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 9845

2024

Why buy it

✅+440.1% higher PassMark.
✅+900% larger total L3 cache (320 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 160 cores / 320 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 28.
✅357.1% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 7600X across 11 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 11.3 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($13,564 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌271.4% higher power demand at 390W vs 105W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 7600X can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.6% higher average FPS across 11 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $13,265 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $13,564 MSRP).
✅Delivers 739.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.7 vs 11.3 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $13,564 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 390W, a 285W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core), while EPYC 9845 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (28,325 vs 152,985).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 320 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9845, which brings 160 cores / 320 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 9845

2024

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅+440.1% higher PassMark.
✅+900% larger total L3 cache (320 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 160 cores / 320 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 28.
✅357.1% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.6% higher average FPS across 11 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $13,265 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $13,564 MSRP).
✅Delivers 739.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.7 vs 11.3 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $13,564 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 390W, a 285W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core), while EPYC 9845 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 7600X across 11 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 11.3 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($13,564 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌271.4% higher power demand at 390W vs 105W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 7600X can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (28,325 vs 152,985).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 320 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9845, which brings 160 cores / 320 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 9845 better than Ryzen 5 7600X?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 9845 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 7600X 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 9845 is the better fit. You are getting 440.1% better PassMark, backed by 160 cores and 320 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 900% larger total L3 cache (320 MB vs 32 MB).

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

EPYC 9845 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 7600X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. EPYC 9845 is 4436.5% more expensive on MSRP at $13,564 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and it gives you 440.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 7600X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 22.6% average FPS lead across 11 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 7600X is also 739.9% better value on MSRP (94.7 vs 11.3 PassMark/$), 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 9845 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2022), 900% larger total L3 cache (320 MB vs 32 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 160 cores / 320 threads instead of 6/12. That extra cache should hold up really well in CPU-limited games and high-refresh builds.

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 9845 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 7600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 9845	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	192 FPS	266 FPS
medium	156 FPS	246 FPS
high	126 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	179 FPS
1440p
low	158 FPS	226 FPS
medium	124 FPS	189 FPS
high	96 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	157 FPS
medium	60 FPS	131 FPS
high	47 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	87 FPS

Open EPYC 9845 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 9845	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	274 FPS	649 FPS
medium	241 FPS	524 FPS
high	198 FPS	436 FPS
ultra	163 FPS	386 FPS
1440p
low	225 FPS	544 FPS
medium	202 FPS	455 FPS
high	171 FPS	388 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	329 FPS
4K
low	139 FPS	341 FPS
medium	128 FPS	290 FPS
high	115 FPS	271 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	232 FPS

Open EPYC 9845 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 9845	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	743 FPS	708 FPS
medium	610 FPS	652 FPS
high	556 FPS	571 FPS
ultra	481 FPS	484 FPS
1440p
low	594 FPS	708 FPS
medium	494 FPS	554 FPS
high	450 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	390 FPS	409 FPS
4K
low	430 FPS	463 FPS
medium	335 FPS	392 FPS
high	298 FPS	341 FPS
ultra	240 FPS	281 FPS

Open EPYC 9845 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 9845	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	958 FPS	708 FPS
medium	869 FPS	708 FPS
high	746 FPS	708 FPS
ultra	646 FPS	708 FPS
1440p
low	739 FPS	708 FPS
medium	646 FPS	708 FPS
high	552 FPS	658 FPS
ultra	473 FPS	571 FPS
4K
low	530 FPS	560 FPS
medium	474 FPS	502 FPS
high	415 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	358 FPS	391 FPS

Open EPYC 9845 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 9845 and Ryzen 5 7600X

EPYC 9845

The EPYC 9845 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 10 October 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Turin (2024) architecture. It features 160 cores and 320 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 320 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 3 nm process technology. Socket: SP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 390 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 152,985 points. Launch price was $13,564.

Ryzen 5 7600X

The Ryzen 5 7600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 27 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 4.7 GHz, with boost up to 5.3 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 6 MB. Built on 5 nm, 6 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 28,325 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The EPYC 9845 packs 160 cores / 320 threads, while the Ryzen 5 7600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the EPYC 9845 has 154 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the EPYC 9845 versus 5.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7600X — a 35.6% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X (base: 2.1 GHz vs 4.7 GHz). The EPYC 9845 uses the Turin (2024) architecture (3 nm), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) (5 nm, 6 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 9845 scores 152,985 against the Ryzen 5 7600X's 28,325 — a 137.5% lead for the EPYC 9845. L3 cache: 320 MB (total) on the EPYC 9845 vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7600X.

Feature	EPYC 9845	Ryzen 5 7600X
Cores / Threads	160 / 320+2567%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3.7 GHz	5.3 GHz+43%
Base Clock	2.1 GHz	4.7 GHz+124%
L3 Cache	320 MB (total)+900%	32 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	6 MB+500%
Process	3 nm-40%	5 nm, 6 nm
Architecture	Turin (2024)	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)
PassMark	152,985+440%	28,325
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	15,300
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,900
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	13,800

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 9845 uses the SP5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-6000 memory speed. The Ryzen 5 7600X supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 6 TB — 182.1% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 12 (EPYC 9845) vs 2 (Ryzen 5 7600X). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 9845) vs 28 (Ryzen 5 7600X) — the EPYC 9845 offers 100 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP5 (EPYC 9845) and X670E,X670,B650E,B650,A620 (Ryzen 5 7600X).

Feature	EPYC 9845	Ryzen 5 7600X
Socket	SP5	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-6000	DDR5-5200
Max RAM Capacity	6 TB+4700%	128 GB
RAM Channels	12+500%	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+357%	28

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: AMD-V, SEV-SNP (EPYC 9845) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7600X). The Ryzen 5 7600X includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)), while the EPYC 9845 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: EPYC 9845 targets Data Center / AI Training, Ryzen 5 7600X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: EPYC 9845 rivals Xeon 6972P; Ryzen 5 7600X rivals Intel Core i5-13600K.

Feature	EPYC 9845	Ryzen 5 7600X
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	AMD-V, SEV-SNP	AMD-V
Target Use	Data Center / AI Training	Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 9845 launched at $13564 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 7600X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($13564 vs $299), the Ryzen 5 7600X is $13265 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 9845 delivers 11.3 pts/$ vs 94.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 7600X — making the Ryzen 5 7600X the 157.4% better value option.