Core i7-9700K vs EPYC 9115

CPU

GPU

Core i7-9700K

8 Cores8 Thrd95 WWMax: 4.9 GHz2018

Popular choices:

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EPYC 9115

16 Cores32 Thrd125 WWMax: 4.1 GHz2024

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i7-9700K

8 / 8

14,397

0.0%

48,343

+235.8%

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

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

✅Costs $341 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 125W, a 30W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while EPYC 9115 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 9115 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 48,343).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9115, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 66.6 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).

EPYC 9115

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+433.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅Delivers 78.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 66.6 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($726 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on SP5 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌
88.6% HIGHER MSRP
$726 MSRPvs$385 MSRP
❌31.6% higher power demand at 125W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

EPYC 9115

2024

Why buy it

✅Costs $341 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 125W, a 30W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while EPYC 9115 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+433.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅Delivers 78.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 66.6 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($726 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Newer platform on SP5 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 9115 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 48,343).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 9115, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 66.6 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $726 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌
88.6% HIGHER MSRP
$726 MSRPvs$385 MSRP
❌31.6% higher power demand at 125W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 9115 better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 9115 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 9115 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 25.8% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 9115 is the better fit. You are getting 235.8% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 433.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 12 MB).

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

EPYC 9115 is the smarter buy today. EPYC 9115 is 88.6% more expensive on MSRP at $726 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 25.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 78.1% better value on MSRP (66.6 vs 37.4 PassMark/$), 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 9115 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2018), a healthier platform with SP5 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, 433.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 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 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 9115 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 9115
1080p
low	308 FPS	164 FPS
medium	278 FPS	135 FPS
high	231 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	144 FPS
medium	221 FPS	116 FPS
high	178 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	68 FPS
medium	140 FPS	58 FPS
high	108 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 9115

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 9115
1080p
low	360 FPS	490 FPS
medium	321 FPS	436 FPS
high	291 FPS	338 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	291 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	422 FPS
medium	282 FPS	380 FPS
high	258 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	247 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	264 FPS
medium	221 FPS	240 FPS
high	208 FPS	208 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	182 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 9115

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 9115
1080p
low	360 FPS	707 FPS
medium	360 FPS	592 FPS
high	360 FPS	538 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	478 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	545 FPS
medium	360 FPS	454 FPS
high	360 FPS	407 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	355 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	397 FPS
medium	360 FPS	318 FPS
high	360 FPS	281 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	228 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 9115

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 9115
1080p
low	360 FPS	860 FPS
medium	360 FPS	785 FPS
high	360 FPS	679 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	601 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	680 FPS
medium	360 FPS	601 FPS
high	360 FPS	516 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	447 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	495 FPS
medium	360 FPS	445 FPS
high	360 FPS	391 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	335 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open EPYC 9115

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and EPYC 9115

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 9115

The EPYC 9115 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 10 October 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Turin (2024) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: SP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 48,343 points. Launch price was $726.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the EPYC 9115 offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the EPYC 9115 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4.1 GHz on the EPYC 9115 — a 17.8% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the EPYC 9115 uses Turin (2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the EPYC 9115's 48,343 — a 108.2% lead for the EPYC 9115. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 9115.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 9115
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	16 / 32+100%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+20%	4.1 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+38%	2.6 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	64 MB (total)+433%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Turin (2024)
PassMark	14,397	48,343+236%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the EPYC 9115 uses SP5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9700K versus 4800 on the EPYC 9115 — the EPYC 9115 supports 199.7% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 9115 supports up to 6144 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 191.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i7-9700K) vs 12 (EPYC 9115). PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 128 (EPYC 9115) — the EPYC 9115 offers 112 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and SP5 (EPYC 9115).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 9115
Socket	LGA1151	SP5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	4800+119900%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+2184433%	6144
RAM Channels	2	12+500%
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 9115 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V (EPYC 9115). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the EPYC 9115 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop. Direct competitor: EPYC 9115 rivals Xeon Platinum 8468X.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	EPYC 9115
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, AMD-V
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the EPYC 9115 debuted at $726. On MSRP ($385 vs $726), the Core i7-9700K is $341 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 66.6 pts/$ for the EPYC 9115 — making the EPYC 9115 the 56.2% better value option.