CPU Showdown

Core i9-9980XEvsEPYC 9755

The Core i9-9980XE is an older high-end desktop chip for enthusiasts who need strong single-core speed, while the EPYC 9755 is a modern server processor built for massive multi-threaded workloads and data centers.

Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C / 36T · 165W
VS
AMD EPYC 9755
128C / 256T · 500W
Intel

Core i9-9980XE

Skylake (server) · 14 nm · 2018

19score
2.6/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
18 / 36
TDP
165W
Boost Clock
4.5 GHz
L3 Cache
24.75 MB

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AMD

EPYC 9755

Turin · 4 nm · 2024

100score
2.8/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
128 / 256
TDP
500W
Boost Clock
4.1 GHz
L3 Cache
512 MB

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Aggregate Performance

Overall Performance Score

A unified score from combined synthetic and real-world benchmarks. 100 represents the fastest desktop CPU available.

Core i9-9980XE
19
EPYC 9755Winner
100
EPYC 9755 leads by 426.3% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#1EPYC 9755100
#2Ryzen Threadripper 9980X86
#93Ryzen 7 8700G19
#94Core i9-9980XE19
#95Core Ultra 5 235T19
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

Every detail compared. Highlighted cells indicate the leading value for that metric.

SpecsCore i9-9980XEEPYC 9755
Cores
Total Cores18128
Threads36256
Base Clock3.0 GHz2.7 GHz
Boost Clock4.5 GHz4.1 GHz
Cache
L2 Cache18 MB128 MB
L3 Cache24.75 MB512 MB
Platform
SocketFCLGA2066SP5
MemoryDDR4DDR5
PCIePCIe 3.0PCIe 5.0
Power
Base TDP165W500W
General
ArchitectureSkylake (server)Turin
Process14 nm4 nm
Verdict

Which should you buy?

Winner overall

The EPYC 9755 dominates with vastly more cores and memory, making it the clear winner for heavy parallel workloads.

Best value

For budget-minded buyers needing raw multithreaded performance, the EPYC 9755 offers far better processing density than the older Core i9-9980XE.

When the other wins

The Core i9-9980XE is the right choice for legacy software or motherboards that cannot support the EPYC's power and cooling demands.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the Core i9-9980XE better than the EPYC 9755?

Overall the EPYC 9755 is the stronger processor: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (100 vs 19 out of 100), so it leads the Core i9-9980XE in most workloads.

How much faster is the EPYC 9755 than the Core i9-9980XE?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the EPYC 9755 is roughly 426% faster than the Core i9-9980XE overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the Core i9-9980XE or the EPYC 9755?

If you want the most performance, pick the EPYC 9755. If the Core i9-9980XE is meaningfully cheaper where you shop, it can be the better value for similar real-world results — check current prices and the full spec comparison above before deciding.