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

✅+110.5% higher PassMark.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 64 MB).
✅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

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 16.9 vs 71.0 PassMark/$ ($4,850 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
❌204.8% higher power demand at 320W vs 105W.

Ryzen 9 5900X

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $4,301 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $4,850 MSRP).
✅Delivers 319.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 71.0 vs 16.9 PassMark/$ ($549 MSRP vs $4,850 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 320W, a 215W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (38,955 vs 82,009).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (64 MB vs 256 MB).
❌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 9 5900X

2020

Why buy it

✅+110.5% higher PassMark.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 64 MB).
✅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

✅Better for gaming: +5.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $4,301 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $4,850 MSRP).
✅Delivers 319.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 71.0 vs 16.9 PassMark/$ ($549 MSRP vs $4,850 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 320W, a 215W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 16.9 vs 71.0 PassMark/$ ($4,850 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
❌204.8% higher power demand at 320W vs 105W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (38,955 vs 82,009).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (64 MB vs 256 MB).
❌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 Ryzen 9 5900X better than EPYC 9374F?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 9374F makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 5900X 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 9374F is the better fit. You are getting 110.5% better PassMark, backed by 32 cores and 64 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 300% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 64 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 5900X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 5900X is $4,301 cheaper on MSRP at $549 MSRP versus $4,850 MSRP, and it gives you a 5.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that EPYC 9374F is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 110.5% better PassMark. It is also 319.6% better value on MSRP (71.0 vs 16.9 PassMark/$), 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?

EPYC 9374F 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, 300% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 64 MB), more multi-core headroom with 32 cores / 64 threads instead of 12/24, 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 9 5900X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 9 5900X
1080p
low	218 FPS	323 FPS
medium	180 FPS	291 FPS
high	154 FPS	243 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	193 FPS
1440p
low	191 FPS	307 FPS
medium	152 FPS	248 FPS
high	125 FPS	192 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	157 FPS
4K
low	88 FPS	193 FPS
medium	75 FPS	156 FPS
high	59 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	48 FPS	103 FPS

Open EPYC 9374F Open Ryzen 9 5900X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 9 5900X
1080p
low	637 FPS	772 FPS
medium	556 FPS	647 FPS
high	449 FPS	508 FPS
ultra	392 FPS	450 FPS
1440p
low	538 FPS	619 FPS
medium	478 FPS	536 FPS
high	397 FPS	443 FPS
ultra	327 FPS	364 FPS
4K
low	334 FPS	365 FPS
medium	300 FPS	318 FPS
high	269 FPS	289 FPS
ultra	240 FPS	255 FPS

Open EPYC 9374F Open Ryzen 9 5900X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 9 5900X
1080p
low	817 FPS	832 FPS
medium	690 FPS	645 FPS
high	624 FPS	558 FPS
ultra	545 FPS	459 FPS
1440p
low	616 FPS	721 FPS
medium	518 FPS	565 FPS
high	461 FPS	488 FPS
ultra	395 FPS	407 FPS
4K
low	441 FPS	511 FPS
medium	352 FPS	421 FPS
high	310 FPS	374 FPS
ultra	247 FPS	308 FPS

Open EPYC 9374F Open Ryzen 9 5900X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 9 5900X
1080p
low	1138 FPS	974 FPS
medium	1015 FPS	974 FPS
high	875 FPS	934 FPS
ultra	784 FPS	826 FPS
1440p
low	880 FPS	959 FPS
medium	774 FPS	843 FPS
high	654 FPS	726 FPS
ultra	570 FPS	617 FPS
4K
low	623 FPS	694 FPS
medium	564 FPS	621 FPS
high	488 FPS	541 FPS
ultra	425 FPS	437 FPS

Open EPYC 9374F Open Ryzen 9 5900X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 9374F and Ryzen 9 5900X

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 9 5900X

The Ryzen 9 5900X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 38,955 points. Launch price was $549.

⚡

Processing Power

The EPYC 9374F packs 32 cores / 64 threads, while the Ryzen 9 5900X offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the EPYC 9374F has 20 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the EPYC 9374F versus 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900X — a 11% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X (base: 3.85 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The EPYC 9374F uses the Genoa (2022−2023) architecture (5 nm, 6 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5900X uses Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 9374F scores 82,009 against the Ryzen 9 5900X's 38,955 — a 71.2% lead for the EPYC 9374F. L3 cache: 256 MB (total) on the EPYC 9374F vs 64 MB on the Ryzen 9 5900X.

Feature	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 9 5900X
Cores / Threads	32 / 64+167%	12 / 24
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz	4.8 GHz+12%
Base Clock	3.85 GHz+4%	3.7 GHz
L3 Cache	256 MB (total)+300%	64 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 (Zen3) (2020−2022)
PassMark	82,009+111%	38,955
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	21,000
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,174
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	11,888

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 9374F uses the SP5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 5900X 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 9 5900X — 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 9 5900X). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 9374F) vs 24 (Ryzen 9 5900X) — the EPYC 9374F offers 104 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP5 (EPYC 9374F) and A320,B350,X370,B450,X470,B550,X570 (Ryzen 9 5900X).

Feature	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 9 5900X
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 9 5900X 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 AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5900X). Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5900X targets Workstation. Direct competitor: EPYC 9374F rivals Xeon Platinum 8480+; Ryzen 9 5900X rivals Core i9-12900K.

Feature	EPYC 9374F	Ryzen 9 5900X
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	—	Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 9374F launched at $4850 MSRP, while the Ryzen 9 5900X debuted at $549. On MSRP ($4850 vs $549), the Ryzen 9 5900X is $4301 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 9374F delivers 16.9 pts/$ vs 71.0 pts/$ for the Ryzen 9 5900X — making the Ryzen 9 5900X the 123% better value option.