AMD EPYC 7281 vs Intel Core i9-7920X

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


AMD EPYC 7281 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i9-7920X
AMD EPYC 7281 Intel Core i9-7920X

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the AMD EPYC 7281 and the Intel Core i9-7920X and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the AMD EPYC 7281 16 core processor released in Q3/2017 with the Intel Core i9-7920X which has 12 CPU cores and was introduced in Q3/2017.
AMD EPYC (129) Family Intel Core i9 (78)
AMD EPYC 7001 (12) CPU group Intel Core i 7000X (9)
1 Generation 7
Naples (Zen) Architecture Skylake X
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor Intel Core i9-9920X

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD EPYC 7281 is a 16 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.20 GHz (2.70 GHz). The processor can compute 32 threads at the same time. The Intel Core i9-7920X clocks with 2.90 GHz (4.30 GHz), has 12 CPU cores and can calculate 24 threads in parallel.

AMD EPYC 7281 Characteristic Intel Core i9-7920X
16 Cores 12
32 Threads 24
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? Yes
2.20 GHz Frequency 2.90 GHz
2.70 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.30 GHz
2.70 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.70 GHz

NPU AI performance

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors.

AMD EPYC 7281 Characteristic Intel Core i9-7920X
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

no iGPU GPU no iGPU
GPU frequency --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
-- GPU Generation --
Technology
Max. displays
-- Compute units --
-- Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory --
-- DirectX Version --

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

no iGPU GPU no iGPU
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
No Codec h264 No
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC No
No Codec VC-1 No
No Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

Up to GB of memory in a maximum of 8 memory channels is supported by the AMD EPYC 7281, while the Intel Core i9-7920X supports a maximum of 128 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 85.4 GB/s enabled.

AMD EPYC 7281 Characteristic Intel Core i9-7920X
DDR4-2666 Memory DDR4-2666
Max. Memory 128 GB
8 (Octa Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
170.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 85.4 GB/s
Yes ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
32.00 MB L3 Cache 16.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 3.0
128 PCIe lanes 44
126.1 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 43.3 GB/s

Thermal Management

The AMD EPYC 7281 has a TDP of 170 W. The TDP of the Intel Core i9-7920X is 165 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

AMD EPYC 7281 Characteristic Intel Core i9-7920X
170 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 165 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The AMD EPYC 7281 has 32.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 14 nm. The cache of Intel Core i9-7920X is at 16.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 14 nm.

AMD EPYC 7281 Characteristic Intel Core i9-7920X
14 nm Technology 14 nm
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3 ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
SP3 Socket LGA 2066
AMD-V, SVM Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q3/2017 Release date Q3/2017
625 $ Release price 1189 $
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
AMD EPYC 7281 (58%)
Intel Core i9-7920X (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
AMD EPYC 7281 (54%)
Intel Core i9-7920X (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD EPYC 7281 AMD EPYC 7281
16C 32T @ 2.70 GHz
664 (59%)
Intel Core i9-7920X Intel Core i9-7920X
12C 24T @ 4.30 GHz
1133 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD EPYC 7281 AMD EPYC 7281
16C 32T @ 2.70 GHz
2098 (18%)
Intel Core i9-7920X Intel Core i9-7920X
12C 24T @ 3.70 GHz
11498 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
AMD EPYC 7281 AMD EPYC 7281
16C 32T @ 2.70 GHz
713 (51%)
Intel Core i9-7920X Intel Core i9-7920X
12C 24T @ 4.30 GHz
1410 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
AMD EPYC 7281 AMD EPYC 7281
16C 32T @ 2.70 GHz
2136 (22%)
Intel Core i9-7920X Intel Core i9-7920X
12C 24T @ 3.70 GHz
9881 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
AMD EPYC 7281 AMD EPYC 7281
16C 32T @ 2.70 GHz
21988 (93%)
Intel Core i9-7920X Intel Core i9-7920X
12C 24T @ 3.70 GHz
23625 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD EPYC 7281 AMD EPYC 7281
16C 32T @ 2.70 GHz
119 (63%)
Intel Core i9-7920X Intel Core i9-7920X
12C 24T @ 4.30 GHz
188 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD EPYC 7281 AMD EPYC 7281
16C 32T @ 2.70 GHz
2033 (83%)
Intel Core i9-7920X Intel Core i9-7920X
12C 24T @ 3.70 GHz
2438 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
AMD EPYC 7281 AMD EPYC 7281
16C 32T @ 2.70 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-7920X Intel Core i9-7920X
12C 24T @ 3.70 GHz
120.9 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
AMD EPYC 7281 AMD EPYC 7281
16C 32T @ 2.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-7920X Intel Core i9-7920X
12C 24T @ 2.90 GHz
6200 (100%)

Devices using this processor

AMD EPYC 7281 Intel Core i9-7920X
Unknown Unknown

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