AMD EPYC 7F32 vs AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 Comparison

The AMD EPYC 7F32 and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 are both 8-core, 16-thread Zen 2 processors built on TSMC's 7 nm process, yet they target completely different corners of the market. The EPYC 7F32 is a server/workstation part designed for the SP3 platform with massive memory bandwidth, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 is a desktop chip for the AM4 socket with a much higher boost clock. Benchmark data shows the EPYC 7F32 edges out the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 in every single Cinebench test, but the margins are consistently slim, ranging from 1.6% to 1.8%. Both CPUs sit at the 61st percentile of all CPUs, indicating that their overall performance rankings are nearly identical despite their different designs.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher base clock speed?

A: The AMD EPYC 7F32 has a base clock of 3.70 GHz, while the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 has a base clock of 3.60 GHz. The EPYC part is 100 MHz faster at the base frequency.

Q: What is the difference in boost clock speeds between the two?

A: The Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 has a significantly higher boost clock of 4.40 GHz compared to the EPYC 7F32's 3.90 GHz. This 500 MHz advantage for the desktop part does not translate into a benchmark win, however.

Q: How do their memory subsystems compare?

A: The EPYC 7F32 supports eight-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 204.8 GB/s, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 uses dual-channel DDR4 with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. The EPYC offers four times the memory bandwidth of the Ryzen part.

Q: Which CPU has more PCIe lanes?

A: The EPYC 7F32 provides 128 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (CPU only), whereas the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 provides 24 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (CPU only). The EPYC offers over five times the PCIe lane count.

Q: What are the single-core benchmark results?

A: In Cinebench R23 single-core, the EPYC 7F32 scores 2783, and the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 scores 2738. The EPYC wins by 1.6%, despite the Ryzen's higher boost clock.

Q: Are both processors unlocked for overclocking?

A: No. The Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 has an unlocked multiplier, while the EPYC 7F32 does not. The EPYC is a locked server part.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD EPYC 7F32 wins every benchmark in the head-to-head comparison, taking all 6 contests. The margins are uniform, with the EPYC ahead by 1.6% to 1.8% across all Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 tests, both single-core and multi-core. The largest single win is a 1.8% advantage in Cinebench R15 single-core (280 vs 275), while the smallest is a 1.6% lead in Cinebench R15 multi-core (1987 vs 1955) and Cinebench R23 single-core (2783 vs 2738). The EPYC's wins are consistent but narrow, suggesting that raw CPU compute performance is nearly identical between the two.

The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 3700, despite losing all benchmarks, has clear advantages in other areas. It runs on the AM4 socket with an unlocked multiplier, making it a desktop part aimed at users who want overclocking flexibility. Its 65 W TDP is dramatically lower than the EPYC's 180 W, making it far more suitable for standard desktop cooling and power envelopes. The Ryzen also has a higher boost clock of 4.40 GHz, though this does not yield a performance victory. For a desktop workstation build where power efficiency and overclocking matter more than the absolute maximum benchmark score, the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 is the practical choice.

Architecture Differences

Both processors are built on the Zen 2 architecture and use TSMC's 7 nm process node, but they come from different families and codenames. The EPYC 7F32 is part of the EPYC (Zen 2 Rome) generation, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 belongs to the Ryzen 7 (Zen 2 Matisse) generation. The EPYC uses a chiplet design with a die size of 4x 74 mm² and 15,200 million transistors, whereas the Ryzen uses a single 74 mm² die with 3,800 million transistors. This reflects the EPYC's server-oriented multi-die packaging.

The cache hierarchies are also different. Both have 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 512 KB of L2 cache per core. However, the EPYC 7F32 has 32 MB of L3 cache per die, totaling 128 MB across its four dies, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 has a single 32 MB L3 cache. This gives the EPYC four times the total L3 cache capacity, which can be beneficial for large working sets in server workloads.

Memory support differs fundamentally. The EPYC 7F32 supports eight-channel DDR4 memory with ECC enabled and a bandwidth of 204.8 GB/s. The Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 supports dual-channel DDR4 without ECC and has a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The EPYC also offers 128 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (CPU only), while the Ryzen offers 24 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (CPU only). These architectural differences reflect the EPYC's role as a server part designed for high-throughput memory and I/O.

Specification Differences

The two CPUs differ in nearly every specification category except for cores, threads, and process node. The EPYC 7F32 has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The TDP is a major differentiator: the EPYC is rated at 180 W, while the Ryzen is rated at 65 W. The EPYC uses the AMD Socket SP3, whereas the Ryzen uses the AMD Socket AM4.

Memory support and I/O are significantly different. The EPYC supports eight-channel DDR4 with ECC and 204.8 GB/s bandwidth, compared to the Ryzen's dual-channel DDR4 without ECC and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. The EPYC provides 128 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (CPU only) versus the Ryzen's 24 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (CPU only). The EPYC has a launch MSRP of $2100, while the Ryzen has no listed launch MSRP.

The EPYC 7F32 has a production status of Active and a release date of 2020-04-13, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 also has an Active status with a release date of 2019-09-29. The EPYC is a locked processor, while the Ryzen has an unlocked multiplier. Their part numbers are 100-000000139 for the EPYC and 100-000000073 for the Ryzen. Neither processor has integrated graphics.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are remarkably consistent, with the EPYC 7F32 winning all six Cinebench tests by a narrow margin. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the EPYC scores 1987 against the Ryzen's 1955, a 1.6% difference. The single-core R15 test shows the EPYC at 280 versus 275 for the Ryzen, a 1.8% lead, which is the largest margin in any test.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the EPYC 7F32 scores 8281 in multi-core versus 8146 for the Ryzen, a 1.7% advantage. The single-core R20 test has the EPYC at 1168 and the Ryzen at 1149, again a 1.7% difference. The multi-core and single-core deltas are essentially identical, indicating that the EPYC's advantage is uniform across all thread counts.

In Cinebench R23, the EPYC 7F32 scores 19718 in multi-core versus 19397 for the Ryzen, a 1.7% lead. The single-core R23 test shows the EPYC at 2783 and the Ryzen at 2738, a 1.6% difference. Across all tests, the EPYC's wins range from 1.6% to 1.8%, showing that the server chip consistently outperforms the desktop chip by a small but measurable amount.

The average benchmark scores reflect this trend. The EPYC 7F32 has an average benchmark score of 5703, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 has an average of 5610. The EPYC's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7351 with an average score of 5710 (0.1% lower) and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X at 5730 (0.5% lower), showing the EPYC sits in a competitive field. The Ryzen's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12700T at 5606 (0.1% higher) and the Intel Atom x7433RE at 5601 (0.2% higher), indicating the Ryzen is slightly below these parts in average score. Both CPUs hold the 61st percentile of all CPUs, reinforcing that they are statistically equivalent in overall performance despite the EPYC's consistent head-to-head wins.