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.

EPYC 7303

2023

Why buy it

✅+1% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅433.3% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 5800X3D across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌23.8% higher power demand at 130W vs 105W.

Ryzen 7 5800X3D

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +31.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 105W instead of 130W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (28,298 vs 28,572).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7303, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $449 MSRP, while EPYC 7303 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

EPYC 7303

2023

Ryzen 7 5800X3D

2022

Why buy it

✅+1% higher PassMark.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅433.3% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +31.2% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 105W instead of 130W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 5800X3D across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌23.8% higher power demand at 130W vs 105W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (28,298 vs 28,572).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7303, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $449 MSRP, while EPYC 7303 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 5800X3D better than EPYC 7303?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7303 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 7 5800X3D 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 7303 is the better fit. You are getting 1% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 5800X3D is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 5800X3D is at an unclear MSRP at $449 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 31.2% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that EPYC 7303 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 1% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (63.0 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 7 5800X3D is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 3D V-Cache and a much larger 96 MB L3 cache instead of 64 MB. 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.

EPYC 7303 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 5800X3D Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7303	Ryzen 7 5800X3D
1080p
low	159 FPS	191 FPS
medium	130 FPS	165 FPS
high	109 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	161 FPS
medium	113 FPS	135 FPS
high	89 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	85 FPS
medium	57 FPS	77 FPS
high	45 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	49 FPS

Open EPYC 7303 Open Ryzen 7 5800X3D

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7303	Ryzen 7 5800X3D
1080p
low	390 FPS	704 FPS
medium	346 FPS	615 FPS
high	283 FPS	496 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	432 FPS
1440p
low	329 FPS	570 FPS
medium	297 FPS	510 FPS
high	251 FPS	429 FPS
ultra	192 FPS	351 FPS
4K
low	203 FPS	332 FPS
medium	186 FPS	299 FPS
high	158 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	127 FPS	245 FPS

Open EPYC 7303 Open Ryzen 7 5800X3D

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7303	Ryzen 7 5800X3D
1080p
low	644 FPS	706 FPS
medium	526 FPS	607 FPS
high	469 FPS	566 FPS
ultra	411 FPS	498 FPS
1440p
low	499 FPS	568 FPS
medium	406 FPS	490 FPS
high	356 FPS	450 FPS
ultra	310 FPS	397 FPS
4K
low	368 FPS	410 FPS
medium	286 FPS	342 FPS
high	244 FPS	308 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	256 FPS

Open EPYC 7303 Open Ryzen 7 5800X3D

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7303	Ryzen 7 5800X3D
1080p
low	714 FPS	707 FPS
medium	714 FPS	707 FPS
high	696 FPS	707 FPS
ultra	610 FPS	707 FPS
1440p
low	696 FPS	707 FPS
medium	608 FPS	707 FPS
high	521 FPS	703 FPS
ultra	446 FPS	625 FPS
4K
low	498 FPS	658 FPS
medium	445 FPS	590 FPS
high	390 FPS	531 FPS
ultra	337 FPS	437 FPS

Open EPYC 7303 Open Ryzen 7 5800X3D

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7303 and Ryzen 7 5800X3D

EPYC 7303

The EPYC 7303 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 September 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Milan (2021−2023) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 28,572 points. Launch price was $604.

Ryzen 7 5800X3D

The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 April 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 96 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 28,298 points. Launch price was $449.

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Processing Power

The EPYC 7303 packs 16 cores / 32 threads, while the Ryzen 7 5800X3D offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the EPYC 7303 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the EPYC 7303 versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen 7 5800X3D — a 27.8% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D (base: 2.4 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). The EPYC 7303 uses the Milan (2021−2023) architecture (7 nm), while the Ryzen 7 5800X3D uses Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7303 scores 28,572 against the Ryzen 7 5800X3D's 28,298 — a 1% lead for the EPYC 7303. L3 cache: 64 MB (total) on the EPYC 7303 vs 96 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 5800X3D.

Feature	EPYC 7303	Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Cores / Threads	16 / 32+100%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	3.4 GHz	4.5 GHz+32%
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	3.4 GHz+42%
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)	96 MB (total)+50%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm	7 nm, 12 nm
Architecture	Milan (2021−2023)	Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022)
PassMark	28,572	28,298
Cinebench R23 Multi	18,000	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,960	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,000	—

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Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7303 uses the SP3 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 7 5800X3D uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. The EPYC 7303 supports up to 204 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 45.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 7303) vs 2 (Ryzen 7 5800X3D). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7303) vs 24 (Ryzen 7 5800X3D) — the EPYC 7303 offers 104 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 platform (EPYC 7303) and AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series (Ryzen 7 5800X3D).

Feature	EPYC 7303	Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Socket	SP3	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	204 GB+59%	128 GB
RAM Channels	8+300%	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+433%	24

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V, SVM (EPYC 7303) / not specified (Ryzen 7 5800X3D). Primary use case: EPYC 7303 targets High-frequency Server Workloads. Direct competitor: EPYC 7303 rivals Xeon Gold 6334.