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 9015

2024

Why buy it

✅+300% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅540% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 8945H across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (15,000 vs 17,500).
❌1462.5% higher power demand at 125W vs 8W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 8945H can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 8W instead of 125W, a 117W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 780M, while EPYC 9015 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9015, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 9015

2024

Ryzen 9 8945H

2023

Why buy it

✅+300% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 20.
✅540% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 20) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 8W instead of 125W, a 117W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 780M, while EPYC 9015 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 8945H across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (15,000 vs 17,500).
❌1462.5% higher power demand at 125W vs 8W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 8945H can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9015, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 8945H better than EPYC 9015?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 9015 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 8945H 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 8945H is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 20.4% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 8945H is the better fit. You are getting 16.7% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 8945H still looks like the safer overall buy. Ryzen 9 8945H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 20.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

EPYC 9015 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2023) and 300% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 16 MB). 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 9015 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 8945H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 9015	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	165 FPS	269 FPS
medium	134 FPS	243 FPS
high	116 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	148 FPS	236 FPS
medium	118 FPS	193 FPS
high	95 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	139 FPS
4K
low	69 FPS	164 FPS
medium	58 FPS	136 FPS
high	46 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	92 FPS

Open EPYC 9015 Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 9015	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	494 FPS	513 FPS
medium	438 FPS	421 FPS
high	340 FPS	363 FPS
ultra	293 FPS	323 FPS
1440p
low	425 FPS	448 FPS
medium	380 FPS	388 FPS
high	307 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	248 FPS	285 FPS
4K
low	266 FPS	295 FPS
medium	241 FPS	267 FPS
high	209 FPS	253 FPS
ultra	183 FPS	217 FPS

Open EPYC 9015 Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 9015	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	722 FPS	756 FPS
medium	604 FPS	756 FPS
high	549 FPS	647 FPS
ultra	487 FPS	546 FPS
1440p
low	554 FPS	756 FPS
medium	461 FPS	637 FPS
high	413 FPS	541 FPS
ultra	361 FPS	464 FPS
4K
low	395 FPS	541 FPS
medium	318 FPS	473 FPS
high	281 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	228 FPS	355 FPS

Open EPYC 9015 Open Ryzen 9 8945H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 9015	Ryzen 9 8945H
1080p
low	763 FPS	756 FPS
medium	763 FPS	756 FPS
high	699 FPS	756 FPS
ultra	621 FPS	754 FPS
1440p
low	690 FPS	756 FPS
medium	609 FPS	756 FPS
high	524 FPS	660 FPS
ultra	454 FPS	573 FPS
4K
low	501 FPS	572 FPS
medium	451 FPS	511 FPS
high	397 FPS	457 FPS
ultra	340 FPS	394 FPS

Open EPYC 9015 Open Ryzen 9 8945H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 9015 and Ryzen 9 8945H

EPYC 9015

The EPYC 9015 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 10 October 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Turin (2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 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: 30,505 points. Launch price was $527.

Ryzen 9 8945H

The Ryzen 9 8945H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP7/FP7r2/FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 8 MB + 16 MB. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 30,240 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the EPYC 9015 and Ryzen 9 8945H share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.1 GHz on the EPYC 9015 versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 8945H — a 23.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H (base: 3.6 GHz vs 4 GHz). The EPYC 9015 uses the Turin (2024) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen 9 8945H uses Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 9015 scores 30,505 against the Ryzen 9 8945H's 30,240 — a 0.9% lead for the EPYC 9015. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 15,000 vs 17,500 (15.4% advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,400 vs 2,617, a 60.6% lead for the Ryzen 9 8945H that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 11,000 vs 12,662 (14% advantage for the Ryzen 9 8945H). L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 9015 vs 16 MB on the Ryzen 9 8945H.

Feature	EPYC 9015	Ryzen 9 8945H
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.1 GHz	5.2 GHz+27%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	4 GHz+11%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)+300%	16 MB
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	8 MB+700%
Process	4 nm	4 nm
Architecture	Turin (2024)	Hawk Point-HS (Zen 4) (2023−2024)
PassMark	30,505	30,240
Cinebench R23 Multi	15,000	17,500+17%
Geekbench 6 Single	1,400	2,617+87%
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,000	12,662+15%

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Memory & Platform

The EPYC 9015 uses the SP5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 8945H uses FP7/FP7r2/FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-6000 memory speed. The EPYC 9015 supports up to 4096 GB of RAM compared to 256 GB — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 12 (EPYC 9015) vs 2 (Ryzen 9 8945H). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 9015) vs 20 (Ryzen 9 8945H) — the EPYC 9015 offers 108 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP5 platform (EPYC 9015) and FP7,FP7r2,FP8 (Ryzen 9 8945H).

Feature	EPYC 9015	Ryzen 9 8945H
Socket	SP5	FP7/FP7r2/FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-6000	DDR5-5600
Max RAM Capacity	4096 GB+1500%	256 GB
RAM Channels	12+500%	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	128+540%	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: AMD-V, SEV-SNP (EPYC 9015) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 9 8945H). The Ryzen 9 8945H includes integrated graphics (Radeon 780M), while the EPYC 9015 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: EPYC 9015 targets Next-gen Data Center / AI Workloads, Ryzen 9 8945H targets Gaming. Direct competitor: EPYC 9015 rivals Xeon 6; Ryzen 9 8945H rivals Core i9-13900H.

Feature	EPYC 9015	Ryzen 9 8945H
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	—	Radeon 780M
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	AMD-V, SEV-SNP	AMD-V
Target Use	Next-gen Data Center / AI Workloads	Gaming