EPYC 9565 vs EPYC 9965

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 9565

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +17.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $4,327 less on MSRP ($10,486 MSRP vs $14,813 MSRP).
✅Delivers 18.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 12.9 vs 10.9 PassMark/$ ($10,486 MSRP vs $14,813 MSRP).
✅Draws 400W instead of 500W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (135,221 vs 160,778).

EPYC 9965

2024

Why buy it

✅+18.9% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 9565 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 10.9 vs 12.9 PassMark/$ ($14,813 MSRP vs $10,486 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 500W vs 400W.

EPYC 9565

2024

EPYC 9965

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +17.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $4,327 less on MSRP ($10,486 MSRP vs $14,813 MSRP).
✅Delivers 18.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 12.9 vs 10.9 PassMark/$ ($10,486 MSRP vs $14,813 MSRP).
✅Draws 400W instead of 500W, a 100W reduction.

Why buy it

✅+18.9% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (135,221 vs 160,778).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 9565 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 10.9 vs 12.9 PassMark/$ ($14,813 MSRP vs $10,486 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 500W vs 400W.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 9565 better than EPYC 9965?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, EPYC 9565 is ahead with a 17.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 9965 pulls ahead with 18.9% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 9965 is the better fit. You are getting 18.9% better PassMark, backed by 192 cores and 384 threads.

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

EPYC 9565 is the smarter buy today. EPYC 9565 is $4,327 cheaper on MSRP at $10,486 MSRP versus $14,813 MSRP, and it gives you a 17.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that EPYC 9965 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 18.9% better PassMark. It is also 18.8% better value on MSRP (12.9 vs 10.9 PassMark/$), 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 9965 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more multi-core headroom with 192 cores / 384 threads instead of 72/144. 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 9565 Benchmark Check

EPYC 9965 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 9565	EPYC 9965
1080p
low	171 FPS	192 FPS
medium	142 FPS	156 FPS
high	121 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	150 FPS	158 FPS
medium	120 FPS	124 FPS
high	98 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	81 FPS	72 FPS
medium	69 FPS	60 FPS
high	55 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	39 FPS

Open EPYC 9565 Open EPYC 9965

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 9565	EPYC 9965
1080p
low	583 FPS	274 FPS
medium	511 FPS	241 FPS
high	415 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	361 FPS	163 FPS
1440p
low	492 FPS	225 FPS
medium	439 FPS	202 FPS
high	367 FPS	171 FPS
ultra	302 FPS	137 FPS
4K
low	306 FPS	139 FPS
medium	276 FPS	128 FPS
high	249 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	222 FPS	96 FPS

Open EPYC 9565 Open EPYC 9965

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 9565	EPYC 9965
1080p
low	747 FPS	743 FPS
medium	634 FPS	610 FPS
high	575 FPS	556 FPS
ultra	506 FPS	481 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	594 FPS
medium	474 FPS	494 FPS
high	423 FPS	450 FPS
ultra	366 FPS	390 FPS
4K
low	405 FPS	430 FPS
medium	324 FPS	335 FPS
high	286 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	229 FPS	240 FPS

Open EPYC 9565 Open EPYC 9965

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 9565	EPYC 9965
1080p
low	969 FPS	962 FPS
medium	875 FPS	873 FPS
high	752 FPS	752 FPS
ultra	676 FPS	650 FPS
1440p
low	780 FPS	740 FPS
medium	683 FPS	648 FPS
high	583 FPS	554 FPS
ultra	513 FPS	476 FPS
4K
low	551 FPS	531 FPS
medium	496 FPS	475 FPS
high	434 FPS	417 FPS
ultra	380 FPS	360 FPS

Open EPYC 9565 Open EPYC 9965

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 9565 and EPYC 9965

EPYC 9565

The EPYC 9565 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 10 October 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Turin (2024) architecture. It features 72 cores and 144 threads. Base frequency is 3.15 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 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: 135,221 points. Launch price was $10,486.

EPYC 9965

The EPYC 9965 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 10 October 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Turin (2024) architecture. It features 192 cores and 384 threads. Base frequency is 2.25 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 384 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 3 nm process technology. Socket: SP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 500 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 160,778 points. Launch price was $14,813.

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Processing Power

The EPYC 9565 packs 72 cores / 144 threads, while the EPYC 9965 offers 192 cores / 384 threads — the EPYC 9965 has 120 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the EPYC 9565 versus 3.7 GHz on the EPYC 9965 — a 15% clock advantage for the EPYC 9565 (base: 3.15 GHz vs 2.25 GHz). Both are built on the Turin (2024) architecture using a 4 nm process. In PassMark, the EPYC 9565 scores 135,221 against the EPYC 9965's 160,778 — a 17.3% lead for the EPYC 9965. Both processors carry 384 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	EPYC 9565	EPYC 9965
Cores / Threads	72 / 144	192 / 384+167%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+16%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.15 GHz+40%	2.25 GHz
L3 Cache	384 MB (total)	384 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	1 MB (per core)
Process	4 nm	3 nm-25%
Architecture	Turin (2024)	Turin (2024)
PassMark	135,221	160,778+19%
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,520

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Memory & Platform

Both processors use the SP5 socket with PCIe 5.0. Both support up to DDR5-6000 memory speed. Both support up to 6 TB of RAM. Both feature 12-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 128 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: SP5 (EPYC 9565) and SP5 (EPYC 9965).

Feature	EPYC 9565	EPYC 9965
Socket	SP5	SP5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-6000	DDR5-6000
Max RAM Capacity	6 TB	6 TB
RAM Channels	12	12
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128	128

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Advanced Features

Both support AMD-V, SEV-SNP virtualization. Primary use case: EPYC 9565 targets Data Center / Cloud Computing, EPYC 9965 targets Data Center / High Density. Direct competitor: EPYC 9565 rivals Xeon 6972P; EPYC 9965 rivals Xeon 6980P.

Feature	EPYC 9565	EPYC 9965
Integrated GPU	No	No
Virtualization	AMD-V, SEV-SNP	AMD-V, SEV-SNP
Target Use	Data Center / Cloud Computing	Data Center / High Density

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Value Analysis

The EPYC 9565 launched at $10486 MSRP, while the EPYC 9965 debuted at $14813. On MSRP ($10486 vs $14813), the EPYC 9565 is $4327 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 9565 delivers 12.9 pts/$ vs 10.9 pts/$ for the EPYC 9965 — making the EPYC 9565 the 17.2% better value option.