Intel Core i7-990X vs AMD EPYC 7443

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-990X CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD EPYC 7443
Intel Core i7-990X AMD EPYC 7443

CPU comparison

Intel Core i7-990X or AMD EPYC 7443 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i7-990X has 6 cores with 12 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.73 GHz. Up to 24 GB of memory is supported in 3 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-990X was released in Q1/2011.

The AMD EPYC 7443 has 24 cores with 48 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.00 GHz. The CPU supports up to 4096 GB of memory in 8 memory channels. The AMD EPYC 7443 was released in Q1/2021.
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition (24) Family AMD EPYC (129)
Intel Core i7 900 (4) CPU group AMD EPYC 7003 (29)
1 Generation 3
Gulftown Architecture Milan (Zen 3)
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-990X has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i7-990X is 3.46 GHz (3.73 GHz) while the AMD EPYC 7443 has 24 CPU cores and 48 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the AMD EPYC 7443 is at 2.85 GHz (4.00 GHz).

Intel Core i7-990X Characteristic AMD EPYC 7443
6 Cores 24
12 Threads 48
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? No
3.46 GHz Frequency 2.85 GHz
3.73 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.00 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.60 GHz

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i7-990X Characteristic AMD EPYC 7443
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i7-990X or AMD EPYC 7443 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

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

The Intel Core i7-990X can use up to 24 GB of memory in 3 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 25.6 GB/s. The AMD EPYC 7443 supports up to 4096 GB of memory in 8 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 204.8 GB/s.

Intel Core i7-990X Characteristic AMD EPYC 7443
DDR3-1066 Memory DDR4-3200
24 GB Max. Memory 4096 GB
3 Memory channels 8 (Octa Channel)
25.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 204.8 GB/s
No ECC Yes
1.50 MB L2 Cache --
12.00 MB L3 Cache 128.00 MB
-- PCIe version 4.0
-- PCIe lanes 128
-- PCIe Bandwidth 252.0 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i7-990X is 130 W, while the AMD EPYC 7443 has a TDP of 200 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Intel Core i7-990X Characteristic AMD EPYC 7443
130 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 200 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down 165 W
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-990X is manufactured in 32 nm and has 13.50 MB cache. The AMD EPYC 7443 is manufactured in 7 nm and has a 128.00 MB cache.

Intel Core i7-990X Characteristic AMD EPYC 7443
32 nm Technology 7 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2 ISA extensions SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3
LGA 1366 Socket SP3
VT-x, VT-x EPT Virtualization AMD-V, SVM
No AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q1/2011 Release date Q1/2021
1059 $ Release price 2010 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-990X to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the AMD EPYC 7443 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 0 stars (0 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-990X (41%)
AMD EPYC 7443 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-990X (16%)
AMD EPYC 7443 (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.
Intel Core i7-990X Intel Core i7-990X
6C 12T @ 3.73 GHz
639 (44%)
AMD EPYC 7443 AMD EPYC 7443
24C 48T @ 4.00 GHz
1436 (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.
Intel Core i7-990X Intel Core i7-990X
6C 12T @ 3.46 GHz
3765 (14%)
AMD EPYC 7443 AMD EPYC 7443
24C 48T @ 3.60 GHz
25985 (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.
Intel Core i7-990X Intel Core i7-990X
6C 12T @ 3.73 GHz
660 (38%)
AMD EPYC 7443 AMD EPYC 7443
24C 48T @ 4.00 GHz
1732 (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.
Intel Core i7-990X Intel Core i7-990X
6C 12T @ 3.46 GHz
3247 (20%)
AMD EPYC 7443 AMD EPYC 7443
24C 48T @ 3.60 GHz
15864 (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.
Intel Core i7-990X Intel Core i7-990X
6C 12T @ 3.46 GHz
6975 (13%)
AMD EPYC 7443 AMD EPYC 7443
24C 48T @ 3.60 GHz
53781 (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.
Intel Core i7-990X Intel Core i7-990X
6C 12T @ 3.46 GHz
2460 (100%)
AMD EPYC 7443 AMD EPYC 7443
24C 48T @ 2.85 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-990X AMD EPYC 7443
Unknown Unknown

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