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 7371

2018

Why buy it

✅+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 9600X across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (15,000 vs 17,500).
❌207.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 9600X moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 9600X can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 5 9600X

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.2% higher average FPS across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 200W, a 135W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core), while EPYC 7371 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7371, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $279 MSRP, while EPYC 7371 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

EPYC 7371

2018

Ryzen 5 9600X

2024

Why buy it

✅+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: +5.2% higher average FPS across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 200W, a 135W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core), while EPYC 7371 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 9600X across 44 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (15,000 vs 17,500).
❌207.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Ryzen 5 9600X moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 5 9600X can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7371, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $279 MSRP, while EPYC 7371 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 9600X better than EPYC 7371?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7371 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 5 9600X 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, Ryzen 5 9600X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 5.2% more average FPS across 44 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 9600X is the better fit. You are getting 16.7% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 9600X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 9600X is at an unclear MSRP at $279 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 5.2% average FPS lead across 44 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (107.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9600X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2018), a healthier platform with AM5 and DDR5 instead of TR4, more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 16/32, 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 7371 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 9600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7371	Ryzen 5 9600X
1080p
low	193 FPS	264 FPS
medium	168 FPS	243 FPS
high	136 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	108 FPS	177 FPS
1440p
low	159 FPS	225 FPS
medium	132 FPS	188 FPS
high	102 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	156 FPS
medium	64 FPS	131 FPS
high	50 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	87 FPS

Open EPYC 7371 Open Ryzen 5 9600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7371	Ryzen 5 9600X
1080p
low	426 FPS	546 FPS
medium	383 FPS	451 FPS
high	321 FPS	379 FPS
ultra	269 FPS	339 FPS
1440p
low	367 FPS	469 FPS
medium	334 FPS	401 FPS
high	283 FPS	342 FPS
ultra	230 FPS	294 FPS
4K
low	229 FPS	294 FPS
medium	211 FPS	256 FPS
high	190 FPS	239 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	207 FPS

Open EPYC 7371 Open Ryzen 5 9600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7371	Ryzen 5 9600X
1080p
low	634 FPS	750 FPS
medium	531 FPS	724 FPS
high	490 FPS	641 FPS
ultra	416 FPS	551 FPS
1440p
low	522 FPS	724 FPS
medium	436 FPS	565 FPS
high	393 FPS	486 FPS
ultra	336 FPS	414 FPS
4K
low	386 FPS	471 FPS
medium	310 FPS	397 FPS
high	280 FPS	346 FPS
ultra	227 FPS	285 FPS

Open EPYC 7371 Open Ryzen 5 9600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7371	Ryzen 5 9600X
1080p
low	754 FPS	750 FPS
medium	754 FPS	750 FPS
high	688 FPS	750 FPS
ultra	609 FPS	750 FPS
1440p
low	703 FPS	750 FPS
medium	617 FPS	750 FPS
high	530 FPS	676 FPS
ultra	455 FPS	583 FPS
4K
low	503 FPS	577 FPS
medium	452 FPS	512 FPS
high	399 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	345 FPS	399 FPS

Open EPYC 7371 Open Ryzen 5 9600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7371 and Ryzen 5 9600X

EPYC 7371

The EPYC 7371 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 November 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Naples (2017−2018) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 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: 30,156 points. Launch price was $1,550.

Ryzen 5 9600X

The Ryzen 5 9600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 8 August 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Granite Ridge (2024−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.9 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 30,003 points. Launch price was $279.

⚡

Processing Power

The EPYC 7371 packs 16 cores / 32 threads, while the Ryzen 5 9600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the EPYC 7371 has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the EPYC 7371 versus 5.4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 9600X — a 34.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 9600X (base: 3.1 GHz vs 3.9 GHz). The EPYC 7371 uses the Naples (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 9600X uses Granite Ridge (2024−2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7371 scores 30,156 against the Ryzen 5 9600X's 30,003 — a 0.5% lead for the EPYC 7371. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 15,000 vs 17,500 (15.4% advantage for the Ryzen 5 9600X). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,216 vs 3,300, a 92.3% lead for the Ryzen 5 9600X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 6,941 vs 15,000 (73.5% advantage for the Ryzen 5 9600X). L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 7371 vs 32 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 9600X.

Feature	EPYC 7371	Ryzen 5 9600X
Cores / Threads	16 / 32+167%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	3.8 GHz	5.4 GHz+42%
Base Clock	3.1 GHz	3.9 GHz+26%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)+100%	32 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Naples (2017−2018)	Granite Ridge (2024−2025)
PassMark	30,156	30,003
Cinebench R23 Multi	15,000	17,500+17%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,216	3,300+171%
Geekbench 6 Multi	6,941	15,000+116%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7371 uses the TR4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 9600X uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the EPYC 7371 versus DDR5-5600 on the Ryzen 5 9600X — the Ryzen 5 9600X supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 7371 supports up to 2048 GB of RAM compared to 192 GB — 165.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 7371) vs 2 (Ryzen 5 9600X). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7371) vs 28 (Ryzen 5 9600X) — the EPYC 7371 offers 100 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 platform (EPYC 7371) and X870E,X870,X670E,X670,B650E,B650 (Ryzen 5 9600X).

Feature	EPYC 7371	Ryzen 5 9600X
Socket	TR4	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 5.0+25%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR5-5600+25%
Max RAM Capacity	2048 GB+967%	192 GB
RAM Channels	8+300%	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+357%	28

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Only the Ryzen 5 9600X supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: AMD-V, SVM (EPYC 7371) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 9600X). The Ryzen 5 9600X includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)), while the EPYC 7371 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: EPYC 7371 targets High-frequency Server Workloads, Ryzen 5 9600X targets Gaming. Direct competitor: EPYC 7371 rivals Xeon Gold 6134; Ryzen 5 9600X rivals Intel Core i5-14600K.

Feature	EPYC 7371	Ryzen 5 9600X
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	AMD Radeon Graphics (2-core)
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	AMD-V, SVM	AMD-V
Target Use	High-frequency Server Workloads	Gaming