Ryzen 9 7950X3D vs EPYC 7281
Aggregate performance score
Ryzen 9 7950X3D outperforms EPYC 7281 by a whopping 189% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing EPYC 7281 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 551 | 68 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 4.78 | 56.78 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | AMD EPYC | AMD Ryzen 9 |
| Power efficiency | 7.58 | 31.03 |
| Architecture codename | Naples (2017−2018) | Raphael (Zen4) (2022−2023) |
| Release date | 20 June 2017 (7 years ago) | 4 January 2023 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $650 | $699 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Ryzen 9 7950X3D has 1088% better value for money than EPYC 7281.
Detailed specifications
EPYC 7281 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D 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 | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 32 | 32 |
| Base clock speed | 2.1 GHz | 4.2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.1 GHz | 5.7 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 64K (per core) |
| Multiplier | 21 | no data |
| L1 cache | 1.5 MB | 1024 KB |
| L2 cache | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| L3 cache | 32 MB (shared) | 128 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 5 nm, 6 nm |
| Die size | 213 mm2 | 71+71+122 mm |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 89 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 47 °C |
| Number of transistors | 19200 Million | 13,140 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on EPYC 7281 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D 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 | 2 (Multiprocessor) | 1 |
| Socket | TR4 | AM5 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 155 W, 170 Watt | 120 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by EPYC 7281 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | 86x MMX(+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A,-64, AMD-V, AES, AVX, AVX2, AVX512F, FMA3, SHA, XFR2, Precision Boost 2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Precision Boost 2 | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by EPYC 7281 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by EPYC 7281 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 Eight-channel | DDR5-5200 |
| Maximum memory size | 2 TiB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 8 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 170.671 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | AMD Radeon Graphics (Ryzen 7000) (400 - 2200 MHz) |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by EPYC 7281 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 128 | 24 |
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 | 13.61 | 39.35 |
| Recency | 20 June 2017 | 4 January 2023 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 5 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 155 Watt | 120 Watt |
Ryzen 9 7950X3D has a 189.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 years, a 180% more advanced lithography process, and 29.2% lower power consumption.
The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is our recommended choice as it beats the EPYC 7281 in performance tests.
Be aware that EPYC 7281 is a server/workstation processor while Ryzen 9 7950X3D is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between EPYC 7281 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
