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 7742

2019

Why buy it

✅+222.3% higher PassMark.
✅+700% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 64 cores / 128 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 5600 across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 10.0 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($6,950 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌246.2% higher power demand at 225W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +21.4% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $6,751 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $6,950 MSRP).
✅Delivers 983.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 10.0 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $6,950 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 225W, a 160W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike EPYC 7742.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 69,448).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 256 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7742, which brings 64 cores / 128 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 7742

2019

Ryzen 5 5600

2022

Why buy it

✅+222.3% higher PassMark.
✅+700% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 64 cores / 128 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: +21.4% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $6,751 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $6,950 MSRP).
✅Delivers 983.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 108.3 vs 10.0 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $6,950 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 225W, a 160W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Wraith Stealth), unlike EPYC 7742.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 5600 across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 10.0 vs 108.3 PassMark/$ ($6,950 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌246.2% higher power demand at 225W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 5600.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,550 vs 69,448).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 256 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7742, which brings 64 cores / 128 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600 better than EPYC 7742?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7742 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 5600 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 7742 is the better fit. You are getting 222.3% better PassMark, backed by 64 cores and 128 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 700% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 32 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 5600 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5600 is $6,751 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $6,950 MSRP, and it gives you a 21.4% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that EPYC 7742 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 222.3% better PassMark. It is also 983.7% better value on MSRP (108.3 vs 10.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Ryzen 5 5600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2019). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 7742 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 5600 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7742	Ryzen 5 5600
1080p
low	192 FPS	161 FPS
medium	172 FPS	130 FPS
high	138 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	157 FPS	141 FPS
medium	132 FPS	113 FPS
high	101 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	79 FPS
medium	65 FPS	69 FPS
high	50 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	44 FPS

Open EPYC 7742 Open Ryzen 5 5600

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7742	Ryzen 5 5600
1080p
low	247 FPS	508 FPS
medium	221 FPS	419 FPS
high	183 FPS	351 FPS
ultra	148 FPS	310 FPS
1440p
low	202 FPS	447 FPS
medium	186 FPS	375 FPS
high	158 FPS	323 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	277 FPS
4K
low	126 FPS	313 FPS
medium	118 FPS	268 FPS
high	103 FPS	243 FPS
ultra	84 FPS	209 FPS

Open EPYC 7742 Open Ryzen 5 5600

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7742	Ryzen 5 5600
1080p
low	629 FPS	539 FPS
medium	536 FPS	526 FPS
high	486 FPS	483 FPS
ultra	415 FPS	414 FPS
1440p
low	524 FPS	539 FPS
medium	446 FPS	434 FPS
high	394 FPS	396 FPS
ultra	338 FPS	339 FPS
4K
low	389 FPS	371 FPS
medium	312 FPS	298 FPS
high	274 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	224 FPS	197 FPS

Open EPYC 7742 Open Ryzen 5 5600

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7742	Ryzen 5 5600
1080p
low	906 FPS	539 FPS
medium	828 FPS	539 FPS
high	713 FPS	539 FPS
ultra	618 FPS	539 FPS
1440p
low	711 FPS	539 FPS
medium	623 FPS	539 FPS
high	534 FPS	539 FPS
ultra	454 FPS	493 FPS
4K
low	503 FPS	501 FPS
medium	454 FPS	448 FPS
high	401 FPS	398 FPS
ultra	346 FPS	349 FPS

Open EPYC 7742 Open Ryzen 5 5600

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7742 and Ryzen 5 5600

EPYC 7742

The EPYC 7742 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 64 cores and 128 threads. Base frequency is 2.25 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 256 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 14 nm process technology. Socket: TR4. Thermal design power (TDP): 225 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Eight-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 69,448 points. Launch price was $6,950.

Ryzen 5 5600

The Ryzen 5 5600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (2020−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 21,550 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The EPYC 7742 packs 64 cores / 128 threads, while the Ryzen 5 5600 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the EPYC 7742 has 58 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the EPYC 7742 versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600 — a 25.6% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600 (base: 2.25 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The EPYC 7742 uses the Zen 2 (2017−2020) architecture (7 nm, 14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 5600 uses Vermeer (2020−2025) (7 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7742 scores 69,448 against the Ryzen 5 5600's 21,550 — a 105.3% lead for the EPYC 7742. L3 cache: 256 MB (total) on the EPYC 7742 vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 5600.

Feature	EPYC 7742	Ryzen 5 5600
Cores / Threads	64 / 128+967%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3.4 GHz	4.4 GHz+29%
Base Clock	2.25 GHz	3.5 GHz+56%
L3 Cache	256 MB (total)+700%	32 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm, 14 nm	7 nm
Architecture	Zen 2 (2017−2020)	Vermeer (2020−2025)
PassMark	69,448+222%	21,550
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	11,077
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,052
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	8,600

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7742 uses the TR4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 5600 uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 3200 on the EPYC 7742 versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 5 5600 — the EPYC 7742 supports 199.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 7742 supports up to 4096 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 187.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 7742) vs 2 (Ryzen 5 5600). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7742) vs 24 (Ryzen 5 5600) — the EPYC 7742 offers 104 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 (EPYC 7742) and B550,X570,B450,X470,A520 (Ryzen 5 5600).

Feature	EPYC 7742	Ryzen 5 5600
Socket	TR4	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	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+433%	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 5600 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (EPYC 7742) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600 targets Desktop. Direct competitor: EPYC 7742 rivals Xeon Platinum 8280.

Feature	EPYC 7742	Ryzen 5 5600
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	—
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 7742 launched at $6950 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 5600 debuted at $199. On MSRP ($6950 vs $199), the Ryzen 5 5600 is $6751 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 7742 delivers 10.0 pts/$ vs 108.3 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 5600 — making the Ryzen 5 5600 the 166.2% better value option.