EPYC 7742 vs i5-2500K

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Aggregate performance score

Core i5-2500K
2011
4 cores / 4 threads, 95 Watt
2.69
EPYC 7742
2019
64 cores / 128 threads, 225 Watt
45.52
+1592%

EPYC 7742 outperforms Core i5-2500K by a whopping 1592% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-2500K and EPYC 7742 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking171445
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.343.47
Market segmentDesktop processorServer
SeriesCore i5 (Desktop)AMD EPYC
Power efficiency2.5818.45
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Zen 2 (2017−2020)
Release date9 January 2011 (13 years ago)7 August 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$216$6,950

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

EPYC 7742 has 921% better value for money than i5-2500K.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-2500K and EPYC 7742 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores4 (Quad-Core)64 (Tetrahexaconta-Core)
Threads4128
Base clock speed3.3 GHz2.25 GHz
Boost clock speed3.7 GHz3.4 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
Multiplierno data22.5
L1 cache64 KB (per core)96K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)512K (per core)
L3 cache6 MB (shared)256 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm7 nm, 14 nm
Die size216 mm2192 mm2
Maximum core temperature73 °Cno data
Number of transistors1,160 million4,800 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2500K and EPYC 7742 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration12 (Multiprocessor)
SocketLGA1155TR4
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt225 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2500K and EPYC 7742. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXno data
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology-no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access+no data
FDI+no data
Fast Memory Access+no data
Precision Boost 2no data+

Security technologies

Core i5-2500K and EPYC 7742 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-no data
EDB+no data
Identity Protection+-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2500K and EPYC 7742 are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+
VT-d-no data
VT-x+no data
EPT+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2500K and EPYC 7742. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR4 Eight-channel
Maximum memory size32 GB4 TiB
Max memory channels28
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/s204.763 GB/s
ECC memory support-+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel HD Graphics 3000no data
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+no data
Graphics max frequency1.1 GHzno data
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2500K and EPYC 7742 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported2no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2500K and EPYC 7742.

PCIe version2.0no data
PCI Express lanes16no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i5-2500K 2.69
EPYC 7742 45.52
+1592%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i5-2500K 4120
EPYC 7742 69663
+1591%

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i5-2500K 654
EPYC 7742 1204
+84.1%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i5-2500K 1928
EPYC 7742 11782
+511%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.69 45.52
Recency 9 January 2011 7 August 2019
Physical cores 4 64
Threads 4 128
Chip lithography 32 nm 7 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 225 Watt

i5-2500K has 136.8% lower power consumption.

EPYC 7742, on the other hand, has a 1592.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 years, 1500% more physical cores and 3100% more threads, and a 357.1% more advanced lithography process.

The EPYC 7742 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-2500K in performance tests.

Note that Core i5-2500K is a desktop processor while EPYC 7742 is a server/workstation one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2500K and EPYC 7742, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i5-2500K
Core i5-2500K
AMD EPYC 7742
EPYC 7742

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i5-2500K or EPYC 7742, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.