Core i7-9700K vs EPYC 4345P

CPU

GPU

Core i7-9700K

8 Cores8 Thrd95 WWMax: 4.9 GHz2018

Popular choices:

•••••••••

EPYC 4345P

8 Cores16 Thrd65 WWMax: 5.5 GHz2025

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-9700K

8 / 8

14,397

0.0%

36,006

+150.1%

Ryzen 7 PRO 6860Z

Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350

Ryzen 7 5800XT

Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX

Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3995WX

Ryzen Threadripper 7970X

About PassMark

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.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 4345P across 49 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 36,006).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 4345P, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 28 PCIe lanes.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 109.4 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

EPYC 4345P

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.5% higher average FPS across 49 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 28 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 192.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 109.4 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Core i7-9700K

2018

EPYC 4345P

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.5% higher average FPS across 49 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 28 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 192.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 109.4 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 4345P across 49 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 36,006).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 4345P, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 28 PCIe lanes.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 109.4 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 4345P better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 4345P makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i7-9700K 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, EPYC 4345P is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 11.5% more average FPS across 49 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 4345P is the better fit. You are getting 150.1% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB).

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

EPYC 4345P is the smarter buy today. EPYC 4345P is $56 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 11.5% average FPS lead across 49 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 192.7% better value on MSRP (109.4 vs 37.4 PassMark/$), 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?

EPYC 4345P is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2018), a healthier platform with AM5 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, 166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB), more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/8, 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.

Core i7-9700K Benchmark Check

EPYC 4345P Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 4345P
1080p
low	308 FPS	257 FPS
medium	278 FPS	239 FPS
high	231 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	178 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	220 FPS
medium	221 FPS	185 FPS
high	178 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	153 FPS
medium	140 FPS	128 FPS
high	108 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	86 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 4345P

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 4345P
1080p
low	360 FPS	630 FPS
medium	321 FPS	526 FPS
high	291 FPS	436 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	393 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	537 FPS
medium	282 FPS	470 FPS
high	258 FPS	395 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	337 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	315 FPS
medium	221 FPS	281 FPS
high	208 FPS	265 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	232 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 4345P

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 4345P
1080p
low	360 FPS	900 FPS
medium	360 FPS	747 FPS
high	360 FPS	664 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	570 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	725 FPS
medium	360 FPS	581 FPS
high	360 FPS	504 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	425 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	501 FPS
medium	360 FPS	415 FPS
high	360 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	311 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 4345P

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 4345P
1080p
low	360 FPS	900 FPS
medium	360 FPS	900 FPS
high	360 FPS	856 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	772 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	855 FPS
medium	360 FPS	756 FPS
high	360 FPS	663 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	579 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	570 FPS
medium	360 FPS	509 FPS
high	360 FPS	459 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	400 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 4345P

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and EPYC 4345P

Core i7-9700K

The Core i7-9700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,397 points. Launch price was $374.

EPYC 4345P

The EPYC 4345P is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 13 May 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Grado (2025) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 5.5 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 36,006 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, matching the EPYC 4345P's 8 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 5.5 GHz on the EPYC 4345P — a 11.5% clock advantage for the EPYC 4345P (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the EPYC 4345P uses Grado (2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the EPYC 4345P's 36,006 — a 85.7% lead for the EPYC 4345P. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 32 MB (total) on the EPYC 4345P.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 4345P
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	5.5 GHz+12%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.8 GHz+6%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	32 MB (total)+167%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Grado (2025)
PassMark	14,397	36,006+150%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the EPYC 4345P uses AM5 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9700K versus 5600 on the EPYC 4345P — the EPYC 4345P supports 199.7% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 28 (EPYC 4345P) — the EPYC 4345P offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and AM5 (EPYC 4345P).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 4345P
Socket	LGA1151	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	5600+139900%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+104857500%	128
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	28+75%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-9700K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the EPYC 4345P supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs AMD-V, IOMMU (EPYC 4345P). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 630 (Core i7-9700K) and AMD Radeon Graphics (EPYC 4345P) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop. Direct competitor: EPYC 4345P rivals Xeon E-2488.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 4345P
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	AMD Radeon Graphics
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V, IOMMU
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the EPYC 4345P debuted at $329. On MSRP ($385 vs $329), the EPYC 4345P is $56 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 109.4 pts/$ for the EPYC 4345P — making the EPYC 4345P the 98.1% better value option.