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 7552

2019

Why buy it

✅+2% higher PassMark.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (192 MB vs 128 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 48 cores / 96 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 9 9900X3D across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 14.3 vs 94.0 PassMark/$ ($4,025 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
❌66.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 120W.
❌Older platform position on SP3 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 9900X3D moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 9900X3D can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 9900X3D

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +61.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $3,426 less on MSRP ($599 MSRP vs $4,025 MSRP).
✅Delivers 558.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.0 vs 14.3 PassMark/$ ($599 MSRP vs $4,025 MSRP).
✅Draws 120W instead of 200W, a 80W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of SP3 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (56,301 vs 57,414).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (128 MB vs 192 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7552, which brings 48 cores / 96 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

EPYC 7552

2019

Ryzen 9 9900X3D

2025

Why buy it

✅+2% higher PassMark.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (192 MB vs 128 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 48 cores / 96 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: +61.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $3,426 less on MSRP ($599 MSRP vs $4,025 MSRP).
✅Delivers 558.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 94.0 vs 14.3 PassMark/$ ($599 MSRP vs $4,025 MSRP).
✅Draws 120W instead of 200W, a 80W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of SP3 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 9900X3D across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 14.3 vs 94.0 PassMark/$ ($4,025 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
❌66.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 120W.
❌Older platform position on SP3 with DDR4, while Ryzen 9 9900X3D moves to AM5 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 9900X3D can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (56,301 vs 57,414).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (128 MB vs 192 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than EPYC 7552, which brings 48 cores / 96 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 9900X3D better than EPYC 7552?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. EPYC 7552 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 9900X3D 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 7552 is the better fit. You are getting 2% better PassMark, backed by 48 cores and 96 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (192 MB vs 128 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 9900X3D is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 9900X3D is $3,426 cheaper on MSRP at $599 MSRP versus $4,025 MSRP, and it gives you a 61.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that EPYC 7552 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 2% better PassMark. It is also 558.9% better value on MSRP (94.0 vs 14.3 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 9 9900X3D is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2019), a healthier platform with AM5 and DDR5 instead of SP3, 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.

EPYC 7552 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 9900X3D Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	EPYC 7552	Ryzen 9 9900X3D
1080p
low	181 FPS	281 FPS
medium	158 FPS	257 FPS
high	123 FPS	220 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	191 FPS
1440p
low	152 FPS	265 FPS
medium	128 FPS	218 FPS
high	96 FPS	173 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	155 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	183 FPS
medium	63 FPS	150 FPS
high	48 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	100 FPS

Open EPYC 7552 Open Ryzen 9 9900X3D

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	EPYC 7552	Ryzen 9 9900X3D
1080p
low	236 FPS	824 FPS
medium	211 FPS	670 FPS
high	175 FPS	497 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	410 FPS
1440p
low	194 FPS	662 FPS
medium	177 FPS	562 FPS
high	152 FPS	433 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	335 FPS
4K
low	120 FPS	369 FPS
medium	112 FPS	317 FPS
high	98 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	233 FPS

Open EPYC 7552 Open Ryzen 9 9900X3D

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	EPYC 7552	Ryzen 9 9900X3D
1080p
low	587 FPS	890 FPS
medium	492 FPS	722 FPS
high	437 FPS	649 FPS
ultra	365 FPS	559 FPS
1440p
low	492 FPS	716 FPS
medium	419 FPS	582 FPS
high	374 FPS	511 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	434 FPS
4K
low	371 FPS	510 FPS
medium	298 FPS	420 FPS
high	265 FPS	377 FPS
ultra	215 FPS	316 FPS

Open EPYC 7552 Open Ryzen 9 9900X3D

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	EPYC 7552	Ryzen 9 9900X3D
1080p
low	889 FPS	1116 FPS
medium	809 FPS	1001 FPS
high	694 FPS	878 FPS
ultra	601 FPS	792 FPS
1440p
low	703 FPS	872 FPS
medium	615 FPS	766 FPS
high	525 FPS	673 FPS
ultra	446 FPS	584 FPS
4K
low	498 FPS	637 FPS
medium	448 FPS	566 FPS
high	394 FPS	503 FPS
ultra	340 FPS	435 FPS

Open EPYC 7552 Open Ryzen 9 9900X3D

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of EPYC 7552 and Ryzen 9 9900X3D

EPYC 7552

The EPYC 7552 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 48 cores and 96 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 192 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm, 14 nm process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 200 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Eight-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 57,414 points. Launch price was $4,025.

Ryzen 9 9900X3D

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Granite Ridge (2024−2025) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 4.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.5 GHz. L3 cache: 128 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 56,301 points. Launch price was $599.

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Processing Power

The EPYC 7552 packs 48 cores / 96 threads, while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the EPYC 7552 has 36 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the EPYC 7552 versus 5.5 GHz on the Ryzen 9 9900X3D — a 50% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 9900X3D (base: 2.2 GHz vs 4.4 GHz). The EPYC 7552 uses the Zen 2 (2017−2020) architecture (7 nm, 14 nm), while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D uses Granite Ridge (2024−2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the EPYC 7552 scores 57,414 against the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's 56,301 — a 2% lead for the EPYC 7552. L3 cache: 192 MB (total) on the EPYC 7552 vs 128 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 9900X3D.

Feature	EPYC 7552	Ryzen 9 9900X3D
Cores / Threads	48 / 96+300%	12 / 24
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz	5.5 GHz+67%
Base Clock	2.2 GHz	4.4 GHz+100%
L3 Cache	192 MB (total)+50%	128 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	1 MB (per core)+100%
Process	7 nm, 14 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Zen 2 (2017−2020)	Granite Ridge (2024−2025)
PassMark	57,414+2%	56,301
Geekbench 6 Single	—	3,400
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	26,000

🧠

Memory & Platform

The EPYC 7552 uses the SP3 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D uses AM5 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 3200 on the EPYC 7552 versus DDR5-5600 on the Ryzen 9 9900X3D — the EPYC 7552 supports 199.4% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The EPYC 7552 supports up to 4096 of RAM compared to 192 GB — 182.1% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (EPYC 7552) vs 2 (Ryzen 9 9900X3D). PCIe lanes: 128 (EPYC 7552) vs 24 (Ryzen 9 9900X3D) — the EPYC 7552 offers 104 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: SP3 (EPYC 7552) and X670,X670E,X870,X870E (Ryzen 9 9900X3D).

Feature	EPYC 7552	Ryzen 9 9900X3D
Socket	SP3	AM5
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 5.0+25%
Max RAM Speed	3200+63900%	DDR5-5600
Max RAM Capacity	4096	192 GB+4915100%
RAM Channels	8+300%	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	128+433%	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 9 9900X3D supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (EPYC 7552) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 9 9900X3D). The Ryzen 9 9900X3D includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Graphics (2 Cores)), while the EPYC 7552 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 9900X3D targets High End Gaming/Creation. Direct competitor: EPYC 7552 rivals Xeon Platinum 8362; Ryzen 9 9900X3D rivals Core Ultra 9 285K.

Feature	EPYC 7552	Ryzen 9 9900X3D
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	None	AMD Radeon Graphics (2 Cores)
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	—	High End Gaming/Creation

💰

Value Analysis

The EPYC 7552 launched at $4025 MSRP, while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D debuted at $599. On MSRP ($4025 vs $599), the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is $3426 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the EPYC 7552 delivers 14.3 pts/$ vs 94.0 pts/$ for the Ryzen 9 9900X3D — making the Ryzen 9 9900X3D the 147.3% better value option.