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 7303P

2023

Why buy it

✅+106.3% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅433.3% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 61.4 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($594 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 130W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $395 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $594 MSRP).
✅Delivers 44.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 61.4 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $594 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 130W, a 65W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike EPYC 7303P.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (17,685 vs 36,487).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7303P, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 7303P

2023

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅+106.3% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅433.3% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $395 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $594 MSRP).
✅Delivers 44.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 61.4 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $594 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 130W, a 65W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike EPYC 7303P.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 3600 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 61.4 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($594 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 130W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (17,685 vs 36,487).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7303P, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 7303P better than Ryzen 5 3600?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7303P makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 3600 is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7303P is the better fit. You are getting 106.3% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).

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

EPYC 7303P is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 3600 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. EPYC 7303P is 198.5% more expensive on MSRP at $594 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and it gives you 106.3% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 3600 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 3.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 3600 is also 44.7% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 61.4 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

EPYC 7303P is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2019), 100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB), more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 6/12, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 7303P Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 3600 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7303P	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	159 FPS	200 FPS
medium	130 FPS	161 FPS
high	109 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	154 FPS
medium	113 FPS	119 FPS
high	89 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	70 FPS
medium	57 FPS	58 FPS
high	45 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	36 FPS

Open EPYC 7303P Open Ryzen 5 3600

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7303P	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	390 FPS	442 FPS
medium	346 FPS	404 FPS
high	283 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	295 FPS
1440p
low	329 FPS	420 FPS
medium	297 FPS	359 FPS
high	251 FPS	303 FPS
ultra	192 FPS	263 FPS
4K
low	203 FPS	297 FPS
medium	186 FPS	259 FPS
high	158 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	127 FPS	201 FPS

Open EPYC 7303P Open Ryzen 5 3600

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7303P	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	644 FPS	442 FPS
medium	526 FPS	442 FPS
high	469 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	411 FPS	442 FPS
1440p
low	499 FPS	442 FPS
medium	406 FPS	442 FPS
high	356 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	432 FPS
4K
low	368 FPS	442 FPS
medium	286 FPS	361 FPS
high	244 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	242 FPS

Open EPYC 7303P Open Ryzen 5 3600

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7303P	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	885 FPS	442 FPS
medium	806 FPS	442 FPS
high	696 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	610 FPS	442 FPS
1440p
low	696 FPS	442 FPS
medium	608 FPS	442 FPS
high	521 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	446 FPS	442 FPS
4K
low	498 FPS	442 FPS
medium	445 FPS	442 FPS
high	390 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	357 FPS

Open EPYC 7303P Open Ryzen 5 3600

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7303P and Ryzen 5 3600

EPYC 7303P

The EPYC 7303P is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 September 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Milan (2021−2023) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 36,487 points. Launch price was $594.

Ryzen 5 3600

The Ryzen 5 3600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 17,685 points. Launch price was $199.

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Processing Power

The EPYC 7303P packs 16 cores / 32 threads, while the Ryzen 5 3600 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the EPYC 7303P has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the EPYC 7303P versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 — a 21.1% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 2.4 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The EPYC 7303P uses the Milan (2021−2023) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen 5 3600 uses Matisse (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7303P scores 36,487 against the Ryzen 5 3600's 17,685 — a 69.4% lead for the EPYC 7303P. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 7303P vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	EPYC 7303P	Ryzen 5 3600
Cores / Threads	16 / 32+167%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3.4 GHz	4.2 GHz+24%
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	3.6 GHz+50%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)+100%	32 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm	7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture	Milan (2021−2023)	Matisse (2019−2020)
PassMark	36,487+106%	17,685
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,500
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,295
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,898

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7303P uses the SP3 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 3600 uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 3200 on the EPYC 7303P versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 5 3600 — the EPYC 7303P supports 199.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 7303P supports up to 4096 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 187.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 7303P) vs 2 (Ryzen 5 3600). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7303P) vs 24 (Ryzen 5 3600) — the EPYC 7303P offers 104 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 (EPYC 7303P) and AMD B550,AMD X570,AMD B450,AMD X470 (Ryzen 5 3600).

Feature	EPYC 7303P	Ryzen 5 3600
Socket	SP3	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	3200+79900%	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	4096	128 GB+3276700%
RAM Channels	8+300%	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	128+433%	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 3600 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the EPYC 7303P supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: AMD-V, IOMMU (EPYC 7303P) vs Yes (Ryzen 5 3600). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: EPYC 7303P rivals Xeon Gold 6330; Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.

Feature	EPYC 7303P	Ryzen 5 3600
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	—
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	No
Virtualization	AMD-V, IOMMU	Yes
Target Use	—	Gaming/Budget Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 7303P launched at $594 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 3600 debuted at $199. On MSRP ($594 vs $199), the Ryzen 5 3600 is $395 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 7303P delivers 61.4 pts/$ vs 88.9 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 3600 — making the Ryzen 5 3600 the 36.5% better value option.