EPYC 7501 vs Xeon Gold 5218R

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 7501

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+132.7% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 28 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (24,925 vs 25,000).
❌24% higher power demand at 155W vs 125W.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Xeon Gold 5218R

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 125W instead of 155W, a 30W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 7501 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (28 MB vs 64 MB).

EPYC 7501

2017

Xeon Gold 5218R

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+132.7% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 28 MB).

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 125W instead of 155W, a 30W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (24,925 vs 25,000).
❌24% higher power demand at 155W vs 125W.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 7501 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (28 MB vs 64 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 5218R better than EPYC 7501?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, EPYC 7501 is ahead with a 6.1% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5218R pulls ahead with 0.3% better PassMark. EPYC 7501 also has the bigger cache pool with 132.7% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 28 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5218R is the better fit. You are getting 0.3% better PassMark, backed by 20 cores and 40 threads.

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

Xeon Gold 5218R still looks like the safer overall buy. Xeon Gold 5218R is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.3% better PassMark.

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

Xeon Gold 5218R is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2017), more multi-core headroom with 20 cores / 40 threads instead of 32/64, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 7501 Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 5218R Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7501	Xeon Gold 5218R
1080p
low	187 FPS	186 FPS
medium	165 FPS	151 FPS
high	132 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	105 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	146 FPS
medium	127 FPS	115 FPS
high	97 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	68 FPS
medium	63 FPS	57 FPS
high	48 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	36 FPS

Open EPYC 7501 Open Xeon Gold 5218R

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7501	Xeon Gold 5218R
1080p
low	207 FPS	212 FPS
medium	188 FPS	188 FPS
high	160 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	136 FPS
1440p
low	178 FPS	183 FPS
medium	163 FPS	166 FPS
high	141 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	120 FPS
4K
low	112 FPS	119 FPS
medium	103 FPS	109 FPS
high	92 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	82 FPS

Open EPYC 7501 Open Xeon Gold 5218R

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7501	Xeon Gold 5218R
1080p
low	620 FPS	625 FPS
medium	518 FPS	625 FPS
high	466 FPS	625 FPS
ultra	399 FPS	625 FPS
1440p
low	517 FPS	625 FPS
medium	432 FPS	625 FPS
high	378 FPS	625 FPS
ultra	325 FPS	559 FPS
4K
low	383 FPS	487 FPS
medium	308 FPS	399 FPS
high	270 FPS	352 FPS
ultra	220 FPS	287 FPS

Open EPYC 7501 Open Xeon Gold 5218R

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7501	Xeon Gold 5218R
1080p
low	623 FPS	625 FPS
medium	623 FPS	625 FPS
high	623 FPS	625 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	567 FPS
1440p
low	623 FPS	625 FPS
medium	584 FPS	590 FPS
high	500 FPS	508 FPS
ultra	420 FPS	440 FPS
4K
low	475 FPS	468 FPS
medium	427 FPS	419 FPS
high	375 FPS	374 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	323 FPS

Open EPYC 7501 Open Xeon Gold 5218R

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7501 and Xeon Gold 5218R

EPYC 7501

The EPYC 7501 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 32 cores and 64 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: 24,925 points. Launch price was $3,400.

Xeon Gold 5218R

The Xeon Gold 5218R is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 20 cores and 40 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 27.5 MB. L2 cache: 20 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2667. Passmark benchmark score: 25,000 points. Launch price was $1,273.

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Processing Power

The EPYC 7501 packs 32 cores / 64 threads, while the Xeon Gold 5218R offers 20 cores / 40 threads — the EPYC 7501 has 12 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the EPYC 7501 versus 4 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5218R — a 28.6% clock advantage for the Xeon Gold 5218R (base: 2 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The EPYC 7501 uses the Naples (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon Gold 5218R uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7501 scores 24,925 against the Xeon Gold 5218R's 25,000 — a 0.3% lead for the Xeon Gold 5218R. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 7501 vs 27.5 MB on the Xeon Gold 5218R.

Feature	EPYC 7501	Xeon Gold 5218R
Cores / Threads	32 / 64+60%	20 / 40
Boost Clock	3 GHz	4 GHz+33%
Base Clock	2 GHz	2.1 GHz+5%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)+133%	27.5 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	20 MB+3900%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Naples (2017−2018)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	24,925	25,000

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Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7501 uses the TR4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 5218R uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.