AMD EPYC 7272 vs Intel Core i9-9960X

Processor comparisons 30-06-2021

   For example you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the AMD EPYC 7272 vs Intel Core i9-9960X tests and understand which is better for games or normal use for streaming, machine learning, video editing, rendering, programming. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as AIDA64, UserBenchmark, 3DMark, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, PassMark, Handbrake, Dolphin Emulator, WPrime, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Prime95, VeraCrypt, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, Gears 5, RealBench, Furmark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

Death Stranding
Valheim
DOOM: Eternal
Halo Infinite
Overwatch
Grand Theft Auto V
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rainbow Six Siege
Cyberpunk 2077
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Fortnite
Apex Legends
Borderlands 3
Watch Dogs Legion
Last Man Standing
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Fallout 76
Valorant

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-9960X or AMD EPYC 7272.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

EPYC 7272

62%

Core i9-9960X

59%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, EPYC 7272 is 4% better than Core i9-9960X. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

EPYC 7272

60%

Core i9-9960X

60%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Microsoft Flight Simulator, NBA 2K20, Half-Life: Alyx, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), Control, DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus, Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.7	106.4
Valorant	121.3	120.9
Cyberpunk 2077	67.9	67.7
Apex Legends	114.0	113.6
Call of Duty Warzone	91.0	90.7
Overwatch	98.2	97.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.7	83.4
DOOM Eternal	60.6	60.5
Warzone	94.6	94.3
Assassin's Creed	101.9	101.6
Valheim	100.7	100.3

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

EPYC 7272

43%

Core i9-9960X

24%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the EPYC 7272 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9960X since it has less power consumption: 120W vs. 165W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD EPYC 7272	Intel Core i9-9960X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	395	200
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3819	2872
Cinbench 20 Single-core	595	457
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	8372	6671
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2377	1086
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21304	22943

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD EPYC 7272	Intel Core i9-9960X
Single-Core	3257	2684
Multi-Core	42125	30816

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD EPYC 7272	Intel Core i9-9960X
Single-Core	1569	1230
Multi-Core	18372	18032

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD EPYC 7272	Intel Core i9-9960X
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	January 01, 2019
Type	Server	Desktop
Socket	SP3	FCLGA2066
Core name	Milan	Skylake
Architecture	Zen 3	x86
Generation	3	9
Turbo Frequency	3.2 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	2.9 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	12	16
Threads	24	32
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	120 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth		85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	64MB	22 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000079 100-100000079WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-9960X is 6% better than EPYC 7272 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9960X has 4 more core than EPYC 7272. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD EPYC 7272 is better: 25
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-9960X is better: 10
However, it should be understood that all the data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD EPYC 7272 and Intel Core i9-9960X before making a choice which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

AMD EPYC 7272 - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• AMD EPYC 7272 specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-9960X specs and review.