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 7C13

2021

Why buy it

✅+67.8% higher Geekbench multi-core.
✅Costs $1,990 less on MSRP ($2,000 MSRP vs $3,990 MSRP).
✅Delivers 90.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 38.2 vs 20.0 PassMark/$ ($2,000 MSRP vs $3,990 MSRP).
✅Draws 225W instead of 280W, a 55W reduction.
✅45.5% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 88) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench single-core performance for gaming (1,538 vs 1,961).

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

2019

Why buy it

✅+27.5% higher Geekbench single-core performance for gaming and desktop responsiveness.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (22,045 vs 37,000).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 20.0 vs 38.2 PassMark/$ ($3,990 MSRP vs $2,000 MSRP).
❌24.4% higher power demand at 280W vs 225W.

EPYC 7C13

2021

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

2019

Why buy it

✅+67.8% higher Geekbench multi-core.
✅Costs $1,990 less on MSRP ($2,000 MSRP vs $3,990 MSRP).
✅Delivers 90.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 38.2 vs 20.0 PassMark/$ ($2,000 MSRP vs $3,990 MSRP).
✅Draws 225W instead of 280W, a 55W reduction.
✅45.5% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 88) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+27.5% higher Geekbench single-core performance for gaming and desktop responsiveness.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench single-core performance for gaming (1,538 vs 1,961).

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (22,045 vs 37,000).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 20.0 vs 38.2 PassMark/$ ($3,990 MSRP vs $2,000 MSRP).
❌24.4% higher power demand at 280W vs 225W.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 7C13 better than Ryzen Threadripper 3990X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen Threadripper 3990X is ahead with a 0.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7C13 pulls ahead with 67.8% better Geekbench multi-core.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7C13 is the better fit. You are getting 67.8% better Geekbench multi-core, backed by 64 cores and 128 threads.

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

EPYC 7C13 is the smarter buy today. EPYC 7C13 is $1,990 cheaper on MSRP at $2,000 MSRP versus $3,990 MSRP, and it gives you 67.8% better Geekbench multi-core. The trade-off is that Ryzen Threadripper 3990X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 0.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 90.7% better value on MSRP (38.2 vs 20.0 PassMark/$), 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 7C13 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2019) and more multi-core headroom with 64 cores / 128 threads instead of 64/128. 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 7C13 Benchmark Check

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7C13	Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
1080p
low	195 FPS	181 FPS
medium	159 FPS	152 FPS
high	129 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	160 FPS	157 FPS
medium	125 FPS	125 FPS
high	97 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	85 FPS
medium	60 FPS	72 FPS
high	47 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	46 FPS

Open EPYC 7C13 Open Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7C13	Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
1080p
low	267 FPS	584 FPS
medium	235 FPS	503 FPS
high	193 FPS	386 FPS
ultra	158 FPS	330 FPS
1440p
low	219 FPS	491 FPS
medium	198 FPS	433 FPS
high	167 FPS	343 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	277 FPS
4K
low	135 FPS	308 FPS
medium	124 FPS	275 FPS
high	112 FPS	235 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	204 FPS

Open EPYC 7C13 Open Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7C13	Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
1080p
low	837 FPS	681 FPS
medium	698 FPS	563 FPS
high	650 FPS	497 FPS
ultra	574 FPS	428 FPS
1440p
low	602 FPS	582 FPS
medium	500 FPS	488 FPS
high	459 FPS	427 FPS
ultra	401 FPS	368 FPS
4K
low	430 FPS	424 FPS
medium	336 FPS	338 FPS
high	300 FPS	293 FPS
ultra	243 FPS	234 FPS

Open EPYC 7C13 Open Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7C13	Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
1080p
low	977 FPS	942 FPS
medium	886 FPS	842 FPS
high	761 FPS	724 FPS
ultra	659 FPS	639 FPS
1440p
low	753 FPS	777 FPS
medium	657 FPS	677 FPS
high	560 FPS	580 FPS
ultra	481 FPS	502 FPS
4K
low	541 FPS	540 FPS
medium	481 FPS	489 FPS
high	422 FPS	429 FPS
ultra	364 FPS	373 FPS

Open EPYC 7C13 Open Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7C13 and Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

EPYC 7C13

The EPYC 7C13 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2021-03-01. It is based on the Milan (2021−2023) architecture. It features 64 cores and 128 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.68 GHz. L3 cache: 256 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 225 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 76,363 points. Launch price was $5,000.

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

The Ryzen Threadripper 3990X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 February 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture. It features 64 cores and 128 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 256 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: TR4. Thermal design power (TDP): 280 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 79,889 points. Launch price was $3,999.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the EPYC 7C13 and Ryzen Threadripper 3990X share an identical 64-core/128-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.68 GHz on the EPYC 7C13 versus 4.3 GHz on the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X — a 15.5% clock advantage for the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X (base: 2 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). The EPYC 7C13 uses the Milan (2021−2023) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X uses Matisse (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7C13 scores 76,363 against the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X's 79,889 — a 4.5% lead for the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,538 vs 1,961, a 24.2% lead for the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 37,000 vs 22,045 (50.7% advantage for the EPYC 7C13). L3 cache: 256 MB (total) on the EPYC 7C13 vs 256 MB on the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X.

Feature	EPYC 7C13	Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
Cores / Threads	64 / 128	64 / 128
Boost Clock	3.68 GHz	4.3 GHz+17%
Base Clock	2 GHz	2.9 GHz+45%
L3 Cache	256 MB (total)	256 MB
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm	7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture	Milan (2021−2023)	Matisse (2019−2020)
PassMark	76,363	79,889+5%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	64,366
Geekbench 6 Single	1,538	1,961+28%
Geekbench 6 Multi	37,000+68%	22,045

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7C13 uses the SP3 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X uses TR4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The EPYC 7C13 supports up to 4096 GB of RAM compared to 256 GB — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 7C13) vs 4 (Ryzen Threadripper 3990X). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7C13) vs 88 (Ryzen Threadripper 3990X) — the EPYC 7C13 offers 40 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 (EPYC 7C13) and TRX40 (Ryzen Threadripper 3990X).

Feature	EPYC 7C13	Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
Socket	SP3	TR4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	4096 GB+1500%	256 GB
RAM Channels	8+100%	4
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+45%	88

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: AMD-V (EPYC 7C13) vs true (Ryzen Threadripper 3990X). Primary use case: EPYC 7C13 targets Enterprise Server. Direct competitor: EPYC 7C13 rivals Xeon Platinum 8380; Ryzen Threadripper 3990X rivals Core i9-10980XE.

Feature	EPYC 7C13	Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	None
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	AMD-V	true
Target Use	Enterprise Server	—

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 7C13 launched at $2000 MSRP, while the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X debuted at $3990. On MSRP ($2000 vs $3990), the EPYC 7C13 is $1990 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 7C13 delivers 38.2 pts/$ vs 20.0 pts/$ for the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X — making the EPYC 7C13 the 62.4% better value option.