Core i7-9700K vs EPYC 73F3

CPU

GPU

Core i7-9700K

8 Cores8 Thrd95 WWMax: 4.9 GHz2018

Popular choices:

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EPYC 73F3

16 Cores32 Thrd240 WWMax: 4 GHz2021

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-9700K

8 / 8

14,397

0.0%

46,103

+220.2%

Ryzen 7 5800

Ryzen 9 PRO 8945HS

Ryzen 7 7700X

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5945WX

Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5975WX

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9975WX

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

✅Costs $3,136 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $3,521 MSRP).
✅Delivers 185.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 13.1 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $3,521 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 240W, a 145W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while EPYC 73F3 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 73F3 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 46,103).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 73F3, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 73F3

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +99.4% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅700% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.1 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($3,521 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌152.6% higher power demand at 240W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

EPYC 73F3

2021

Why buy it

✅Costs $3,136 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $3,521 MSRP).
✅Delivers 185.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 13.1 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $3,521 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 240W, a 145W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while EPYC 73F3 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +99.4% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅700% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 73F3 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 46,103).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 73F3, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.1 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($3,521 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌152.6% higher power demand at 240W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 73F3 better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 73F3 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 73F3 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 99.4% more average FPS across 2 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 256 MB vs 12 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 73F3 is the better fit. You are getting 220.2% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 2033.3% larger total L3 cache (256 MB vs 12 MB).

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

EPYC 73F3 is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. EPYC 73F3 is 814.5% more expensive on MSRP at $3,521 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 99.4% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 185.6% better value on paper (37.4 vs 13.1 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA1151.

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

EPYC 73F3 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2018), 3D V-Cache and a much larger 256 MB L3 cache instead of 12 MB, more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 8/8, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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.

Core i7-9700K Benchmark Check

EPYC 73F3 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 73F3
1080p
low	308 FPS	200 FPS
medium	278 FPS	159 FPS
high	231 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	166 FPS
medium	221 FPS	128 FPS
high	178 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	74 FPS
medium	140 FPS	61 FPS
high	108 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	39 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 73F3

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 73F3
1080p
low	360 FPS	510 FPS
medium	321 FPS	446 FPS
high	291 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	290 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	418 FPS
medium	282 FPS	375 FPS
high	258 FPS	309 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	244 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	257 FPS
medium	221 FPS	235 FPS
high	208 FPS	206 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	171 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 73F3

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 73F3
1080p
low	360 FPS	979 FPS
medium	360 FPS	819 FPS
high	360 FPS	760 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	678 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	675 FPS
medium	360 FPS	564 FPS
high	360 FPS	515 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	453 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	482 FPS
medium	360 FPS	382 FPS
high	360 FPS	338 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	274 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 73F3

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 73F3
1080p
low	360 FPS	1146 FPS
medium	360 FPS	1015 FPS
high	360 FPS	873 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	758 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	842 FPS
medium	360 FPS	733 FPS
high	360 FPS	620 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	539 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	608 FPS
medium	360 FPS	542 FPS
high	360 FPS	471 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	407 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 73F3

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and EPYC 73F3

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 73F3

The EPYC 73F3 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 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 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: 46,103 points. Launch price was $3,521.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the EPYC 73F3 offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the EPYC 73F3 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4 GHz on the EPYC 73F3 — a 20.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the EPYC 73F3 uses Milan (2021−2023) (7 nm+). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the EPYC 73F3's 46,103 — a 104.8% lead for the EPYC 73F3. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 256 MB (total) on the EPYC 73F3.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 73F3
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	16 / 32+100%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+23%	4 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+3%	3.5 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	256 MB (total)+2033%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm+-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Milan (2021−2023)
PassMark	14,397	46,103+220%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the EPYC 73F3 uses SP3 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9700K versus 3200 on the EPYC 73F3 — the EPYC 73F3 supports 199.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 73F3 supports up to 4096 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 187.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i7-9700K) vs 8 (EPYC 73F3). PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 128 (EPYC 73F3) — the EPYC 73F3 offers 112 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and SP3,C621A (EPYC 73F3).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 73F3
Socket	LGA1151	SP3
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	3200+79900%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+3276700%	4096
RAM Channels	2	8+300%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	128+700%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-9700K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the EPYC 73F3 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the EPYC 73F3 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop. Direct competitor: EPYC 73F3 rivals Xeon Platinum 8362.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 73F3
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	None
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the EPYC 73F3 debuted at $3521. On MSRP ($385 vs $3521), the Core i7-9700K is $3136 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 13.1 pts/$ for the EPYC 73F3 — making the Core i7-9700K the 96.3% better value option.