13,500 vs 17,500).
❌Launch MSRP is still $650 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 8945H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1400% higher power demand at 120W vs 8W.
❌Older platform position on SP3 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 8945H moves to FP7/FP7r2/FP8 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7282, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 8945H better than EPYC 7282?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7282 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 8945H is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 9 8945H is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 36.9% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 8945H is the better fit. You are getting 29.6% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen 9 8945H is still the faster CPU overall, but EPYC 7282 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 8945H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $650 MSRP, and it gives you a 36.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. EPYC 7282 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (46.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 9 8945H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2019), a healthier platform with FP7/FP7r2/FP8 and DDR5 instead of SP3, more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 16/32, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

EPYC 7282 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 8945H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7282	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	159 FPS	269 FPS
medium	129 FPS	243 FPS
high	108 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	140 FPS	236 FPS
medium	112 FPS	193 FPS
high	89 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	139 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	164 FPS
medium	57 FPS	136 FPS
high	45 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	92 FPS

Open EPYC 7282 Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7282	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	419 FPS	513 FPS
medium	371 FPS	421 FPS
high	305 FPS	363 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	323 FPS
1440p
low	353 FPS	448 FPS
medium	319 FPS	388 FPS
high	270 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	208 FPS	285 FPS
4K
low	219 FPS	295 FPS
medium	201 FPS	267 FPS
high	171 FPS	253 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	217 FPS

Open EPYC 7282 Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7282	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	632 FPS	756 FPS
medium	514 FPS	756 FPS
high	458 FPS	647 FPS
ultra	402 FPS	546 FPS
1440p
low	493 FPS	756 FPS
medium	400 FPS	637 FPS
high	351 FPS	541 FPS
ultra	305 FPS	464 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	541 FPS
medium	285 FPS	473 FPS
high	243 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	355 FPS

Open EPYC 7282 Open Ryzen 9 8945H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7282	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	755 FPS	756 FPS
medium	755 FPS	756 FPS
high	664 FPS	756 FPS
ultra	581 FPS	754 FPS
1440p
low	663 FPS	756 FPS
medium	584 FPS	756 FPS
high	501 FPS	660 FPS
ultra	427 FPS	573 FPS
4K
low	475 FPS	572 FPS
medium	428 FPS	511 FPS
high	376 FPS	457 FPS
ultra	323 FPS	394 FPS

Open EPYC 7282 Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7282 and Ryzen 9 8945H

EPYC 7282

The EPYC 7282 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 August 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Zen 2 (2017−2020) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 7 nm, 14 nm process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Eight-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 30,201 points. Launch price was $650.

Ryzen 9 8945H

The Ryzen 9 8945H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7/FP7r2/FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 8 MB + 16 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 30,240 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Processing Power

The EPYC 7282 packs 16 cores / 32 threads, while the Ryzen 9 8945H offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the EPYC 7282 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the EPYC 7282 versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 8945H — a 47.6% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H (base: 2.8 GHz vs 4 GHz). The EPYC 7282 uses the Zen 2 (2017−2020) architecture (7 nm, 14 nm), while the Ryzen 9 8945H uses Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7282 scores 30,201 against the Ryzen 9 8945H's 30,240 — a 0.1% lead for the Ryzen 9 8945H. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 13,500 vs 17,500 (25.8% advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,086 vs 2,617, a 82.7% lead for the Ryzen 9 8945H that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 7,638 vs 12,662 (49.5% advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H). L3 cache: 64 MB on the EPYC 7282 vs 16 MB on the Ryzen 9 8945H.

Feature	EPYC 7282	Ryzen 9 8945H
Cores / Threads	16 / 32+100%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	3.2 GHz	5.2 GHz+63%
Base Clock	2.8 GHz	4 GHz+43%
L3 Cache	64 MB+300%	16 MB
L2 Cache	8 MB	8 MB
Process	7 nm, 14 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Zen 2 (2017−2020)	Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024)
PassMark	30,201	30,240
Cinebench R23 Multi	13,500	17,500+30%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,086	2,617+141%
Geekbench 6 Multi	7,638	12,662+66%

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Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7282 uses the SP3 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 9 8945H uses FP7/FP7r2/FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the EPYC 7282 versus DDR5-5600 on the Ryzen 9 8945H — the Ryzen 9 8945H supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 7282 supports up to 4096 GB of RAM compared to 256 GB — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 7282) vs 2 (Ryzen 9 8945H). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7282) vs 20 (Ryzen 9 8945H) — the EPYC 7282 offers 108 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3,Rome (EPYC 7282) and FP7,FP7r2,FP8 (Ryzen 9 8945H).

Feature	EPYC 7282	Ryzen 9 8945H
Socket	SP3	FP7/FP7r2/FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR5-5600+25%
Max RAM Capacity	4096 GB+1500%	256 GB
RAM Channels	8+300%	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	128+540%	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Only the Ryzen 9 8945H supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: AMD-V, SEV (EPYC 7282) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 9 8945H). The Ryzen 9 8945H includes integrated graphics (Radeon 780M), while the EPYC 7282 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: EPYC 7282 targets Edge Server / Entry Server, Ryzen 9 8945H targets Gaming. Direct competitor: EPYC 7282 rivals Xeon Silver 4216; Ryzen 9 8945H rivals Core i9-13900H.