AMD EPYC 9224 vs Intel Core i7-4790K Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results between the Intel Core i7-4790K and the AMD EPYC 9224 are not close in any recorded test. Across all six Cinebench workloads in the database, the AMD EPYC 9224 takes the win outright, with the Intel part failing to secure a single head-to-head victory. The margin is consistent and dramatic: the EPYC 9224 leads by 82.2% in every single test, whether the workload is single-threaded or multi-threaded.

Starting with Cinebench R15, the Intel Core i7-4790K scores 690 points in the multicore test, while the AMD EPYC 9224 posts 3874 points. That is a massive gap, and it reflects the enormous difference in core count and thread resources. The single-core R15 result shows the same pattern: the i7-4790K manages 97 points, while the EPYC 9224 reaches 546 points. Even in a test that typically favors higher clock speeds over raw core counts, the EPYC 9224 dominates, which speaks to the architectural efficiency of Zen 4 compared to the older Haswell design.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the i7-4790K scores 2879 in multicore and 406 in single-core. The EPYC 9224 responds with 16144 in multicore and 2278 in single-core. The deltas remain fixed at 82.2% in favor of AMD, which means the relative performance ratio is identical across both R15 and R20. This consistency suggests that the performance advantage is not workload-specific but rather a fundamental throughput and efficiency gap.

Cinebench R23 tells the same story. The Intel Core i7-4790K delivers 6855 in multicore and 967 in single-core. The AMD EPYC 9224 crushes those numbers with 38439 in multicore and 5426 in single-core. The multicore result is particularly telling: the EPYC 9224 is more than five times faster in absolute terms. The single-core result, while closer in relative terms, still leaves the Intel part far behind.

It is importantly the Intel Core i7-4790K has a higher boost clock at 4.40 GHz compared to the EPYC 9224 at 3.70 GHz. Yet the EPYC 9224 still wins the single-core tests by a wide margin. This indicates that raw clock speed is not the deciding factor here; the Zen 4 architecture extracts far more instructions per clock than Haswell, and the EPYC's newer memory subsystem and cache hierarchy contribute to the result.

The database also records additional benchmark scores for the Intel part that have no direct EPYC counterpart in the head-to-head table. The i7-4790K scores 121722 in PassMark data compression, 2264 in data encryption, 7579 in extended instructions, 34 in prime number finding, 14597 in floating point math, 29163 in integer math, 8062 in multithread, 548 in physics, 16431 in random string sorting, and 2466 in single-thread tests. These numbers give a fuller picture of the Intel part's capabilities, but they do not change the head-to-head outcome. In every directly comparable Cinebench test, the EPYC 9224 wins by the same 82.2% margin.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD EPYC 9224 is the stronger processor in every recorded benchmark. If the choice is between these two CPUs and the workload involves any of the tested Cinebench scenarios, the EPYC 9224 is the only rational pick. The Intel Core i7-4790K does not win a single head-to-head test, and the margins are not narrow. An 82.2% deficit in both single-core and multi-core performance is not a matter of tuning or driver updates; it is a generational and architectural chasm.

That said, the decision is not purely about performance. The Intel Core i7-4790K is a desktop part from the Haswell generation, released in 2014, with 4 cores and 8 threads. It is end-of-life, uses DDR3 memory, and fits the Intel Socket 1150 platform. The AMD EPYC 9224 is a server and workstation processor from the EPYC 9004 series, released in 2022, with 24 cores and 48 threads. It is an active product, uses DDR5 memory, fits the AMD Socket SP5 platform, and supports ECC memory. These are fundamentally different products for fundamentally different use cases.

For a builder assembling a new system today, the EPYC 9224 is the clear winner on raw performance. The database shows its average benchmark score at 11118, with a percentile ranking of 66 against all CPUs. The i7-4790K has an average benchmark score of 11745 and a percentile ranking of 67. Interestingly, the Intel part actually has a slightly higher average score and percentile in the database, despite losing every head-to-head Cinebench test. This is because the Intel part has many more recorded benchmarks, including PassMark tests, while the EPYC 9224 only has Cinebench results recorded. The average score is not a direct comparison of the same workloads, so the head-to-head table is the more reliable indicator of relative performance.

