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

✅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 7950X3D across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (48,343 vs 62,323).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 66.6 vs 89.2 PassMark/$ ($726 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 7950X3D can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 7950X3D

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +52.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $27 less on MSRP ($699 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Delivers 33.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 89.2 vs 66.6 PassMark/$ ($699 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Draws 120W instead of 125W, a 5W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics, while EPYC 9115 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9115, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 9115

2024

Ryzen 9 7950X3D

2023

Why buy it

✅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: +52.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $27 less on MSRP ($699 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Delivers 33.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 89.2 vs 66.6 PassMark/$ ($699 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Draws 120W instead of 125W, a 5W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics, while EPYC 9115 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7950X3D across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (48,343 vs 62,323).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 66.6 vs 89.2 PassMark/$ ($726 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 7950X3D can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌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 7950X3D 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 7950X3D 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 9 7950X3D is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 52.1% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 128 MB vs 64 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 7950X3D is the better fit. You are getting 28.9% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 64 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 7950X3D is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 7950X3D is $27 cheaper on MSRP at $699 MSRP versus $726 MSRP, and it gives you a 52.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 33.9% better value on MSRP (89.2 vs 66.6 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 9 7950X3D is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 3D V-Cache and a much larger 128 MB L3 cache instead of 64 MB and more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 16/32. 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 9115 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 7950X3D Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7950X3D
1080p
low	164 FPS	291 FPS
medium	135 FPS	265 FPS
high	114 FPS	219 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	186 FPS
1440p
low	144 FPS	275 FPS
medium	116 FPS	227 FPS
high	93 FPS	177 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	156 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	190 FPS
medium	58 FPS	156 FPS
high	46 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	107 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 9 7950X3D

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7950X3D
1080p
low	490 FPS	734 FPS
medium	436 FPS	627 FPS
high	338 FPS	465 FPS
ultra	291 FPS	393 FPS
1440p
low	422 FPS	602 FPS
medium	380 FPS	536 FPS
high	305 FPS	413 FPS
ultra	247 FPS	326 FPS
4K
low	264 FPS	338 FPS
medium	240 FPS	305 FPS
high	208 FPS	268 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	229 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 9 7950X3D

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7950X3D
1080p
low	707 FPS	1025 FPS
medium	592 FPS	1122 FPS
high	538 FPS	1062 FPS
ultra	478 FPS	875 FPS
1440p
low	545 FPS	936 FPS
medium	454 FPS	845 FPS
high	407 FPS	775 FPS
ultra	355 FPS	656 FPS
4K
low	397 FPS	574 FPS
medium	318 FPS	498 FPS
high	281 FPS	447 FPS
ultra	228 FPS	378 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 9 7950X3D

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7950X3D
1080p
low	860 FPS	1082 FPS
medium	785 FPS	973 FPS
high	679 FPS	854 FPS
ultra	601 FPS	766 FPS
1440p
low	680 FPS	853 FPS
medium	601 FPS	751 FPS
high	516 FPS	659 FPS
ultra	447 FPS	569 FPS
4K
low	495 FPS	623 FPS
medium	445 FPS	555 FPS
high	391 FPS	493 FPS
ultra	335 FPS	426 FPS

Open EPYC 9115 Open Ryzen 9 7950X3D

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 9115 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D

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 7950X3D

The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 4 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 4.2 GHz, with boost up to 5.7 GHz. L3 cache: 128 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 5 nm, 6 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200. Passmark benchmark score: 62,323 points. Launch price was $699.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the EPYC 9115 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D share an identical 16-core/32-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.1 GHz on the EPYC 9115 versus 5.7 GHz on the Ryzen 9 7950X3D — a 32.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 7950X3D (base: 2.6 GHz vs 4.2 GHz). The EPYC 9115 uses the Turin (2024) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen 9 7950X3D uses Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) (5 nm, 6 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 9115 scores 48,343 against the Ryzen 9 7950X3D's 62,323 — a 25.3% lead for the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 9115 vs 128 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 7950X3D.

Feature	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Cores / Threads	16 / 32	16 / 32
Boost Clock	4.1 GHz	5.7 GHz+39%
Base Clock	2.6 GHz	4.2 GHz+62%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)	128 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	1 MB (per core)
Process	4 nm-20%	5 nm, 6 nm
Architecture	Turin (2024)	Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023)
PassMark	48,343	62,323+29%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	38,581
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,926
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	19,643

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 9115 uses the SP5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 7950X3D 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 7950X3D — 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 7950X3D). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 9115) vs 28 (Ryzen 9 7950X3D) — 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 (Ryzen 9 7950X3D).

Feature	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7950X3D
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 7950X3D 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 7950X3D). The Ryzen 9 7950X3D includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics), while the EPYC 9115 requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: EPYC 9115 rivals Xeon Platinum 8468X; Ryzen 9 7950X3D rivals Core i9-13900K.

Feature	EPYC 9115	Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	None	Radeon Graphics
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 7950X3D debuted at $699. On MSRP ($726 vs $699), the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is $27 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 9115 delivers 66.6 pts/$ vs 89.2 pts/$ for the Ryzen 9 7950X3D — making the Ryzen 9 7950X3D the 29% better value option.