AMD EPYC 72F3 vs Intel Pentium Gold G6400 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD EPYC 72F3 has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel Pentium Gold G6400 has 2 cores and 4 threads. This fourfold difference in core count is the primary driver of the performance gap seen throughout the benchmark data.

Q: How do the two chips compare in single-core Cinebench R23 performance?

A: The AMD EPYC 72F3 scores 3270 in Cinebench R23 single-core, while the Intel Pentium Gold G6400 scores 427. The EPYC leads by 86.9% in this test, a massive margin that indicates a substantial per-thread performance advantage, not just a core-count advantage.

Q: What are the memory specifications for each processor?

A: The Intel Pentium Gold G6400 supports dual-channel DDR4 with 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth and does not support ECC memory. The AMD EPYC 72F3 supports eight-channel DDR4 with 204.8 GB/s of bandwidth and does support ECC memory. The EPYC's bandwidth is roughly 4.8 times higher.

Q: What process nodes are the two chips built on?

A: The Intel Pentium Gold G6400 uses Intel's 14 nm process, while the AMD EPYC 72F3 uses TSMC's 7 nm process. The EPYC also has a much larger transistor count at 33,200 million, compared to no listed transistor count for the Pentium.

Q: Which processor has integrated graphics?

A: The Intel Pentium Gold G6400 includes UHD Graphics 610, while the AMD EPYC 72F3 has no integrated graphics at all. This makes the Pentium suitable for systems without a discrete GPU, whereas the EPYC requires a separate graphics solution.

Q: What is the release date and launch MSRP of the EPYC 72F3?

A: The AMD EPYC 72F3 was released on 2021-03-14, with a launch MSRP of $2468. The Intel Pentium Gold G6400 was released on 2020-04-29, and the database does not list a launch MSRP for it.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the AMD EPYC 72F3 dominates the Intel Pentium Gold G6400 in every recorded test. The EPYC wins all five head-to-head comparisons, with margins between 86.9% and 87%. The Pentium Gold G6400, with its 2 cores and 4 threads, is positioned as a low-end desktop part, while the EPYC 72F3 is a server/workstation processor with 8 cores, 16 threads, and enterprise features like ECC memory support and 128 PCIe Gen 4 lanes.

For users building a basic desktop system with integrated graphics, the Pentium Gold G6400 is the only option of the two that can operate without a discrete GPU, thanks to its UHD Graphics 610. However, the performance gap in every compute benchmark is so large that the Pentium cannot be recommended for any workload involving rendering, physics, or multi-threaded processing.

The EPYC 72F3 is the clear choice for server and workstation applications. Its 256 MB of shared L3 cache, eight-channel memory support, and 204.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth make it suitable for memory-intensive enterprise workloads. The Pentium's 4 MB shared L3 cache and 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth are modest by comparison. The data shows that the EPYC's nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5317 and the Intel Xeon D-2775TE, placing it firmly in the server class. The Pentium's nearest rivals are the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260 and the Intel Core i9-9960X, a curious grouping that reflects its average benchmark score rather than its absolute performance level.

In short: choose the Pentium Gold G6400 only if the requirement is a minimal, low-power desktop system with integrated graphics. Choose the EPYC 72F3 for anything that demands serious compute throughput, ECC reliability, or high-bandwidth memory access.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The AMD EPYC 72F3 wins every head-to-head benchmark in the database, and the margins are consistently extreme. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the EPYC scores 2334 against the Pentium's 305, a delta of 86.9%. The same 86.9% delta appears in Cinebench R20 multicore, where the EPYC scores 9728 and the Pentium scores 1272.

The single-core results are equally lopsided. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the EPYC scores 1373 versus the Pentium's 179, a delta of 87%. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the EPYC scores 3270 versus 427, again an 86.9% delta. This consistency across both single-core and multicore tests reveals that the EPYC's advantage comes from both raw core count and superior per-core efficiency.

Cinebench R23 multicore shows the largest absolute gap in the dataset: the EPYC scores 23164, while the Pentium scores 3030. That is a 20134-point difference, representing a 7.6x advantage for the EPYC. The EPYC's 8 cores and 16 threads, combined with its Zen 3 architecture, deliver a crushing blow to the Pentium's 2 cores and 4 threads.

The Pentium Gold G6400 does have standalone benchmark data outside the head-to-head set. In PassMark tests, it scores 4118 in multithread, 2457 in single-thread, 13941 in integer math, and 8788 in floating point math. These numbers place it in the 63rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 6969. The EPYC, with an average benchmark score of 6700, sits in the 62nd percentile. The percentile rankings are nearly identical despite the EPYC's overwhelming head-to-head dominance, which suggests that the two processors are compared against very different pools of competing hardware.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every major specification category. The Intel Pentium Gold G6400 has 2 cores and 4 threads, while the AMD EPYC 72F3 has 8 cores and 16 threads. The Pentium has a base clock of 4.00 GHz with no boost clock listed, while the EPYC has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz.

The Pentium has a TDP of 58 watts, while the EPYC has a TDP of 180 watts. The Pentium uses Intel Socket 1200, while the EPYC uses AMD Socket SP3. The Pentium supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth, while the EPYC supports eight-channel DDR4 with 204.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The Pentium does not support ECC memory, while the EPYC does.

PCIe connectivity also differs sharply. The Pentium offers Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the EPYC offers Gen 4 with 128 lanes (CPU only). The Pentium includes integrated UHD Graphics 610, while the EPYC has no integrated graphics.

The release dates are about 11 months apart: the Pentium launched on 2020-04-29, and the EPYC launched on 2021-03-14. The EPYC has a launch MSRP of $2468, while the Pentium has no listed launch MSRP. The market segments differ as well: the Pentium is a Desktop part, while the EPYC is a Server/Workstation part. Both processors are marked as Active in production status, and neither has an unlocked multiplier.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two chips is generational and fundamental. The Intel Pentium Gold G6400 is built on Comet Lake, a 14 nm architecture from Intel. The AMD EPYC 72F3 is built on Zen 3, codenamed Milan, using a 7 nm process from TSMC. The process node difference alone, 14 nm versus 7 nm, explains much of the efficiency and performance disparity.

Cache hierarchies differ dramatically. The Pentium has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 4 MB of shared L3 cache. The EPYC has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and a massive 256 MB of shared L3 cache. The EPYC's L3 cache is 64 times larger than the Pentium's. The EPYC also has a listed transistor count of 33,200 million and a die size of 8x 81 mm², while the Pentium has no listed transistor or die size data.

The memory architecture reinforces the divide. The Pentium's dual-channel memory bus and 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are typical of entry-level desktop parts. The EPYC's eight-channel memory bus and 204.8 GB/s bandwidth are designed for enterprise workloads that demand high throughput. ECC memory support on the EPYC further signals its server orientation.

The EPYC's 128 PCIe Gen 4 lanes provide far more expansion capability than the Pentium's 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes. The EPYC also benefits from a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, which is higher than its base clock of 3.70 GHz, while the Pentium has no boost clock listed, indicating it relies entirely on its 4.00 GHz base frequency. The combination of a newer process node, larger cache, more memory channels, and higher core count makes the EPYC 72F3 a fundamentally different class of processor from the Pentium Gold G6400.