EPYC 7J13 vs Xeon Max 9480

CPU

GPU

EPYC 7J13

64 Cores128 Thrd280 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2021

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Xeon Max 9480

56 Cores112 Thrd350 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2023

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

EPYC 7J13

64 / 128

84,786

+2.3%

Ryzen 9 PRO 7945

Ryzen 9 9900X3D

Ryzen 9 9950X

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5975WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7975WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9975WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7985WX

Ryzen Threadripper 7980X

Xeon Max 9480

56 / 112

82,913

0.0%

About PassMark

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 7J13

2021

Why buy it

✅+2.3% higher PassMark.
✅+127.6% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 113 MB).
✅Costs $5,090 less on MSRP ($7,890 MSRP vs $12,980 MSRP).
✅Delivers 68.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 10.7 vs 6.4 PassMark/$ ($7,890 MSRP vs $12,980 MSRP).
✅Draws 280W instead of 350W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Max 9480 across 48 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Older platform position on SP3 with DDR4, while Xeon Max 9480 moves to LGA4677 and DDR5.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Xeon Max 9480

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.4% higher average FPS across 48 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on LGA4677 with DDR5 support instead of SP3 and DDR4.
✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (82,913 vs 84,786).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (113 MB vs 256 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 6.4 vs 10.7 PassMark/$ ($12,980 MSRP vs $7,890 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 350W vs 280W.

EPYC 7J13

2021

Xeon Max 9480

2023

Why buy it

✅+2.3% higher PassMark.
✅+127.6% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 113 MB).
✅Costs $5,090 less on MSRP ($7,890 MSRP vs $12,980 MSRP).
✅Delivers 68.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 10.7 vs 6.4 PassMark/$ ($7,890 MSRP vs $12,980 MSRP).
✅Draws 280W instead of 350W, a 70W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.4% higher average FPS across 48 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Newer platform on LGA4677 with DDR5 support instead of SP3 and DDR4.
✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Max 9480 across 48 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Older platform position on SP3 with DDR4, while Xeon Max 9480 moves to LGA4677 and DDR5.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (82,913 vs 84,786).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (113 MB vs 256 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 6.4 vs 10.7 PassMark/$ ($12,980 MSRP vs $7,890 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 350W vs 280W.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 7J13 better than Xeon Max 9480?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon Max 9480 is ahead with a 3.4% average FPS lead across 48 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7J13 pulls ahead with 2.3% better PassMark. EPYC 7J13 also has the bigger cache pool with 127.6% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 113 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7J13 is the better fit. You are getting 2.3% better PassMark, backed by 64 cores and 128 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 127.6% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 113 MB).

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

EPYC 7J13 is the smarter buy today. EPYC 7J13 is $5,090 cheaper on MSRP at $7,890 MSRP versus $12,980 MSRP, and it gives you 2.3% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon Max 9480 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 3.4% average FPS lead across 48 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 68.2% better value on MSRP (10.7 vs 6.4 PassMark/$), 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?

Xeon Max 9480 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2021), a healthier platform with LGA4677 and DDR5 instead of SP3, 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 7J13 Benchmark Check

Xeon Max 9480 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7J13	Xeon Max 9480
1080p
low	190 FPS	186 FPS
medium	155 FPS	168 FPS
high	123 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	109 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	153 FPS
medium	123 FPS	129 FPS
high	94 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	71 FPS
medium	60 FPS	63 FPS
high	46 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	40 FPS

Open EPYC 7J13 Open Xeon Max 9480

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7J13	Xeon Max 9480
1080p
low	422 FPS	246 FPS
medium	371 FPS	221 FPS
high	301 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	237 FPS	146 FPS
1440p
low	347 FPS	205 FPS
medium	313 FPS	187 FPS
high	261 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	200 FPS	124 FPS
4K
low	213 FPS	128 FPS
medium	196 FPS	119 FPS
high	164 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	83 FPS

