CPU Comparison

The Intel Core i7-4790 and the AMD EPYC 9224 represent two vastly different eras and market segments in the x86 processor landscape. The i7-4790 is a legacy desktop quad-core from the Haswell generation, while the EPYC 9224 is a modern 24-core server processor built on Zen 4. Benchmark data shows the EPYC 9224 dominates across every measured workload, but the nature of that dominance varies significantly between single-threaded and multi-threaded tasks, making the comparison more nuanced than a simple scoreboard.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the AMD EPYC 9224 wins all six head-to-head comparisons. The Intel Core i7-4790 records zero wins in the tested categories. However, the magnitude of the EPYC’s victory differs by workload type, which reveals distinct strengths.

In multi-threaded rendering tasks, the EPYC 9224’s advantage is overwhelming. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the EPYC scores 38,439 points versus the i7-4790’s 6,171 points, a delta of -83.9% from the Intel part’s perspective. This 6.2x advantage stems directly from its 24 cores and 48 threads, compared to the i7’s 4 cores and 8 threads. The EPYC’s lead is similarly massive in Cinebench R20 multi-core (16,144 vs 2,591) and R15 multi-core (3,874 vs 621), each showing roughly an 84% deficit for the Intel chip.

The single-threaded results tell a different story. While the EPYC 9224 still wins decisively, the gap narrows considerably. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the EPYC scores 5,426 versus the i7’s 871, a 6.2x difference that mirrors the multi-core ratio. Yet in Cinebench R15 single-core, the EPYC’s 546 points against the i7’s 87 represents a similar 6.3x gap. The consistency of this ratio across single and multi-threaded tests suggests the EPYC’s architectural efficiency per clock, combined with its higher sustained frequency, provides a uniform advantage. The i7-4790 cannot claim victory in any measured category, but its closest relative performance comes in workloads that stress fewer cores, where the raw per-core throughput difference is less punishing.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are separated by eight years of design philosophy and manufacturing progress. The Intel Core i7-4790 uses the Haswell architecture on a 22 nm process node fabricated by Intel, containing 1,400 million transistors on a 177 mm² die. In contrast, the AMD EPYC 9224 employs the Zen 4 architecture (codename Genoa) on a 5 nm TSMC process, packing 26,280 million transistors across four separate 72 mm² chiplets.

The core counts differ dramatically: 4 cores and 8 threads for the i7-4790 versus 24 cores and 48 threads for the EPYC 9224. Cache hierarchies also diverge sharply. The i7-4790 has 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core, with a shared 8 MB L3 cache. The EPYC 9224 also has 64 KB of L1 per core but doubles the L2 to 1 MB per core, and its shared L3 cache is a massive 64 MB, eight times larger than the Intel part’s total.

Memory subsystems are fundamentally different generations. The i7-4790 supports DDR3 over a dual-channel bus, yielding 25.6 GB/s of bandwidth, with no ECC support. The EPYC 9224 supports DDR5 across a twelve-channel interface, providing 460.8 GB/s, an 18x increase, and includes ECC memory support. The EPYC also offers Gen 5 PCIe with 128 CPU lanes, while the i7-4790 provides Gen 3 with only 16 lanes. The Intel part includes integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics; the EPYC has none. The i7-4790 is socketed in Intel Socket 1150, while the EPYC 9224 uses AMD Socket SP5. Production status also differs: the i7-4790 is end-of-life, while the EPYC 9224 is active.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD EPYC 9224 has 24 cores and 48 threads. The Intel Core i7-4790 has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: How much larger is the L3 cache on the EPYC 9224?

A: The EPYC 9224 has 64 MB of shared L3 cache. The i7-4790 has 8 MB of shared L3 cache, making the EPYC’s cache 8 times larger.

Q: Does the EPYC 9224 support ECC memory?

A: Yes, the EPYC 9224 supports ECC memory. The i7-4790 does not support ECC memory.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The EPYC 9224 provides 460.8 GB/s of bandwidth via twelve-channel DDR5. The i7-4790 offers 25.6 GB/s via dual-channel DDR3. This is an 18x difference in favor of the EPYC.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i7-4790 has a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, which is higher than the EPYC 9224’s 3.70 GHz boost clock. Base clocks are 3.60 GHz for Intel and 2.50 GHz for AMD.

Q: In which benchmark does the EPYC 9224 show its smallest relative lead?

A: The EPYC 9224’s smallest relative lead is in Cinebench R15 single-core, where it scores 546 versus the i7-4790’s 87, a delta of -84.1%. The other five benchmarks show deltas of -83.9% or -84.0%.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core i7-4790 | AMD EPYC 9224 |

|---|---|---|

| Cores | 4 | 24 |

| Threads | 8 | 48 |

| Base Clock | 3.60 GHz | 2.50 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.00 GHz | 3.70 GHz |

| TDP | 84 W | 200 W |

| Socket | Intel Socket 1150 | AMD Socket SP5 |

| Process Node | 22 nm | 5 nm |

| Foundry | Intel | TSMC |

| Transistors | 1,400 million | 26,280 million |

| Die Size | 177 mm² | 4x 72 mm² |

| L2 Cache | 256 KB (per core) | 1 MB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 8 MB (shared) | 64 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR3 | DDR5 |

| Memory Bus | Dual-channel | Twelve-channel |

| Memory Bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | 460.8 GB/s |

| ECC Memory | No | Yes |

| PCIe | Gen 3, 16 Lanes (CPU only) | Gen 5, 128 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated Graphics | Intel HD 4600 | None |

| Market Segment | Desktop | Server/Workstation |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Launch MSRP | $312 | $1825 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows a clean sweep for the AMD EPYC 9224, but examining each benchmark reveals consistent patterns. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the EPYC scores 38,439 against the i7-4790’s 6,171, a delta of -83.9%. This is the largest absolute point margin in the entire test suite, reflecting the EPYC’s 6x core advantage. The Cinebench R20 multi-core test shows a similar story: EPYC at 16,144 versus Intel at 2,591, a -84% delta. Cinebench R15 multi-core follows with 3,874 versus 621, again -84%.

Single-threaded benchmarks narrow the relative gap but still favor the EPYC overwhelmingly. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the EPYC scores 5,426 versus 871 for the i7-4790, a -83.9% delta. Cinebench R20 single-core shows 2,278 versus 365, a -84% delta. The closest contest is Cinebench R15 single-core, where the EPYC’s 546 points against the i7’s 87 yields a -84.1% delta, the smallest percentage difference in the entire comparison, though still a 6.3x margin.

The i7-4790’s percentile ranking of 66th among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 10,556, places it near rivals like the AMD EPYC 7D12 (10,547, +0.1%) and Intel Xeon W-3175X (10,369, +1.8%). The EPYC 9224 also sits at the 66th percentile but with a higher average score of 11,118, comparing closely to the Intel Core i7-6700 (11,074, +0.4%) and AMD EPYC 7542 (11,152, -0.3%). Despite their identical percentile ranking, the EPYC 9224’s average score is 5.3% higher than the i7-4790’s, driven entirely by its superior performance in the newer Cinebench R23 tests where the EPYC’s 38,439 score far exceeds the i7’s 6,171. The data indicates that while both processors occupy the same percentile tier, the EPYC 9224 delivers substantially more absolute compute capability, particularly in modern multi-threaded workloads.