EPYC 7251 vs i9-7900X
Aggregate performance score
Core i9-7900X outperforms EPYC 7251 by a considerable 41% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i9-7900X and EPYC 7251 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 556 | 801 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 3.04 | 3.05 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Core i9 (Desktop) | AMD EPYC |
| Power efficiency | 8.96 | 7.42 |
| Architecture codename | Skylake (server) (2017−2019) | Naples (2017−2018) |
| Release date | 30 May 2017 (7 years ago) | 29 June 2017 (7 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $999 | $574 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
i9-7900X and EPYC 7251 have a nearly equal value for money.
Detailed specifications
Core i9-7900X and EPYC 7251 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 cores | 10 (Deca-Core) | 8 (Octa-Core) |
| Threads | 20 | 16 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.5 GHz | 2.9 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 33 | 21 |
| L1 cache | 640 KB | 96K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 10 MB | 512K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 13.75 MB | 32 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 192 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 95 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | no data | 4,800 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on Core i9-7900X and EPYC 7251 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 configuration | 1 (Uniprocessor) | 2 (Multiprocessor) |
| Socket | Socket R4 | TR4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 140 Watt | 120 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-7900X and EPYC 7251. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 | no data |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | + | no data |
Security technologies
Core i9-7900X and EPYC 7251 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| EDB | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-7900X and EPYC 7251 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | + |
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-7900X and EPYC 7251. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 | DDR4 Eight-channel |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 2 TiB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | 8 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 85.33 GB/s | 153.652 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-7900X and EPYC 7251.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 44 | 128 |
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 13.76 | 9.76 |
| Physical cores | 10 | 8 |
| Threads | 20 | 16 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 140 Watt | 120 Watt |
i9-7900X has a 41% higher aggregate performance score, and 25% more physical cores and 25% more threads.
EPYC 7251, on the other hand, has 16.7% lower power consumption.
The Core i9-7900X is our recommended choice as it beats the EPYC 7251 in performance tests.
Note that Core i9-7900X is a desktop processor while EPYC 7251 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-7900X and EPYC 7251, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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