Ryzen 9 5900X vs EPYC 7542
Aggregate performance score
EPYC 7542 outperforms Ryzen 9 5900X by a moderate 15% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing EPYC 7542 and Ryzen 9 5900X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 162 | 201 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 5.10 | 30.90 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | AMD EPYC | AMD Ryzen 9 |
| Power efficiency | 11.92 | 22.19 |
| Architecture codename | Zen 2 (2017−2020) | Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) |
| Release date | 7 August 2019 (5 years ago) | 5 November 2020 (4 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $3,400 | $549 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Ryzen 9 5900X has 506% better value for money than EPYC 7542.
Detailed specifications
EPYC 7542 and Ryzen 9 5900X 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 | 32 (Dotriaconta-Core) | 12 (Dodeca-Core) |
| Threads | 64 | 24 |
| Base clock speed | 2.9 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.4 GHz | 4.8 GHz |
| Multiplier | 29 | 37 |
| L1 cache | 96K (per core) | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 512K (per core) | 512K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 128 MB (shared) | 64 MB |
| Chip lithography | 7 nm, 14 nm | 7 nm, 12 nm |
| Die size | 192 mm2 | 2x 74 mm2(CCD) + 125 mm2 (IOD) |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 95 °C |
| Number of transistors | 4,800 million | 0 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on EPYC 7542 and Ryzen 9 5900X 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 | SP3 | AM4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 225 Watt | 105 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by EPYC 7542 and Ryzen 9 5900X. 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, FMA3, SHA, Precision Boost 2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Precision Boost 2 | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by EPYC 7542 and Ryzen 9 5900X are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by EPYC 7542 and Ryzen 9 5900X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 Eight-channel | DDR4-3200 |
| Maximum memory size | 4 TiB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 8 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 204.763 GB/s | 51.196 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by EPYC 7542 and Ryzen 9 5900X.
| PCIe version | no data | 4.0 |
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.
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 28.33 | 24.62 |
| Recency | 7 August 2019 | 5 November 2020 |
| Physical cores | 32 | 12 |
| Threads | 64 | 24 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 225 Watt | 105 Watt |
EPYC 7542 has a 15.1% higher aggregate performance score, and 166.7% more physical cores and 166.7% more threads.
Ryzen 9 5900X, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, and 114.3% lower power consumption.
The EPYC 7542 is our recommended choice as it beats the Ryzen 9 5900X in performance tests.
Be aware that EPYC 7542 is a server/workstation processor while Ryzen 9 5900X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between EPYC 7542 and Ryzen 9 5900X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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