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 8124P

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +26.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 96 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅Newer platform on SP6 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅300% more PCIe lanes (96 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 56.5 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($639 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $440 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $639 MSRP).
✅Delivers 57.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 56.5 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $639 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike EPYC 8124P.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 8124P across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,685 vs 36,079).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 8124P, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 96 PCIe lanes.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while EPYC 8124P moves to SP6 and DDR5.

EPYC 8124P

2023

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +26.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 96 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅Newer platform on SP6 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅300% more PCIe lanes (96 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Costs $440 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $639 MSRP).
✅Delivers 57.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 56.5 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $639 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike EPYC 8124P.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 56.5 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($639 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 8124P across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,685 vs 36,079).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 8124P, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 96 PCIe lanes.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while EPYC 8124P moves to SP6 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 8124P better than Ryzen 5 3600?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 8124P 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 gaming?

If gaming is the priority, EPYC 8124P is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 26.1% 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, EPYC 8124P is the better fit. You are getting 104% 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 8124P is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 3600 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. EPYC 8124P is 221.1% more expensive on MSRP at $639 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and it gives you a 26.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 3600 is also 57.4% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 56.5 PassMark/$), 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 8124P is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2019), a healthier platform with SP6 and DDR5 instead of AM4, 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 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 8124P Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 3600 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 8124P	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	153 FPS	200 FPS
medium	125 FPS	161 FPS
high	105 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	139 FPS	154 FPS
medium	111 FPS	119 FPS
high	87 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	70 FPS
medium	57 FPS	58 FPS
high	44 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	36 FPS

Open EPYC 8124P Open Ryzen 5 3600

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 8124P	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	387 FPS	442 FPS
medium	344 FPS	404 FPS
high	281 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	224 FPS	295 FPS
1440p
low	327 FPS	420 FPS
medium	296 FPS	359 FPS
high	250 FPS	303 FPS
ultra	191 FPS	263 FPS
4K
low	202 FPS	297 FPS
medium	186 FPS	259 FPS
high	157 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	127 FPS	201 FPS

Open EPYC 8124P Open Ryzen 5 3600

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 8124P	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	856 FPS	442 FPS
medium	767 FPS	442 FPS
high	743 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	667 FPS	442 FPS
1440p
low	660 FPS	442 FPS
medium	573 FPS	442 FPS
high	546 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	487 FPS	432 FPS
4K
low	432 FPS	442 FPS
medium	341 FPS	361 FPS
high	305 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	250 FPS	242 FPS

Open EPYC 8124P Open Ryzen 5 3600

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 8124P	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	902 FPS	442 FPS
medium	902 FPS	442 FPS
high	769 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	647 FPS	442 FPS
1440p
low	823 FPS	442 FPS
medium	707 FPS	442 FPS
high	596 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	488 FPS	442 FPS
4K
low	596 FPS	442 FPS
medium	521 FPS	442 FPS
high	449 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	372 FPS	357 FPS

Open EPYC 8124P Open Ryzen 5 3600

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 8124P and Ryzen 5 3600

EPYC 8124P

The EPYC 8124P is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 18 September 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Siena (2023−2024) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.45 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: SP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 36,079 points. Launch price was $639.

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.

⚡

Processing Power

The EPYC 8124P packs 16 cores / 32 threads, while the Ryzen 5 3600 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the EPYC 8124P has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the EPYC 8124P versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 — a 33.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 3600 (base: 2.45 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The EPYC 8124P uses the Siena (2023−2024) architecture (5 nm), while the Ryzen 5 3600 uses Matisse (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 8124P scores 36,079 against the Ryzen 5 3600's 17,685 — a 68.4% lead for the EPYC 8124P. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 8124P vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	EPYC 8124P	Ryzen 5 3600
Cores / Threads	16 / 32+167%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3 GHz	4.2 GHz+40%
Base Clock	2.45 GHz	3.6 GHz+47%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)+100%	32 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+100%	512K (per core)
Process	5 nm-29%	7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture	Siena (2023−2024)	Matisse (2019−2020)
PassMark	36,079+104%	17,685
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,500
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,295
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,898

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 8124P uses the SP6 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 4800 on the EPYC 8124P versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 5 3600 — the EPYC 8124P supports 199.7% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 8124P supports up to 2048 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 6 (EPYC 8124P) vs 2 (Ryzen 5 3600). PCIe lanes: 96 (EPYC 8124P) vs 24 (Ryzen 5 3600) — the EPYC 8124P offers 72 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP6 (EPYC 8124P) and AMD B550,AMD X570,AMD B450,AMD X470 (Ryzen 5 3600).

Feature	EPYC 8124P	Ryzen 5 3600
Socket	SP6	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	4800+119900%	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	2048	128 GB+6553500%
RAM Channels	6+200%	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	96+300%	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 8124P supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: AMD-V, IOMMU (EPYC 8124P) vs Yes (Ryzen 5 3600). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: EPYC 8124P rivals Xeon Gold 6426Y; Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.

Feature	EPYC 8124P	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 8124P launched at $639 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 3600 debuted at $199. On MSRP ($639 vs $199), the Ryzen 5 3600 is $440 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 8124P delivers 56.5 pts/$ vs 88.9 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 3600 — making the Ryzen 5 3600 the 44.6% better value option.