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 7402

2019

Why buy it

✅+1.4% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $1,617 less on MSRP ($1,783 MSRP vs $3,400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 93.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 25.8 vs 13.3 PassMark/$ ($1,783 MSRP vs $3,400 MSRP).
✅Draws 180W instead of 225W, a 45W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 7542 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

EPYC 7542

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.5% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (45,359 vs 46,012).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.3 vs 25.8 PassMark/$ ($3,400 MSRP vs $1,783 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 225W vs 180W.

EPYC 7402

2019

EPYC 7542

2019

Why buy it

✅+1.4% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $1,617 less on MSRP ($1,783 MSRP vs $3,400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 93.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 25.8 vs 13.3 PassMark/$ ($1,783 MSRP vs $3,400 MSRP).
✅Draws 180W instead of 225W, a 45W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.5% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than EPYC 7542 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (45,359 vs 46,012).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.3 vs 25.8 PassMark/$ ($3,400 MSRP vs $1,783 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 225W vs 180W.

Quick Answers

So, is EPYC 7402 better than EPYC 7542?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, EPYC 7542 is ahead with a 9.5% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7402 pulls ahead with 1.4% better PassMark. EPYC 7542 also has the bigger cache pool with 300% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 32 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, EPYC 7402 is the better fit. You are getting 1.4% better PassMark, backed by 24 cores and 48 threads.

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

EPYC 7402 is the smarter buy today. EPYC 7402 is $1,617 cheaper on MSRP at $1,783 MSRP versus $3,400 MSRP, and it gives you 1.4% better PassMark. The trade-off is that EPYC 7542 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 9.5% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 93.4% better value on MSRP (25.8 vs 13.3 PassMark/$), 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 7542 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 3D V-Cache and a much larger 128 MB L3 cache instead of 32 MB 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.

EPYC 7402 Benchmark Check

EPYC 7542 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7402	EPYC 7542
1080p
low	158 FPS	194 FPS
medium	131 FPS	172 FPS
high	110 FPS	138 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	158 FPS
medium	107 FPS	132 FPS
high	87 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	73 FPS
medium	55 FPS	65 FPS
high	43 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	34 FPS	41 FPS

Open EPYC 7402 Open EPYC 7542

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7402	EPYC 7542
1080p
low	358 FPS	431 FPS
medium	315 FPS	385 FPS
high	263 FPS	315 FPS
ultra	213 FPS	252 FPS
1440p
low	303 FPS	354 FPS
medium	276 FPS	325 FPS
high	236 FPS	273 FPS
ultra	188 FPS	212 FPS
4K
low	195 FPS	218 FPS
medium	179 FPS	204 FPS
high	153 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	123 FPS	140 FPS

Open EPYC 7402 Open EPYC 7542

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7402	EPYC 7542
1080p
low	645 FPS	630 FPS
medium	526 FPS	536 FPS
high	468 FPS	486 FPS
ultra	410 FPS	415 FPS
1440p
low	499 FPS	525 FPS
medium	406 FPS	446 FPS
high	355 FPS	394 FPS
ultra	307 FPS	338 FPS
4K
low	369 FPS	389 FPS
medium	287 FPS	312 FPS
high	245 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	224 FPS

Open EPYC 7402 Open EPYC 7542

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7402	EPYC 7542
1080p
low	820 FPS	910 FPS
medium	746 FPS	830 FPS
high	646 FPS	716 FPS
ultra	568 FPS	621 FPS
1440p
low	657 FPS	716 FPS
medium	572 FPS	626 FPS
high	492 FPS	536 FPS
ultra	422 FPS	457 FPS
4K
low	448 FPS	506 FPS
medium	402 FPS	456 FPS
high	359 FPS	402 FPS
ultra	312 FPS	348 FPS

Open EPYC 7402 Open EPYC 7542

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7402 and EPYC 7542

EPYC 7402

The EPYC 7402 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 August 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Zen 2 (2017−2020) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.35 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm, 14 nm process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 180 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Eight-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 46,012 points. Launch price was $1,783.

EPYC 7542

The EPYC 7542 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 August 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Zen 2 (2017−2020) architecture. It features 32 cores and 64 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 128 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 14 nm process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 225 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Eight-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 45,359 points. Launch price was $3,400.

⚡

Processing Power

The EPYC 7402 packs 24 cores / 48 threads, while the EPYC 7542 offers 32 cores / 64 threads — the EPYC 7542 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.35 GHz on the EPYC 7402 versus 3.4 GHz on the EPYC 7542 — a 1.5% clock advantage for the EPYC 7542 (base: 2.8 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). Both are built on the Zen 2 (2017−2020) architecture using a 7 nm, 14 nm process. In PassMark, the EPYC 7402 scores 46,012 against the EPYC 7542's 45,359 — a 1.4% lead for the EPYC 7402. L3 cache: 32 MB (total) on the EPYC 7402 vs 128 MB (total) on the EPYC 7542.

Feature	EPYC 7402	EPYC 7542
Cores / Threads	24 / 48	32 / 64+33%
Boost Clock	3.35 GHz	3.4 GHz+1%
Base Clock	2.8 GHz	2.9 GHz+4%
L3 Cache	32 MB (total)	128 MB (total)+300%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	512K (per core)
Process	7 nm, 14 nm	7 nm, 14 nm
Architecture	Zen 2 (2017−2020)	Zen 2 (2017−2020)
PassMark	46,012+1%	45,359
Cinebench R23 Multi	28,546	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,299	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	12,622	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the SP3 socket with PCIe 4.0. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-3200 on the EPYC 7402 versus 3200 on the EPYC 7542 — the EPYC 7542 supports 199.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 4096 GB of RAM. Both feature 8-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 128 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: SP3,Rome (EPYC 7402) and SP3 (EPYC 7542).

Feature	EPYC 7402	EPYC 7542
Socket	SP3	SP3
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	3200+79900%
Max RAM Capacity	4096 GB+104857500%	4096
RAM Channels	8	8
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128	128

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Only the EPYC 7542 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: AMD-V, SEV, IOMMU (EPYC 7402) vs VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V (EPYC 7542). Primary use case: EPYC 7402 targets Server / Workstation. Direct competitor: EPYC 7402 rivals Xeon Gold 6242; EPYC 7542 rivals Xeon Gold 6248R.

Feature	EPYC 7402	EPYC 7542
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	—	None
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	AMD-V, SEV, IOMMU	VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V
Target Use	Server / Workstation	—

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 7402 launched at $1783 MSRP, while the EPYC 7542 debuted at $3400. On MSRP ($1783 vs $3400), the EPYC 7402 is $1617 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 7402 delivers 25.8 pts/$ vs 13.3 pts/$ for the EPYC 7542 — making the EPYC 7402 the 63.7% better value option.