AMD EPYC 72F3 vs Intel Core i9-7980XE

Processor comparisons   25-03-2021
   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests AMD EPYC 72F3 vs Intel Core i9-7980XE and see which is better for games or normal use for rendering, video editing, streaming, programming, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Blender, Blender, 7zip, RealBench, SuperPi, Gears 5, Furmark, Prime95, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PCMark 10, MATLAB, WPrime, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, AIDA64, Handbrake.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7980XE or AMD EPYC 72F3.

Summary benchmark results

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

EPYC 72F3

60%

Core i9-7980XE

58%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, EPYC 72F3 is 3% better than Core i9-7980XE. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

EPYC 72F3

59%

Core i9-7980XE

60%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, 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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, League of Legends (LOL), NBA 2K20, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, Forza Horizon 4, Control, Metro Exodus.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	107.0
Valorant	119.1	121.6
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	68.1
Apex Legends	112.0	114.3
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	91.2
Overwatch	96.5	98.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	83.9
DOOM Eternal	59.6	60.8
Warzone	92.9	94.9
Assassin's Creed	100.0	102.2
Valheim	98.9	100.9

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

EPYC 72F3

25%

Core i9-7980XE

23%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the EPYC 72F3 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7980XE since it has less power consumption: 180W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD EPYC 72F3	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Cinbench 15 Single-core	92	184
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	4125	3455
Cinbench 20 Single-core	178	446
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	8755	7671
Cinbench 23 Single-core	454	1281
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22780	28196

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

	AMD EPYC 72F3	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Single-Core	2006	2490
Multi-Core	33318	29612

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

	AMD EPYC 72F3	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Single-Core	1389	1158
Multi-Core	16484	18658

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD EPYC 72F3	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	April 01, 2017
Type	Server	Desktop
Socket	SP3	FCLGA2066
Core name	Milan	Skylake
Architecture	Zen 3	x86
Generation	3	9
Turbo Frequency	3.4 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	2 MHz	2.6 MHz
Cores	64	18
Threads	128	36
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	46000 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	180 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth	204.8 GB/s	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	256MB	24.75 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000327 100-100000327WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-7980XE is 23% better than EPYC 72F3 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that EPYC 72F3 has 46 more core than Core i9-7980XE. 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 72F3 is better: 11
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7980XE is better: 25
Although it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD EPYC 72F3 and Intel Core i9-7980XE before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

AMD EPYC 72F3 - all data

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

• AMD EPYC 72F3 specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-7980XE specs and review.