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 7401

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 155W instead of 280W, a 125W reduction.
✅45.5% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 88) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Threadripper 3960X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌
7.2% HIGHER MSRP
$1,500 MSRPvs$1,399 MSRP

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +56.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $101 less on MSRP ($1,399 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (54,763 vs 55,280).
❌80.6% higher power demand at 280W vs 155W.

EPYC 7401

2017

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

2019

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 155W instead of 280W, a 125W reduction.
✅45.5% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 88) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +56.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $101 less on MSRP ($1,399 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Threadripper 3960X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌
7.2% HIGHER MSRP
$1,500 MSRPvs$1,399 MSRP

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (54,763 vs 55,280).
❌80.6% higher power demand at 280W vs 155W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen Threadripper 3960X better than EPYC 7401?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is ahead with a 56.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7401 pulls ahead with 0.9% better PassMark. Ryzen Threadripper 3960X also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 64 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7401 is the better fit. You are getting 0.9% better PassMark, backed by 24 cores and 48 threads.

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

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is $101 cheaper on MSRP at $1,399 MSRP versus $1,500 MSRP, and it gives you a 56.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that EPYC 7401 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.9% better PassMark. It is also 6.2% better value on MSRP (39.1 vs 36.9 PassMark/$), 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 Threadripper 3960X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2017) and 3D V-Cache and a much larger 128 MB L3 cache instead of 64 MB. 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 7401 Benchmark Check

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7401	Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
1080p
low	187 FPS	270 FPS
medium	165 FPS	222 FPS
high	132 FPS	183 FPS
ultra	105 FPS	131 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	211 FPS
medium	127 FPS	164 FPS
high	97 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	96 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	98 FPS
medium	63 FPS	81 FPS
high	48 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	51 FPS

Open EPYC 7401 Open Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7401	Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
1080p
low	207 FPS	835 FPS
medium	188 FPS	706 FPS
high	160 FPS	547 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	474 FPS
1440p
low	178 FPS	677 FPS
medium	163 FPS	587 FPS
high	141 FPS	476 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	387 FPS
4K
low	112 FPS	396 FPS
medium	103 FPS	345 FPS
high	92 FPS	307 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	271 FPS

Open EPYC 7401 Open Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7401	Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
1080p
low	620 FPS	1025 FPS
medium	518 FPS	927 FPS
high	466 FPS	862 FPS
ultra	399 FPS	765 FPS
1440p
low	517 FPS	777 FPS
medium	432 FPS	645 FPS
high	378 FPS	581 FPS
ultra	325 FPS	506 FPS
4K
low	383 FPS	540 FPS
medium	308 FPS	428 FPS
high	270 FPS	381 FPS
ultra	220 FPS	306 FPS

Open EPYC 7401 Open Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7401	Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
1080p
low	834 FPS	1325 FPS
medium	758 FPS	1015 FPS
high	651 FPS	1074 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	875 FPS
1440p
low	667 FPS	1032 FPS
medium	584 FPS	900 FPS
high	500 FPS	778 FPS
ultra	420 FPS	656 FPS
4K
low	475 FPS	744 FPS
medium	427 FPS	662 FPS
high	375 FPS	579 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	437 FPS

Open EPYC 7401 Open Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7401 and Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

EPYC 7401

The EPYC 7401 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 29 June 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Naples (2017−2018) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3 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: 55,280 points. Launch price was $1,850.

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

The Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 25 November 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 128 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: TR4. Thermal design power (TDP): 280 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Eight-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 54,763 points. Launch price was $1,399.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the EPYC 7401 and Ryzen Threadripper 3960X share an identical 24-core/48-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the EPYC 7401 versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X — a 40% clock advantage for the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X (base: 2 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The EPYC 7401 uses the Naples (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X uses Matisse (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7401 scores 55,280 against the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X's 54,763 — a 0.9% lead for the EPYC 7401. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 7401 vs 128 MB on the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X.

Feature	EPYC 7401	Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
Cores / Threads	24 / 48	24 / 48
Boost Clock	3 GHz	4.5 GHz+50%
Base Clock	2 GHz	3.8 GHz+90%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)	128 MB+100%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	14 nm	7 nm, 12 nm-50%
Architecture	Naples (2017−2018)	Matisse (2019−2020)
PassMark	55,280	54,763
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	34,260
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,270

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the TR4 socket with PCIe 4.0. Maximum memory speed reaches 2666 on the EPYC 7401 versus DDR4-3200 on the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X — the EPYC 7401 supports 199.4% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 7401 supports up to 2048 of RAM compared to 256 GB — 155.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 7401) vs 4 (Ryzen Threadripper 3960X). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7401) vs 88 (Ryzen Threadripper 3960X) — the EPYC 7401 offers 40 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 (EPYC 7401) and AMD TRX40 (Ryzen Threadripper 3960X).

Feature	EPYC 7401	Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
Socket	TR4	TR4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	2666+66550%	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	2048	256 GB+13107100%
RAM Channels	8+100%	4
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+45%	88

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (EPYC 7401) vs true (Ryzen Threadripper 3960X). Direct competitor: EPYC 7401 rivals Xeon Silver 4114; Ryzen Threadripper 3960X rivals Core i9-10900X.

Feature	EPYC 7401	Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	None
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	true

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 7401 launched at $1500 MSRP, while the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X debuted at $1399. On MSRP ($1500 vs $1399), the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is $101 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 7401 delivers 36.9 pts/$ vs 39.1 pts/$ for the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X — making the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X the 6% better value option.