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 9115

2024

Why buy it

✅+70.7% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 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 66.6 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($726 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌19% higher power demand at 125W 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: +20.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $427 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Delivers 42.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.7 vs 66.6 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 125W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core), while EPYC 9115 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (28,325 vs 48,343).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9115, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 9115

2024

Ryzen 5 7600X

2022

Why buy it

✅+70.7% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 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: +20.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $427 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Delivers 42.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.7 vs 66.6 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 125W, a 20W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core), while EPYC 9115 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 7600X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 66.6 vs 94.7 PassMark/$ ($726 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌19% higher power demand at 125W 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 48,343).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9115, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 9115 better than Ryzen 5 7600X?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 9115 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 9115 is the better fit. You are getting 70.7% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 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?

EPYC 9115 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 5 7600X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. EPYC 9115 is 142.8% more expensive on MSRP at $726 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and it gives you 70.7% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 5 7600X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 20.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 5 7600X is also 42.3% better value on MSRP (94.7 vs 66.6 PassMark/$), 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 9115 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2022), 100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 6/12. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 9115 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 7600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	164 FPS	266 FPS
medium	135 FPS	246 FPS
high	114 FPS	210 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	179 FPS
1440p
low	144 FPS	226 FPS
medium	116 FPS	189 FPS
high	93 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	157 FPS
medium	58 FPS	131 FPS
high	46 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	87 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	490 FPS	649 FPS
medium	436 FPS	524 FPS
high	338 FPS	436 FPS
ultra	291 FPS	386 FPS
1440p
low	422 FPS	544 FPS
medium	380 FPS	455 FPS
high	305 FPS	388 FPS
ultra	247 FPS	329 FPS
4K
low	264 FPS	341 FPS
medium	240 FPS	290 FPS
high	208 FPS	271 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	232 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	707 FPS	708 FPS
medium	592 FPS	652 FPS
high	538 FPS	571 FPS
ultra	478 FPS	484 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	708 FPS
medium	454 FPS	554 FPS
high	407 FPS	479 FPS
ultra	355 FPS	409 FPS
4K
low	397 FPS	463 FPS
medium	318 FPS	392 FPS
high	281 FPS	341 FPS
ultra	228 FPS	281 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 5 7600X
1080p
low	860 FPS	708 FPS
medium	785 FPS	708 FPS
high	679 FPS	708 FPS
ultra	601 FPS	708 FPS
1440p
low	680 FPS	708 FPS
medium	601 FPS	708 FPS
high	516 FPS	658 FPS
ultra	447 FPS	571 FPS
4K
low	495 FPS	560 FPS
medium	445 FPS	502 FPS
high	391 FPS	452 FPS
ultra	335 FPS	391 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 5 7600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 9115 and Ryzen 5 7600X

EPYC 9115

The EPYC 9115 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 10 October 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Turin (2024) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: SP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 48,343 points. Launch price was $726.

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 9115 packs 16 cores / 32 threads, while the Ryzen 5 7600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the EPYC 9115 has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.1 GHz on the EPYC 9115 versus 5.3 GHz on the Ryzen 5 7600X — a 25.5% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 7600X (base: 2.6 GHz vs 4.7 GHz). The EPYC 9115 uses the Turin (2024) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) (5 nm, 6 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 9115 scores 48,343 against the Ryzen 5 7600X's 28,325 — a 52.2% lead for the EPYC 9115. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 9115 vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 7600X.

Feature	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 5 7600X
Cores / Threads	16 / 32+167%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.1 GHz	5.3 GHz+29%
Base Clock	2.6 GHz	4.7 GHz+81%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)+100%	32 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	6 MB+500%
Process	4 nm-20%	5 nm, 6 nm
Architecture	Turin (2024)	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)
PassMark	48,343+71%	28,325
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	15,300
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,900
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	13,800

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Memory & Platform

The EPYC 9115 uses the SP5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 5 7600X uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 4800 on the EPYC 9115 versus DDR5-5200 on the Ryzen 5 7600X — the EPYC 9115 supports 199.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 9115 supports up to 6144 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 191.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 12 (EPYC 9115) vs 2 (Ryzen 5 7600X). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 9115) vs 28 (Ryzen 5 7600X) — the EPYC 9115 offers 100 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP5 (EPYC 9115) and X670E,X670,B650E,B650,A620 (Ryzen 5 7600X).

Feature	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 5 7600X
Socket	SP5	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Max RAM Speed	4800+95900%	DDR5-5200
Max RAM Capacity	6144	128 GB+2184433%
RAM Channels	12+500%	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. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V (EPYC 9115) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 7600X). The Ryzen 5 7600X includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)), while the EPYC 9115 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 5 7600X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: EPYC 9115 rivals Xeon Platinum 8468X; Ryzen 5 7600X rivals Intel Core i5-13600K.

Feature	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 5 7600X
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	None	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 9115 launched at $726 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 7600X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($726 vs $299), the Ryzen 5 7600X is $427 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 9115 delivers 66.6 pts/$ vs 94.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 7600X — making the Ryzen 5 7600X the 34.9% better value option.