Core i5-1135G7 vs EPYC 9655

CPU

GPU

Core i5-1135G7

4 Cores8 Thrd15 WWMax: 4.2 GHz2020

Popular choices:

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EPYC 9655

96 Cores192 Thrd400 WWMax: 4.5 GHz2024

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-1135G7

4 / 8

9,414

0.0%

156,110

+1558.3%

Ryzen 7 7700X

Ryzen 9 9850HX

Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Ryzen Threadripper 7960X

Ryzen Threadripper 7970X

Ryzen Threadripper 9970X

Ryzen Threadripper 7980X

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX

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.

Core i5-1135G7

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 400W, a 385W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Iris Xe Graphics (80 EU), while EPYC 9655 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 9655 across 28 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (4,495 vs 29,329).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9655, which brings 96 cores / 192 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Older platform position on FCBGA1449 with DDR4, while EPYC 9655 moves to SP5 and DDR5.

EPYC 9655

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +99.3% higher average FPS across 28 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 96 cores / 192 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅Newer platform on SP5 with DDR5 support instead of FCBGA1449 and DDR4.
✅700% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $11,852 MSRP, while Core i5-1135G7 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌2566.7% higher power demand at 400W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-1135G7 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i5-1135G7

2020

EPYC 9655

2024

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 400W, a 385W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Iris Xe Graphics (80 EU), while EPYC 9655 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +99.3% higher average FPS across 28 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 96 cores / 192 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅Newer platform on SP5 with DDR5 support instead of FCBGA1449 and DDR4.
✅700% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 9655 across 28 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (4,495 vs 29,329).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9655, which brings 96 cores / 192 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Older platform position on FCBGA1449 with DDR4, while EPYC 9655 moves to SP5 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $11,852 MSRP, while Core i5-1135G7 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌2566.7% higher power demand at 400W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-1135G7 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 9655 better than Core i5-1135G7?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 9655 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i5-1135G7 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 9655 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 99.3% more average FPS across 28 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 384 MB vs 8 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 9655 is the better fit. You are getting 552.5% better Geekbench multi-core, backed by 96 cores and 192 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 4700% larger total L3 cache (384 MB vs 8 MB).

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

EPYC 9655 is the smarter buy today. EPYC 9655 is at an unclear MSRP at $11,852 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 99.3% average FPS lead across 28 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (13.2 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9655 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2020), a healthier platform with SP5 and DDR5 instead of FCBGA1449, 3D V-Cache and a much larger 384 MB L3 cache instead of 8 MB, and more multi-core headroom with 96 cores / 192 threads instead of 4/8. 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.

Core i5-1135G7 Benchmark Check

EPYC 9655 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-1135G7	EPYC 9655
1080p
low	168 FPS	170 FPS
medium	137 FPS	143 FPS
high	107 FPS	122 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	145 FPS	149 FPS
medium	118 FPS	121 FPS
high	91 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	83 FPS
medium	59 FPS	73 FPS
high	46 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	47 FPS

Open Core i5-1135G7 Open EPYC 9655

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-1135G7	EPYC 9655
1080p
low	153 FPS	696 FPS
medium	129 FPS	602 FPS
high	118 FPS	475 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	135 FPS	566 FPS
medium	115 FPS	501 FPS
high	107 FPS	414 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	336 FPS
4K
low	106 FPS	331 FPS
medium	93 FPS	295 FPS
high	80 FPS	267 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	235 FPS

Open Core i5-1135G7 Open EPYC 9655

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-1135G7	EPYC 9655
1080p
low	235 FPS	746 FPS
medium	235 FPS	633 FPS
high	235 FPS	589 FPS
ultra	235 FPS	519 FPS
1440p
low	235 FPS	561 FPS
medium	235 FPS	474 FPS
high	235 FPS	434 FPS
ultra	235 FPS	376 FPS
4K
low	235 FPS	411 FPS
medium	235 FPS	331 FPS
high	235 FPS	299 FPS
ultra	235 FPS	238 FPS