Open EPYC 7J13 Open Xeon Max 9480

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7J13	Xeon Max 9480
1080p
low	836 FPS	815 FPS
medium	696 FPS	738 FPS
high	649 FPS	704 FPS
ultra	573 FPS	624 FPS
1440p
low	602 FPS	725 FPS
medium	500 FPS	652 FPS
high	458 FPS	609 FPS
ultra	400 FPS	548 FPS
4K
low	430 FPS	487 FPS
medium	335 FPS	398 FPS
high	300 FPS	354 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	294 FPS

Open EPYC 7J13 Open Xeon Max 9480

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7J13	Xeon Max 9480
1080p
low	977 FPS	1066 FPS
medium	886 FPS	953 FPS
high	762 FPS	813 FPS
ultra	656 FPS	670 FPS
1440p
low	746 FPS	885 FPS
medium	649 FPS	761 FPS
high	555 FPS	646 FPS
ultra	477 FPS	532 FPS
4K
low	532 FPS	644 FPS
medium	473 FPS	565 FPS
high	415 FPS	494 FPS
ultra	361 FPS	413 FPS

Open EPYC 7J13 Open Xeon Max 9480

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7J13 and Xeon Max 9480

EPYC 7J13

The EPYC 7J13 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2021-03-01. It is based on the Milan (2021−2023) architecture. It features 64 cores and 128 threads. Base frequency is 2.55 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 256 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 280 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 84,786 points. Launch price was $6,000.

Xeon Max 9480

The Xeon Max 9480 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 10 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Sapphire Rapids HBM (2023) architecture. It features 56 cores and 112 threads. Base frequency is 1.9 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 112.5 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4677. Thermal design power (TDP): 350 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800. Passmark benchmark score: 82,913 points. Launch price was $12,980.

⚡

Processing Power

The EPYC 7J13 packs 64 cores / 128 threads, while the Xeon Max 9480 offers 56 cores / 112 threads — the EPYC 7J13 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the EPYC 7J13 versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon Max 9480 — identical boost frequencies (base: 2.55 GHz vs 1.9 GHz). The EPYC 7J13 uses the Milan (2021−2023) architecture (7 nm), while the Xeon Max 9480 uses Sapphire Rapids HBM (2023) (10 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7J13 scores 84,786 against the Xeon Max 9480's 82,913 — a 2.2% lead for the EPYC 7J13. L3 cache: 256 MB (total) on the EPYC 7J13 vs 112.5 MB on the Xeon Max 9480.

Feature	EPYC 7J13	Xeon Max 9480
Cores / Threads	64 / 128+14%	56 / 112
Boost Clock	3.5 GHz	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	2.55 GHz+34%	1.9 GHz
L3 Cache	256 MB (total)+128%	112.5 MB
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	2 MB (per core)+300%
Process	7 nm-30%	10 nm
Architecture	Milan (2021−2023)	Sapphire Rapids HBM (2023)
PassMark	84,786+2%	82,913
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,900
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	55,000

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7J13 uses the SP3 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Max 9480 uses LGA4677 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 3200 on the EPYC 7J13 versus DDR5-4800 on the Xeon Max 9480 — the EPYC 7J13 supports 199.4% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 4096 of RAM. Both feature 8-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7J13) vs 80 (Xeon Max 9480) — the EPYC 7J13 offers 48 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 (EPYC 7J13) and C741 (Xeon Max 9480).

Feature	EPYC 7J13	Xeon Max 9480
Socket	SP3	LGA4677
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	3200+63900%	DDR5-4800
Max RAM Capacity	4096	4096 GB+104857500%
RAM Channels	8	8
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+60%	80

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Only the Xeon Max 9480 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, SEV (EPYC 7J13) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Max 9480). Primary use case: Xeon Max 9480 targets HPC Server. Direct competitor: EPYC 7J13 rivals Xeon Platinum 8380; Xeon Max 9480 rivals EPYC 9684X.

Feature	EPYC 7J13	Xeon Max 9480
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	None
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, SEV	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	—	HPC Server

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 7J13 launched at $7890 MSRP, while the Xeon Max 9480 debuted at $12980. On MSRP ($7890 vs $12980), the EPYC 7J13 is $5090 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 7J13 delivers 10.7 pts/$ vs 6.4 pts/$ for the Xeon Max 9480 — making the EPYC 7J13 the 50.9% better value option.