Core i9-12900E vs EPYC 7401P

CPU

GPU

Core i9-12900E

16 Cores24 Thrd65 WWMax: 5 GHz2022

Popular choices:

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EPYC 7401P

24 Cores48 Thrd155 WWMax: 3 GHz2017

Popular choices:

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Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i9-12900E

16 / 24

28,170

+1.2%

27,836

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9965WX

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 i9-12900E

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +66.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 155W, a 90W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 770, while EPYC 7401P needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (30 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7401P, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $500 MSRP, while EPYC 7401P mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

EPYC 7401P

2017

Why buy it

✅+113.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 30 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-12900E across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (27,836 vs 28,170).
❌138.5% higher power demand at 155W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Core i9-12900E moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i9-12900E can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i9-12900E

2022

EPYC 7401P

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +66.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 155W, a 90W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of TR4 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 770, while EPYC 7401P needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+113.3% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 30 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (30 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7401P, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $500 MSRP, while EPYC 7401P mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-12900E across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (27,836 vs 28,170).
❌138.5% higher power demand at 155W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on TR4 with DDR4, while Core i9-12900E moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i9-12900E can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i9-12900E better than EPYC 7401P?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7401P makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i9-12900E 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, Core i9-12900E is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 66.4% 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, Core i9-12900E is the better fit. You are getting 1.2% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 24 threads.

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

Core i9-12900E is the smarter buy today. Core i9-12900E is at an unclear MSRP at $500 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 66.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (56.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Core i9-12900E is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2017), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of TR4, more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 24 threads instead of 24/48, 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 i9-12900E Benchmark Check

EPYC 7401P Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-12900E	EPYC 7401P
1080p
low	254 FPS	187 FPS
medium	239 FPS	165 FPS
high	201 FPS	132 FPS
ultra	172 FPS	105 FPS
1440p
low	220 FPS	153 FPS
medium	187 FPS	127 FPS
high	153 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	135 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	151 FPS	71 FPS
medium	128 FPS	63 FPS
high	100 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	39 FPS

Open Core i9-12900E Open EPYC 7401P

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-12900E	EPYC 7401P
1080p
low	646 FPS	207 FPS
medium	552 FPS	188 FPS
high	462 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	410 FPS	131 FPS
1440p
low	557 FPS	178 FPS
medium	497 FPS	163 FPS
high	419 FPS	141 FPS
ultra	351 FPS	111 FPS
4K
low	330 FPS	112 FPS
medium	299 FPS	103 FPS
high	282 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	240 FPS	75 FPS

Open Core i9-12900E Open EPYC 7401P

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-12900E	EPYC 7401P
1080p
low	704 FPS	620 FPS
medium	704 FPS	518 FPS
high	704 FPS	466 FPS
ultra	704 FPS	399 FPS
1440p
low	704 FPS	517 FPS
medium	704 FPS	432 FPS
high	704 FPS	378 FPS
ultra	656 FPS	325 FPS
4K
low	596 FPS	383 FPS
medium	502 FPS	308 FPS
high	447 FPS	270 FPS
ultra	376 FPS	220 FPS

Open Core i9-12900E Open EPYC 7401P

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-12900E	EPYC 7401P
1080p
low	704 FPS	696 FPS
medium	704 FPS	696 FPS
high	704 FPS	651 FPS
ultra	704 FPS	561 FPS
1440p
low	704 FPS	666 FPS
medium	704 FPS	584 FPS
high	696 FPS	500 FPS
ultra	591 FPS	420 FPS
4K
low	659 FPS	474 FPS
medium	584 FPS	427 FPS
high	513 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	435 FPS	320 FPS

Open Core i9-12900E Open EPYC 7401P

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-12900E and EPYC 7401P

Core i9-12900E

The Core i9-12900E is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 January 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 16 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 28,170 points. Launch price was $299.

EPYC 7401P

The EPYC 7401P is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 29 June 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Naples (2017−2018) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: TR4. Thermal design power (TDP): 170 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Eight-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 27,836 points. Launch price was $1,075.

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Processing Power

The Core i9-12900E packs 16 cores / 24 threads, while the EPYC 7401P offers 24 cores / 48 threads — the EPYC 7401P has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core i9-12900E versus 3 GHz on the EPYC 7401P — a 50% clock advantage for the Core i9-12900E (base: 2.3 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i9-12900E uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (10 nm), while the EPYC 7401P uses Naples (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-12900E scores 28,170 against the EPYC 7401P's 27,836 — a 1.2% lead for the Core i9-12900E. L3 cache: 30 MB (total) on the Core i9-12900E vs 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 7401P.

Feature	Core i9-12900E	EPYC 7401P
Cores / Threads	16 / 24	24 / 48+50%
Boost Clock	5 GHz+67%	3 GHz
Base Clock	2.3 GHz+15%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	30 MB (total)	64 MB (total)+113%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+150%	512K (per core)
Process	10 nm-29%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Naples (2017−2018)
PassMark	28,170+1%	27,836
Cinebench R23 Multi	13,420	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,107	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-12900E uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the EPYC 7401P uses TR4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-12900E	EPYC 7401P
Socket	LGA1700	TR4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-12900E) / not specified (EPYC 7401P). The Core i9-12900E includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 770), while the EPYC 7401P requires a dedicated GPU.