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

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.
✅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 9 7900 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 66.6 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($726 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 7900 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 7900.

Ryzen 9 7900

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +27.5% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $297 less on MSRP ($429 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Delivers 68.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 66.6 PassMark/$ ($429 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (Raphael), while EPYC 9115 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (48,168 vs 48,343).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9115, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 9115

2024

Ryzen 9 7900

2023

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.
✅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: +27.5% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $297 less on MSRP ($429 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Delivers 68.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 112.3 vs 66.6 PassMark/$ ($429 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 125W, a 60W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (Raphael), while EPYC 9115 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7900 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 66.6 vs 112.3 PassMark/$ ($726 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
❌92.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 65W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 7900 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 9 7900.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (48,168 vs 48,343).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9115, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 7900 better than EPYC 9115?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 9115 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 7900 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 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 7900 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 7900 is $297 cheaper on MSRP at $429 MSRP versus $726 MSRP, and it gives you a 27.5% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that EPYC 9115 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.4% better PassMark. It is also 68.6% better value on MSRP (112.3 vs 66.6 PassMark/$), 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 9115 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2023) and more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 12/24. 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 9 7900 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7900
1080p
low	164 FPS	288 FPS
medium	135 FPS	259 FPS
high	114 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	190 FPS
1440p
low	144 FPS	270 FPS
medium	116 FPS	218 FPS
high	93 FPS	170 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	152 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	187 FPS
medium	58 FPS	151 FPS
high	46 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	101 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 9 7900

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7900
1080p
low	490 FPS	706 FPS
medium	436 FPS	599 FPS
high	338 FPS	450 FPS
ultra	291 FPS	389 FPS
1440p
low	422 FPS	593 FPS
medium	380 FPS	522 FPS
high	305 FPS	406 FPS
ultra	247 FPS	322 FPS
4K
low	264 FPS	335 FPS
medium	240 FPS	298 FPS
high	208 FPS	264 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	226 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 9 7900

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7900
1080p
low	707 FPS	876 FPS
medium	592 FPS	699 FPS
high	538 FPS	608 FPS
ultra	478 FPS	518 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	702 FPS
medium	454 FPS	562 FPS
high	407 FPS	481 FPS
ultra	355 FPS	408 FPS
4K
low	397 FPS	499 FPS
medium	318 FPS	414 FPS
high	281 FPS	372 FPS
ultra	228 FPS	312 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 9 7900

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7900
1080p
low	860 FPS	1125 FPS
medium	785 FPS	987 FPS
high	679 FPS	860 FPS
ultra	601 FPS	765 FPS
1440p
low	680 FPS	892 FPS
medium	601 FPS	774 FPS
high	516 FPS	677 FPS
ultra	447 FPS	580 FPS
4K
low	495 FPS	644 FPS
medium	445 FPS	570 FPS
high	391 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	335 FPS	434 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 9 7900

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 9115 and Ryzen 9 7900

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 9 7900

The Ryzen 9 7900 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 14 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 48,168 points. Launch price was $429.

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Processing Power

The EPYC 9115 packs 16 cores / 32 threads, while the Ryzen 9 7900 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the EPYC 9115 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.1 GHz on the EPYC 9115 versus 5.4 GHz on the Ryzen 9 7900 — a 27.4% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 7900 (base: 2.6 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The EPYC 9115 uses the Turin (2024) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen 9 7900 uses Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) (5 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 9115 scores 48,343 against the Ryzen 9 7900's 48,168 — a 0.4% lead for the EPYC 9115. Both processors carry 64 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7900
Cores / Threads	16 / 32+33%	12 / 24
Boost Clock	4.1 GHz	5.4 GHz+32%
Base Clock	2.6 GHz	3.7 GHz+42%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)	64 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	1 MB (per core)
Process	4 nm-20%	5 nm
Architecture	Turin (2024)	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)
PassMark	48,343	48,168
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	24,600
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,800
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	18,000

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 9115 uses the SP5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 7900 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 9 7900 — 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 9 7900). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 9115) vs 28 (Ryzen 9 7900) — the EPYC 9115 offers 100 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP5 (EPYC 9115) and AMD X670E,AMD X670,AMD B650E,AMD B650,AMD A620 (Ryzen 9 7900).

Feature	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7900
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 9 7900 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 true (Ryzen 9 7900). The Ryzen 9 7900 includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (Raphael)), while the EPYC 9115 requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: EPYC 9115 rivals Xeon Platinum 8468X; Ryzen 9 7900 rivals Core i9-13900.

Feature	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7900
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	None	Radeon Graphics (Raphael)
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V	true

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 9115 launched at $726 MSRP, while the Ryzen 9 7900 debuted at $429. On MSRP ($726 vs $429), the Ryzen 9 7900 is $297 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 9115 delivers 66.6 pts/$ vs 112.3 pts/$ for the Ryzen 9 7900 — making the Ryzen 9 7900 the 51.1% better value option.