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 74F3

2021

Why buy it

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 128 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 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 9955HX3D across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (60,666 vs 61,578).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 66.4 vs 82.2 PassMark/$ ($913 MSRP vs $749 MSRP).
❌336.4% higher power demand at 240W vs 55W.
❌Older platform position on SP3 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 9955HX3D moves to FL1 and DDR5.

Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.4% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $164 less on MSRP ($749 MSRP vs $913 MSRP).
✅Delivers 23.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 82.2 vs 66.4 PassMark/$ ($749 MSRP vs $913 MSRP).
✅Draws 55W instead of 240W, a 185W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FL1 with DDR5 support instead of SP3 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (128 MB vs 256 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 74F3, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 74F3

2021

Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

2025

Why buy it

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 128 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 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: +20.4% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $164 less on MSRP ($749 MSRP vs $913 MSRP).
✅Delivers 23.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 82.2 vs 66.4 PassMark/$ ($749 MSRP vs $913 MSRP).
✅Draws 55W instead of 240W, a 185W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FL1 with DDR5 support instead of SP3 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 9955HX3D across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (60,666 vs 61,578).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 66.4 vs 82.2 PassMark/$ ($913 MSRP vs $749 MSRP).
❌336.4% higher power demand at 240W vs 55W.
❌Older platform position on SP3 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 9955HX3D moves to FL1 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (128 MB vs 256 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 74F3, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 9955HX3D better than EPYC 74F3?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 74F3 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 9955HX3D 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 9955HX3D is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 20.4% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is the better fit. You are getting 1.5% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is $164 cheaper on MSRP at $749 MSRP versus $913 MSRP, and it gives you a 20.4% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 23.7% better value on MSRP (82.2 vs 66.4 PassMark/$), 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 9955HX3D is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2021), a healthier platform with FL1 and DDR5 instead of SP3, more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 24/48, 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 74F3 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 9955HX3D Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 74F3	Ryzen 9 9955HX3D
1080p
low	170 FPS	287 FPS
medium	141 FPS	265 FPS
high	120 FPS	217 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	183 FPS
1440p
low	148 FPS	264 FPS
medium	120 FPS	221 FPS
high	95 FPS	170 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	150 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	183 FPS
medium	59 FPS	153 FPS
high	47 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	103 FPS

Open EPYC 74F3 Open Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 74F3	Ryzen 9 9955HX3D
1080p
low	507 FPS	698 FPS
medium	443 FPS	601 FPS
high	354 FPS	448 FPS
ultra	288 FPS	376 FPS
1440p
low	417 FPS	579 FPS
medium	373 FPS	517 FPS
high	308 FPS	398 FPS
ultra	243 FPS	311 FPS
4K
low	257 FPS	325 FPS
medium	234 FPS	294 FPS
high	205 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	171 FPS	218 FPS

Open EPYC 74F3 Open Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 74F3	Ryzen 9 9955HX3D
1080p
low	725 FPS	851 FPS
medium	619 FPS	696 FPS
high	572 FPS	627 FPS
ultra	504 FPS	539 FPS
1440p
low	543 FPS	680 FPS
medium	461 FPS	557 FPS
high	419 FPS	490 FPS
ultra	363 FPS	416 FPS
4K
low	400 FPS	484 FPS
medium	322 FPS	401 FPS
high	284 FPS	361 FPS
ultra	227 FPS	302 FPS

Open EPYC 74F3 Open Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 74F3	Ryzen 9 9955HX3D
1080p
low	937 FPS	1080 FPS
medium	854 FPS	976 FPS
high	731 FPS	854 FPS
ultra	647 FPS	768 FPS
1440p
low	744 FPS	853 FPS
medium	651 FPS	753 FPS
high	554 FPS	660 FPS
ultra	479 FPS	571 FPS
4K
low	537 FPS	622 FPS
medium	482 FPS	557 FPS
high	420 FPS	494 FPS
ultra	361 FPS	426 FPS

Open EPYC 74F3 Open Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 74F3 and Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

EPYC 74F3

The EPYC 74F3 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 15 March 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Milan (2021−2023) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 256 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm+ process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 240 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 60,666 points. Launch price was $2,900.

Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

The Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2025-01-01. It is based on the Fire Range-HX (Zen 5) (2025) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 128 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FL1. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 61,578 points. Launch price was $700.

⚡

Processing Power

The EPYC 74F3 packs 24 cores / 48 threads, while the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the EPYC 74F3 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4 GHz on the EPYC 74F3 versus 5.4 GHz on the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D — a 29.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D (base: 2.8 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The EPYC 74F3 uses the Milan (2021−2023) architecture (7 nm+), while the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D uses Fire Range-HX (Zen 5) (2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 74F3 scores 60,666 against the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D's 61,578 — a 1.5% lead for the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D. L3 cache: 256 MB (total) on the EPYC 74F3 vs 128 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D.

Feature	EPYC 74F3	Ryzen 9 9955HX3D
Cores / Threads	24 / 48+50%	16 / 32
Boost Clock	4 GHz	5.4 GHz+35%
Base Clock	2.8 GHz+12%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	256 MB (total)+100%	128 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm+	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Milan (2021−2023)	Fire Range-HX (Zen 5) (2025)
PassMark	60,666	61,578+2%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 74F3 uses the SP3 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D uses FL1 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 3200 on the EPYC 74F3 versus 5600 on the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D — the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D supports 54.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 74F3 supports up to 4096 of RAM compared to 96 — 190.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 74F3) vs 2 (Ryzen 9 9955HX3D). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 74F3) vs 28 (Ryzen 9 9955HX3D) — the EPYC 74F3 offers 100 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 (EPYC 74F3) and FL1 (Ryzen 9 9955HX3D).

Feature	EPYC 74F3	Ryzen 9 9955HX3D
Socket	SP3	FL1
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 5.0+25%
Max RAM Speed	3200	5600+75%
Max RAM Capacity	4096+4167%	96
RAM Channels	8+300%	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+357%	28

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (EPYC 74F3) vs VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V (Ryzen 9 9955HX3D). The Ryzen 9 9955HX3D includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon 610M), while the EPYC 74F3 requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: EPYC 74F3 rivals Xeon Platinum 8380; Ryzen 9 9955HX3D rivals Core Ultra 9 185H.

Feature	EPYC 74F3	Ryzen 9 9955HX3D
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	None	AMD Radeon 610M
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 74F3 launched at $913 MSRP, while the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D debuted at $749. On MSRP ($913 vs $749), the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is $164 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 74F3 delivers 66.4 pts/$ vs 82.2 pts/$ for the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D — making the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D the 21.2% better value option.