Core i7-9700K vs EPYC 7413

CPU

GPU

Core i7-9700K

8 Cores8 Thrd95 WWMax: 4.9 GHz2018

Popular choices:

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EPYC 7413

24 Cores48 Thrd180 WWMax: 3.6 GHz2021

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-9700K

8 / 8

14,397

0.0%

50,641

+251.7%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

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

✅Better for gaming: +9.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $1,440 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $1,825 MSRP).
✅Delivers 34.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 27.7 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $1,825 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 180W, a 85W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while EPYC 7413 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 50,641).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 128 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7413, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 7413

2021

Why buy it

✅+251.7% higher PassMark.
✅+966.7% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 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 Core i7-9700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 27.7 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($1,825 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌89.5% higher power demand at 180W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

EPYC 7413

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $1,440 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $1,825 MSRP).
✅Delivers 34.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 27.7 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $1,825 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 180W, a 85W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while EPYC 7413 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+251.7% higher PassMark.
✅+966.7% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅700% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 50,641).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 128 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7413, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 27.7 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($1,825 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌89.5% higher power demand at 180W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 7413 better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7413 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 streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7413 is the better fit. You are getting 251.7% better PassMark, backed by 24 cores and 48 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 966.7% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 12 MB).

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

EPYC 7413 is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. EPYC 7413 is 374.0% more expensive on MSRP at $1,825 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you 251.7% better PassMark. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 34.8% better value on paper (37.4 vs 27.7 PassMark/$), 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 7413 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2018), 966.7% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 12 MB), more multi-core headroom with 24 cores / 48 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 7413 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7413
1080p
low	308 FPS	169 FPS
medium	278 FPS	140 FPS
high	231 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	147 FPS
medium	221 FPS	119 FPS
high	178 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	69 FPS
medium	140 FPS	59 FPS
high	108 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	38 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 7413

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7413
1080p
low	360 FPS	422 FPS
medium	321 FPS	371 FPS
high	291 FPS	301 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	237 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	347 FPS
medium	282 FPS	313 FPS
high	258 FPS	262 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	200 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	213 FPS
medium	221 FPS	196 FPS
high	208 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	132 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 7413

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7413
1080p
low	360 FPS	668 FPS
medium	360 FPS	558 FPS
high	360 FPS	519 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	452 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	506 FPS
medium	360 FPS	422 FPS
high	360 FPS	386 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	334 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	374 FPS
medium	360 FPS	292 FPS
high	360 FPS	261 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	209 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 7413

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7413
1080p
low	360 FPS	900 FPS
medium	360 FPS	821 FPS
high	360 FPS	707 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	623 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	719 FPS
medium	360 FPS	627 FPS
high	360 FPS	537 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	459 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	516 FPS
medium	360 FPS	461 FPS
high	360 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	348 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 7413

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and EPYC 7413

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 7413

The EPYC 7413 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 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.65 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 128 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm+ process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 180 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 50,641 points. Launch price was $1,825.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the EPYC 7413 offers 24 cores / 48 threads — the EPYC 7413 has 16 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 3.6 GHz on the EPYC 7413 — a 30.6% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.65 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the EPYC 7413 uses Milan (2021−2023) (7 nm+). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the EPYC 7413's 50,641 — a 111.5% lead for the EPYC 7413. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 128 MB (total) on the EPYC 7413.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7413
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	24 / 48+200%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+36%	3.6 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+36%	2.65 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	128 MB (total)+967%
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	50,641+252%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the EPYC 7413 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 7413 — the EPYC 7413 supports 199.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 7413 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 7413). PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 128 (EPYC 7413) — the EPYC 7413 offers 112 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and SP3 (EPYC 7413).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7413
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 7413 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 7413 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop. Direct competitor: EPYC 7413 rivals Xeon Gold 6338.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7413
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 7413 debuted at $1825. On MSRP ($385 vs $1825), the Core i7-9700K is $1440 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 27.7 pts/$ for the EPYC 7413 — making the Core i7-9700K the 29.6% better value option.