Core i7-9700K vs EPYC 7773X

CPU

GPU

Core i7-9700K

8 Cores8 Thrd95 WWMax: 4.9 GHz2018

Popular choices:

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EPYC 7773X

64 Cores128 Thrd280 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2022

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-9700K

8 / 8

14,397

0.0%

91,340

+534.4%

Ryzen 9 7900X3D

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9975WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7985WX

Ryzen Threadripper 7980X

Ryzen Threadripper 9980X

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 $8,415 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $8,800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 260.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 10.4 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $8,800 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 280W, a 185W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while EPYC 7773X needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌No 3D V-Cache or similar L3 advantage, which matters in CPU-limited gaming (12 MB vs 768 MB).
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 91,340).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7773X, which brings 64 cores / 128 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 7773X

2022

Why buy it

✅Massive L3 cache advantage with 768 MB vs 12 MB, which is a real win in CPU-limited gaming.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 64 cores / 128 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 10.4 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($8,800 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌194.7% higher power demand at 280W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

EPYC 7773X

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $8,415 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $8,800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 260.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 10.4 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $8,800 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 280W, a 185W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while EPYC 7773X needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Massive L3 cache advantage with 768 MB vs 12 MB, which is a real win in CPU-limited gaming.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 64 cores / 128 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅700% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌No 3D V-Cache or similar L3 advantage, which matters in CPU-limited gaming (12 MB vs 768 MB).
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 91,340).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7773X, which brings 64 cores / 128 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 10.4 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($8,800 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌194.7% higher power demand at 280W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 7773X better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7773X 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 7773X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 1.7% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 768 MB vs 12 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7773X is the better fit. You are getting 534.4% better PassMark, backed by 64 cores and 128 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 6300% larger total L3 cache (768 MB vs 12 MB).

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

EPYC 7773X is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. EPYC 7773X is 2185.7% more expensive on MSRP at $8,800 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 1.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 260.3% better value on paper (37.4 vs 10.4 PassMark/$), 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 7773X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2018), 3D V-Cache and a much larger 768 MB L3 cache instead of 12 MB, and more multi-core headroom with 64 cores / 128 threads instead of 8/8. 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 7773X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7773X
1080p
low	308 FPS	197 FPS
medium	278 FPS	160 FPS
high	231 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	158 FPS
medium	221 FPS	124 FPS
high	178 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	73 FPS
medium	140 FPS	61 FPS
high	108 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	39 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 7773X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7773X
1080p
low	360 FPS	257 FPS
medium	321 FPS	228 FPS
high	291 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	150 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	211 FPS
medium	282 FPS	192 FPS
high	258 FPS	164 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	126 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	131 FPS
medium	221 FPS	121 FPS
high	208 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	86 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 7773X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7773X
1080p
low	360 FPS	850 FPS
medium	360 FPS	708 FPS
high	360 FPS	660 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	582 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	612 FPS
medium	360 FPS	508 FPS
high	360 FPS	466 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	407 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	437 FPS
medium	360 FPS	341 FPS
high	360 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	246 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 7773X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7773X
1080p
low	360 FPS	955 FPS
medium	360 FPS	867 FPS
high	360 FPS	742 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	639 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	738 FPS
medium	360 FPS	642 FPS
high	360 FPS	547 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	470 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	525 FPS
medium	360 FPS	468 FPS
high	360 FPS	409 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	356 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 7773X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and EPYC 7773X

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 7773X

The EPYC 7773X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2022-03-22. It is based on the Milan-X (2022) architecture. It features 64 cores and 128 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 768 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 280 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 91,340 points. Launch price was $8,800.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the EPYC 7773X offers 64 cores / 128 threads — the EPYC 7773X has 56 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 3.5 GHz on the EPYC 7773X — a 33.3% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the EPYC 7773X uses Milan-X (2022) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the EPYC 7773X's 91,340 — a 145.5% lead for the EPYC 7773X. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 768 MB (total) on the EPYC 7773X.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7773X
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	64 / 128+700%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+40%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+64%	2.2 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	768 MB (total)+6300%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Milan-X (2022)
PassMark	14,397	91,340+534%
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,536
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	45,000

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the EPYC 7773X uses SP3 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. The Core i7-9700K supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 4 TB — 187.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i7-9700K) vs 8 (EPYC 7773X). PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 128 (EPYC 7773X) — the EPYC 7773X offers 112 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and SP3 (EPYC 7773X).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7773X
Socket	LGA1151	SP3
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	4 TB+3100%
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. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs AMD-V (EPYC 7773X). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the EPYC 7773X requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop, EPYC 7773X targets Server. Direct competitor: EPYC 7773X rivals EPYC 9654.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 7773X
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	None
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	Desktop	Server

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the EPYC 7773X debuted at $8800. On MSRP ($385 vs $8800), the Core i7-9700K is $8415 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 10.4 pts/$ for the EPYC 7773X — making the Core i7-9700K the 113.1% better value option.