Open Core i5-1135G7 Open EPYC 9655

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-1135G7	EPYC 9655
1080p
low	235 FPS	1047 FPS
medium	235 FPS	939 FPS
high	235 FPS	821 FPS
ultra	235 FPS	744 FPS
1440p
low	235 FPS	839 FPS
medium	235 FPS	733 FPS
high	235 FPS	641 FPS
ultra	235 FPS	562 FPS
4K
low	235 FPS	605 FPS
medium	235 FPS	539 FPS
high	235 FPS	477 FPS
ultra	235 FPS	416 FPS

Open Core i5-1135G7 Open EPYC 9655

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-1135G7 and EPYC 9655

Core i5-1135G7

The Core i5-1135G7 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 September 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Tiger Lake-UP3 (2020−2021) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm SuperFin process technology. Socket: FCBGA1449. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 9,414 points. Launch price was $309.

EPYC 9655

The EPYC 9655 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 10 October 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Turin (2024) architecture. It features 96 cores and 192 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 384 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: SP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 400 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 156,110 points. Launch price was $11,852.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-1135G7 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the EPYC 9655 offers 96 cores / 192 threads — the EPYC 9655 has 92 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.2 GHz on the Core i5-1135G7 versus 4.5 GHz on the EPYC 9655 — a 6.9% clock advantage for the EPYC 9655 (base: 1.5 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Core i5-1135G7 uses the Tiger Lake-UP3 (2020−2021) architecture (10 nm SuperFin), while the EPYC 9655 uses Turin (2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-1135G7 scores 9,414 against the EPYC 9655's 156,110 — a 177.3% lead for the EPYC 9655. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,592 vs 2,830, a 56% lead for the EPYC 9655 that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 4,495 vs 29,329 (146.8% advantage for the EPYC 9655). L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Core i5-1135G7 vs 384 MB (total) on the EPYC 9655.

Feature	Core i5-1135G7	EPYC 9655
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	96 / 192+2300%
Boost Clock	4.2 GHz	4.5 GHz+7%
Base Clock	1.5 GHz	2.6 GHz+73%
L3 Cache	8 MB (total)	384 MB (total)+4700%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	10 nm SuperFin	4 nm-60%
Architecture	Tiger Lake-UP3 (2020−2021)	Turin (2024)
PassMark	9,414	156,110+1558%
Cinebench R23 Multi	5,183	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,592	2,830+78%
Geekbench 6 Multi	4,495	29,329+552%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-1135G7 uses the FCBGA1449 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the EPYC 9655 uses SP5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200, LPDDR4x-4267 on the Core i5-1135G7 versus DDR5-6000 on the EPYC 9655 — the EPYC 9655 supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-1135G7 supports up to 64 GB of RAM compared to 9 TB — 150.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i5-1135G7) vs 12 (EPYC 9655). PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i5-1135G7) vs 128 (EPYC 9655) — the EPYC 9655 offers 112 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SoC (Core i5-1135G7) and SP5 (EPYC 9655).

Feature	Core i5-1135G7	EPYC 9655
Socket	FCBGA1449	SP5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 5.0+25%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200, LPDDR4x-4267	DDR5-6000+25%
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	9 TB+14300%
RAM Channels	2	12+500%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	128+700%

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-1135G7) vs AMD-V, SEV-SNP (EPYC 9655). The Core i5-1135G7 includes integrated graphics (Iris Xe Graphics (80 EU)), while the EPYC 9655 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-1135G7 targets Productivity, EPYC 9655 targets Data Center. Direct competitor: Core i5-1135G7 rivals Ryzen 5 5500U; EPYC 9655 rivals Xeon 6979P.

Feature	Core i5-1135G7	EPYC 9655
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	Iris Xe Graphics (80 EU)	—
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	AMD-V, SEV-SNP
Target Use	Productivity	Data Center