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 7663

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 56 cores / 112 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅433.3% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 12.9 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($6,366 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌269.2% higher power demand at 240W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $6,067 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $6,366 MSRP).
✅Delivers 466.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 12.9 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $6,366 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 240W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 7663 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 82,120).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7663, which brings 56 cores / 112 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 7663

2021

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 56 cores / 112 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅433.3% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Costs $6,067 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $6,366 MSRP).
✅Delivers 466.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 12.9 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $6,366 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 240W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 12.9 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($6,366 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌269.2% higher power demand at 240W vs 65W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 7663 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (21,845 vs 82,120).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7663, which brings 56 cores / 112 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 7663 better than Ryzen 5 5600X?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7663 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 5600X 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 7663 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 10.9% 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 7663 is the better fit. You are getting 275.9% better PassMark, backed by 56 cores and 112 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 7663 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 5600X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. EPYC 7663 is 2029.1% more expensive on MSRP at $6,366 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and it gives you a 10.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 5600X is also 466.4% better value on MSRP (73.1 vs 12.9 PassMark/$), 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 7663 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2020), 3D V-Cache and a much larger 256 MB L3 cache instead of 32 MB, and more multi-core headroom with 56 cores / 112 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 7663 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 5600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7663	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	190 FPS	203 FPS
medium	155 FPS	174 FPS
high	123 FPS	140 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	156 FPS	169 FPS
medium	123 FPS	141 FPS
high	94 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	86 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	85 FPS
medium	60 FPS	76 FPS
high	46 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	47 FPS

Open EPYC 7663 Open Ryzen 5 5600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7663	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	238 FPS	464 FPS
medium	211 FPS	387 FPS
high	174 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	291 FPS
1440p
low	195 FPS	397 FPS
medium	177 FPS	334 FPS
high	151 FPS	290 FPS
ultra	116 FPS	253 FPS
4K
low	121 FPS	263 FPS
medium	112 FPS	226 FPS
high	97 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	171 FPS

Open EPYC 7663 Open Ryzen 5 5600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7663	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	836 FPS	546 FPS
medium	696 FPS	473 FPS
high	649 FPS	432 FPS
ultra	573 FPS	358 FPS
1440p
low	602 FPS	508 FPS
medium	500 FPS	413 FPS
high	458 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	400 FPS	312 FPS
4K
low	430 FPS	348 FPS
medium	335 FPS	292 FPS
high	300 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	199 FPS

Open EPYC 7663 Open Ryzen 5 5600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7663	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	954 FPS	546 FPS
medium	863 FPS	546 FPS
high	739 FPS	546 FPS
ultra	637 FPS	546 FPS
1440p
low	733 FPS	546 FPS
medium	636 FPS	546 FPS
high	542 FPS	546 FPS
ultra	466 FPS	524 FPS
4K
low	522 FPS	529 FPS
medium	464 FPS	484 FPS
high	406 FPS	435 FPS
ultra	353 FPS	379 FPS

Open EPYC 7663 Open Ryzen 5 5600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7663 and Ryzen 5 5600X

EPYC 7663

The EPYC 7663 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 15 March 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Milan (2021−2023) architecture. It features 56 cores and 112 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 256 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm+ process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 240 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 82,120 points. Launch price was $6,366.

Ryzen 5 5600X

The Ryzen 5 5600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 21,845 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The EPYC 7663 packs 56 cores / 112 threads, while the Ryzen 5 5600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the EPYC 7663 has 50 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the EPYC 7663 versus 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600X — a 27.2% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 5600X (base: 2 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The EPYC 7663 uses the Milan (2021−2023) architecture (7 nm+), while the Ryzen 5 5600X uses Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7663 scores 82,120 against the Ryzen 5 5600X's 21,845 — a 116% lead for the EPYC 7663. L3 cache: 256 MB (total) on the EPYC 7663 vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 5 5600X.

Feature	EPYC 7663	Ryzen 5 5600X
Cores / Threads	56 / 112+833%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3.5 GHz	4.6 GHz+31%
Base Clock	2 GHz	3.7 GHz+85%
L3 Cache	256 MB (total)+700%	32 MB
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm+	7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture	Milan (2021−2023)	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)
PassMark	82,120+276%	21,845
Geekbench 6 Single	1,370	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	12,380	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7663 uses the SP3 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 5600X uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The EPYC 7663 supports up to 4096 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 187.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 7663) vs 2 (Ryzen 5 5600X). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7663) vs 24 (Ryzen 5 5600X) — the EPYC 7663 offers 104 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 (EPYC 7663) and AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 5 5600X).

Feature	EPYC 7663	Ryzen 5 5600X
Socket	SP3	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	4096 GB+3100%	128 GB
RAM Channels	8+300%	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+433%	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 5600X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Both support AMD-V virtualization. Primary use case: EPYC 7663 targets Server, Ryzen 5 5600X targets Desktop. Direct competitor: EPYC 7663 rivals Xeon Platinum 8380.

Feature	EPYC 7663	Ryzen 5 5600X
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	—
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	AMD-V	AMD-V
Target Use	Server	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 7663 launched at $6366 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 5600X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($6366 vs $299), the Ryzen 5 5600X is $6067 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 7663 delivers 12.9 pts/$ vs 73.1 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 5600X — making the Ryzen 5 5600X the 140% better value option.