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 9374F

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +42.6% higher average FPS across 4 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 16.9 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($4,850 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌392.3% higher power demand at 320W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $4,651 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $4,850 MSRP).
✅Delivers 425.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 16.9 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $4,850 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 320W, a 255W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike EPYC 9374F.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 9374F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,685 vs 82,009).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9374F, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while EPYC 9374F moves to SP5 and DDR5.

EPYC 9374F

2022

Ryzen 5 3600

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +42.6% higher average FPS across 4 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 $4,651 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $4,850 MSRP).
✅Delivers 425.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 88.9 vs 16.9 PassMark/$ ($199 MSRP vs $4,850 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 320W, a 255W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike EPYC 9374F.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 16.9 vs 88.9 PassMark/$ ($4,850 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌392.3% higher power demand at 320W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 3600.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 9374F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (17,685 vs 82,009).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9374F, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Older platform position on AM4 with DDR4, while EPYC 9374F moves to SP5 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 9374F better than Ryzen 5 3600?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 9374F 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 9374F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 42.6% more average FPS across 4 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 9374F is the better fit. You are getting 363.7% 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 9374F is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 3600 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. EPYC 9374F is 2337.2% more expensive on MSRP at $4,850 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and it gives you a 42.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 3600 is also 425.6% better value on MSRP (88.9 vs 16.9 PassMark/$), 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 9374F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2019), 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 9374F Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 3600 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	218 FPS	200 FPS
medium	180 FPS	161 FPS
high	154 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	191 FPS	154 FPS
medium	152 FPS	119 FPS
high	125 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	88 FPS	70 FPS
medium	75 FPS	58 FPS
high	59 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	48 FPS	36 FPS

Open EPYC 9374F Open Ryzen 5 3600

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	637 FPS	442 FPS
medium	556 FPS	404 FPS
high	449 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	392 FPS	295 FPS
1440p
low	538 FPS	420 FPS
medium	478 FPS	359 FPS
high	397 FPS	303 FPS
ultra	327 FPS	263 FPS
4K
low	334 FPS	297 FPS
medium	300 FPS	259 FPS
high	269 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	240 FPS	201 FPS

Open EPYC 9374F Open Ryzen 5 3600

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	817 FPS	442 FPS
medium	690 FPS	442 FPS
high	624 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	545 FPS	442 FPS
1440p
low	616 FPS	442 FPS
medium	518 FPS	442 FPS
high	461 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	395 FPS	432 FPS
4K
low	441 FPS	442 FPS
medium	352 FPS	361 FPS
high	310 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	247 FPS	242 FPS

Open EPYC 9374F Open Ryzen 5 3600

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p
low	1138 FPS	442 FPS
medium	1015 FPS	442 FPS
high	875 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	784 FPS	442 FPS
1440p
low	880 FPS	442 FPS
medium	774 FPS	442 FPS
high	654 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	570 FPS	442 FPS
4K
low	623 FPS	442 FPS
medium	564 FPS	442 FPS
high	488 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	425 FPS	357 FPS

Open EPYC 9374F Open Ryzen 5 3600

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 9374F and Ryzen 5 3600

EPYC 9374F

The EPYC 9374F 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 3.85 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 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): 320 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800. Passmark benchmark score: 82,009 points. Launch price was $4,850.

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 9374F packs 32 cores / 64 threads, while the Ryzen 5 3600 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the EPYC 9374F has 26 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the EPYC 9374F versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 3600 — a 2.4% clock advantage for the EPYC 9374F (base: 3.85 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The EPYC 9374F uses the Genoa (2022−2023) architecture (5 nm, 6 nm), while the Ryzen 5 3600 uses Matisse (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 9374F scores 82,009 against the Ryzen 5 3600's 17,685 — a 129% lead for the EPYC 9374F. L3 cache: 256 MB (total) on the EPYC 9374F vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 3600.

Feature	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 5 3600
Cores / Threads	32 / 64+433%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+2%	4.2 GHz
Base Clock	3.85 GHz+7%	3.6 GHz
L3 Cache	256 MB (total)+700%	32 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+100%	512K (per core)
Process	5 nm, 6 nm-29%	7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture	Genoa (2022−2023)	Matisse (2019−2020)
PassMark	82,009+364%	17,685
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,500
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,295
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,898

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 9374F uses the SP5 socket (PCIe 5.0), 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 9374F versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen 5 3600 — the EPYC 9374F supports 199.7% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 9374F supports up to 6144 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 191.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 12 (EPYC 9374F) vs 2 (Ryzen 5 3600). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 9374F) vs 24 (Ryzen 5 3600) — the EPYC 9374F offers 104 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP5 (EPYC 9374F) and AMD B550,AMD X570,AMD B450,AMD X470 (Ryzen 5 3600).

Feature	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 5 3600
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	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 9374F supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, SEV-SNP (EPYC 9374F) vs Yes (Ryzen 5 3600). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 3600 targets Gaming/Budget Workstation. Direct competitor: EPYC 9374F rivals Xeon Platinum 8480+; Ryzen 5 3600 rivals Core i5-10400.

Feature	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 5 3600
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	—
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, SEV-SNP	Yes
Target Use	—	Gaming/Budget Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 9374F launched at $4850 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 3600 debuted at $199. On MSRP ($4850 vs $199), the Ryzen 5 3600 is $4651 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 9374F delivers 16.9 pts/$ vs 88.9 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 3600 — making the Ryzen 5 3600 the 136.1% better value option.