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 7401

2017

Why buy it

✅+95.2% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 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 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 36.9 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($1,500 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌47.6% higher power demand at 155W vs 105W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 7600X moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌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: +46.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $1,201 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 157.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.7 vs 36.9 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 155W, a 50W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (28,325 vs 55,280).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7401, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 7401

2017

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅+95.2% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 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: +46.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $1,201 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 157.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.7 vs 36.9 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 155W, a 50W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 7600X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 36.9 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($1,500 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌47.6% higher power demand at 155W vs 105W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 7600X moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 7600X can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (28,325 vs 55,280).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7401, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 7600X better than EPYC 7401?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7401 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 7401 is the better fit. You are getting 95.2% better PassMark, backed by 24 cores and 48 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 7600X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 7600X is $1,201 cheaper on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $1,500 MSRP, and it gives you a 46.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that EPYC 7401 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 95.2% better PassMark. It is also 157.1% better value on MSRP (94.7 vs 36.9 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 5 7600X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2017), a healthier platform with AM5 and DDR5 instead of TR4, 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 7401 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 7600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7401	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	187 FPS	266 FPS
medium	165 FPS	246 FPS
high	132 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	105 FPS	179 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	226 FPS
medium	127 FPS	189 FPS
high	97 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	157 FPS
medium	63 FPS	131 FPS
high	48 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	87 FPS

Open EPYC 7401 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7401	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	207 FPS	649 FPS
medium	188 FPS	524 FPS
high	160 FPS	436 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	386 FPS
1440p
low	178 FPS	544 FPS
medium	163 FPS	455 FPS
high	141 FPS	388 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	329 FPS
4K
low	112 FPS	341 FPS
medium	103 FPS	290 FPS
high	92 FPS	271 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	232 FPS

Open EPYC 7401 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7401	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	620 FPS	708 FPS
medium	518 FPS	652 FPS
high	466 FPS	571 FPS
ultra	399 FPS	484 FPS
1440p
low	517 FPS	708 FPS
medium	432 FPS	554 FPS
high	378 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	325 FPS	409 FPS
4K
low	383 FPS	463 FPS
medium	308 FPS	392 FPS
high	270 FPS	341 FPS
ultra	220 FPS	281 FPS

Open EPYC 7401 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7401	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	834 FPS	708 FPS
medium	758 FPS	708 FPS
high	651 FPS	708 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	708 FPS
1440p
low	667 FPS	708 FPS
medium	584 FPS	708 FPS
high	500 FPS	658 FPS
ultra	420 FPS	571 FPS
4K
low	475 FPS	560 FPS
medium	427 FPS	502 FPS
high	375 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	391 FPS

Open EPYC 7401 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7401 and Ryzen 5 7600X

EPYC 7401

The EPYC 7401 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 29 June 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Naples (2017−2018) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: TR4. Thermal design power (TDP): 170 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Eight-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 55,280 points. Launch price was $1,850.

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.

⚡

Processing Power

The EPYC 7401 packs 24 cores / 48 threads, while the Ryzen 5 7600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the EPYC 7401 has 18 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the EPYC 7401 versus 5.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7600X — a 55.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X (base: 2 GHz vs 4.7 GHz). The EPYC 7401 uses the Naples (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) (5 nm, 6 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7401 scores 55,280 against the Ryzen 5 7600X's 28,325 — a 64.5% lead for the EPYC 7401. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 7401 vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7600X.

Feature	EPYC 7401	Ryzen 5 7600X
Cores / Threads	24 / 48+300%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3 GHz	5.3 GHz+77%
Base Clock	2 GHz	4.7 GHz+135%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)+100%	32 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	6 MB+1100%
Process	14 nm	5 nm, 6 nm-64%
Architecture	Naples (2017−2018)	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)
PassMark	55,280+95%	28,325
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	15,300
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,900
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	13,800

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7401 uses the TR4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 2666 on the EPYC 7401 versus DDR5-5200 on the Ryzen 5 7600X — the EPYC 7401 supports 199.3% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 7401 supports up to 2048 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 7401) vs 2 (Ryzen 5 7600X). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7401) vs 28 (Ryzen 5 7600X) — the EPYC 7401 offers 100 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 (EPYC 7401) and X670E,X670,B650E,B650,A620 (Ryzen 5 7600X).

Feature	EPYC 7401	Ryzen 5 7600X
Socket	TR4	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 5.0+25%
Max RAM Speed	2666+53220%	DDR5-5200
Max RAM Capacity	2048	128 GB+6553500%
RAM Channels	8+300%	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+357%	28

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 5 7600X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 5 7600X supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (EPYC 7401) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7600X). The Ryzen 5 7600X includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)), while the EPYC 7401 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 7600X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: EPYC 7401 rivals Xeon Silver 4114; Ryzen 5 7600X rivals Intel Core i5-13600K.

Feature	EPYC 7401	Ryzen 5 7600X
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	None	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 7401 launched at $1500 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 7600X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($1500 vs $299), the Ryzen 5 7600X is $1201 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 7401 delivers 36.9 pts/$ vs 94.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 7600X — making the Ryzen 5 7600X the 88% better value option.