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 9354

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.5% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅Newer platform on SP5 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅433.3% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($3,420 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌330.8% higher power demand at 280W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $3,121 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $3,420 MSRP).
✅Delivers 238.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 21.6 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $3,420 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 280W, a 215W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 9354 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 73,892).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9354, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while EPYC 9354 moves to SP5 and DDR5.

EPYC 9354

2022

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.5% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅Newer platform on SP5 with DDR5 support instead of AM4 and DDR4.
✅433.3% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Costs $3,121 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $3,420 MSRP).
✅Delivers 238.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 21.6 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $3,420 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 280W, a 215W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($3,420 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌330.8% higher power demand at 280W vs 65W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 9354 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 73,892).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9354, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while EPYC 9354 moves to SP5 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 9354 better than Ryzen 5 5600X?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 9354 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 5600X 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 9354 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 18.5% more average FPS across 2 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 256 MB vs 32 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 9354 is the better fit. You are getting 238.3% better PassMark, backed by 32 cores and 64 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?

EPYC 9354 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 5600X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. EPYC 9354 is 1043.8% more expensive on MSRP at $3,420 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and it gives you a 18.5% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 5600X is also 238.2% better value on MSRP (73.1 vs 21.6 PassMark/$), 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 9354 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2020), a healthier platform with SP5 and DDR5 instead of AM4, 3D V-Cache and a much larger 256 MB L3 cache instead of 32 MB, more multi-core headroom with 32 cores / 64 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 9354 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 5600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 9354	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	176 FPS	203 FPS
medium	145 FPS	174 FPS
high	125 FPS	140 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	169 FPS
medium	123 FPS	141 FPS
high	99 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	86 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	85 FPS
medium	60 FPS	76 FPS
high	47 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	47 FPS

Open EPYC 9354 Open Ryzen 5 5600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 9354	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	534 FPS	464 FPS
medium	466 FPS	387 FPS
high	374 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	304 FPS	291 FPS
1440p
low	439 FPS	397 FPS
medium	392 FPS	334 FPS
high	324 FPS	290 FPS
ultra	255 FPS	253 FPS
4K
low	270 FPS	263 FPS
medium	246 FPS	226 FPS
high	216 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	171 FPS

Open EPYC 9354 Open Ryzen 5 5600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 9354	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	673 FPS	546 FPS
medium	562 FPS	473 FPS
high	523 FPS	432 FPS
ultra	455 FPS	358 FPS
1440p
low	511 FPS	508 FPS
medium	426 FPS	413 FPS
high	390 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	312 FPS
4K
low	377 FPS	348 FPS
medium	295 FPS	292 FPS
high	263 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	211 FPS	199 FPS

Open EPYC 9354 Open Ryzen 5 5600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 9354	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	937 FPS	546 FPS
medium	856 FPS	546 FPS
high	735 FPS	546 FPS
ultra	648 FPS	546 FPS
1440p
low	751 FPS	546 FPS
medium	658 FPS	546 FPS
high	561 FPS	546 FPS
ultra	480 FPS	524 FPS
4K
low	539 FPS	529 FPS
medium	484 FPS	484 FPS
high	423 FPS	435 FPS
ultra	366 FPS	379 FPS

Open EPYC 9354 Open Ryzen 5 5600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 9354 and Ryzen 5 5600X

EPYC 9354

The EPYC 9354 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 10 November 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Genoa (2022−2023) architecture. It features 32 cores and 64 threads. Base frequency is 3.25 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 256 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm, 6 nm process technology. Socket: SP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 280 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800. Passmark benchmark score: 73,892 points. Launch price was $3,420.

Ryzen 5 5600X

The Ryzen 5 5600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 21,845 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The EPYC 9354 packs 32 cores / 64 threads, while the Ryzen 5 5600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the EPYC 9354 has 26 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the EPYC 9354 versus 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600X — a 19% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600X (base: 3.25 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The EPYC 9354 uses the Genoa (2022−2023) architecture (5 nm, 6 nm), while the Ryzen 5 5600X uses Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 9354 scores 73,892 against the Ryzen 5 5600X's 21,845 — a 108.7% lead for the EPYC 9354. L3 cache: 256 MB (total) on the EPYC 9354 vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 5 5600X.

Feature	EPYC 9354	Ryzen 5 5600X
Cores / Threads	32 / 64+433%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3.8 GHz	4.6 GHz+21%
Base Clock	3.25 GHz	3.7 GHz+14%
L3 Cache	256 MB (total)+700%	32 MB
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+100%	512K (per core)
Process	5 nm, 6 nm-29%	7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture	Genoa (2022−2023)	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)
PassMark	73,892+238%	21,845

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 9354 uses the SP5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 5 5600X uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 4800 on the EPYC 9354 versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 5 5600X — the EPYC 9354 supports 199.7% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 9354 supports up to 6144 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 191.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 12 (EPYC 9354) vs 2 (Ryzen 5 5600X). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 9354) vs 24 (Ryzen 5 5600X) — the EPYC 9354 offers 104 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP5 (EPYC 9354) and AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 5 5600X).

Feature	EPYC 9354	Ryzen 5 5600X
Socket	SP5	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	4800+119900%	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	6144	128 GB+2184433%
RAM Channels	12+500%	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+433%	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 5600X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the EPYC 9354 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, SEV-SNP (EPYC 9354) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600X). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600X targets Desktop. Direct competitor: EPYC 9354 rivals Xeon Platinum 8468.

Feature	EPYC 9354	Ryzen 5 5600X
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	—
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, SEV-SNP	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 9354 launched at $3420 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 5600X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($3420 vs $299), the Ryzen 5 5600X is $3121 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 9354 delivers 21.6 pts/$ vs 73.1 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 5600X — making the Ryzen 5 5600X the 108.7% better value option.