The EPYC 9224 also holds a clear advantage in platform capabilities. It supports DDR5 memory across a twelve-channel memory bus with 460.8 GB/s of bandwidth, compared to the i7-4790K's dual-channel DDR3 with 25.6 GB/s. The EPYC 9224 offers PCIe Gen 5 with 128 lanes from the CPU, while the i7-4790K offers PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. For memory-intensive or I/O-intensive server workloads, the EPYC 9224 is in a different league entirely.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD EPYC 9224 wins every directly compared benchmark, so the use-case split is not about one CPU beating the other in specific tests. Instead, the split is about which platform and workload profile each processor is designed for.

The EPYC 9224 is built for server and workstation environments. It has 24 cores and 48 threads, which makes it suited for heavily parallel workloads such as virtualization, database hosting, scientific computing, and large-scale rendering. Its twelve-channel DDR5 memory bus and 460.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth are designed for data-heavy applications that need to move enormous amounts of information quickly. The 64 MB of shared L3 cache per chip is also a major asset for workloads with large working sets. ECC memory support is another indicator of its server pedigree; the i7-4790K does not support ECC memory. The EPYC 9224 also provides 128 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, which allows for extensive expansion with high-speed storage, networking, and accelerators.

The Intel Core i7-4790K, by contrast, is a desktop processor. It was designed for consumer workloads: gaming, general productivity, and light content creation. Its 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient for many desktop tasks, and its 4.40 GHz boost clock is high for its era. The integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics mean it can drive a display without a separate GPU, which is useful for basic systems. Its unlocked multiplier also makes it attractive to enthusiasts who want to overclock, a feature the EPYC 9224 does not offer. The i7-4790K fits the Intel Socket 1150 platform, which was a mainstream desktop socket, and it supports dual-channel DDR3 memory.

For a desktop user who already owns a Socket 1150 motherboard and DDR3 memory, the i7-4790K remains a functional choice for everyday tasks. But for anyone building a new system, especially one with server or workstation ambitions, the EPYC 9224 is the superior part in every measured dimension.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The AMD EPYC 9224 scores 38439 in Cinebench R23 multicore, while the Intel Core i7-4790K scores 6855. The EPYC 9224 leads by 82.2%.

Q: Does the Intel Core i7-4790K win any head-to-head benchmark against the AMD EPYC 9224?

A: No. The database records six head-to-head Cinebench tests, and the AMD EPYC 9224 wins all six.

Q: Which CPU supports ECC memory?

A: The AMD EPYC 9224 supports ECC memory. The Intel Core i7-4790K does not.

Q: What memory types do these CPUs support?

A: The Intel Core i7-4790K supports DDR3 memory on a dual-channel bus with 25.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD EPYC 9224 supports DDR5 memory on a twelve-channel bus with 460.8 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: How many cores and threads does each CPU have?

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

Q: Does the Intel Core i7-4790K have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, it includes Intel HD 4600 graphics. The AMD EPYC 9224 has no integrated graphics.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Core i7-4790K is built on the Haswell architecture, fabricated on a 22 nm process at Intel. It contains 1,400 million transistors on a 177 mm² die. The AMD EPYC 9224 uses the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Genoa, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It contains 26,280 million transistors spread across four 72 mm² dies.

The cache hierarchies differ substantially. The i7-4790K has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. The EPYC 9224 also has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, but its L2 cache is 1 MB per core, and its shared L3 cache is 64 MB. The larger L2 and L3 caches on the EPYC 9224 give it a significant advantage in workloads that benefit from data locality and large working sets.

Memory architecture is another major differentiator. The i7-4790K uses dual-channel DDR3 with a memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. The EPYC 9224 uses twelve-channel DDR5 with a memory bandwidth of 460.8 GB/s. That is an 18-fold difference in theoretical bandwidth, and it makes the EPYC 9224 far more capable for memory-bound server workloads.

The process node difference is also notable. The i7-4790K uses Intel's 22 nm process from 2014, while the EPYC 9224 uses TSMC's 5 nm process from 2022. The smaller node allows for higher transistor density and better power efficiency per operation. The EPYC 9224 has a TDP of 200 watts, while the i7-4790K has a TDP of 88 watts. Despite the higher power draw, the EPYC 9224 delivers far more performance per core and per thread.

The EPYC 9224 is part of the EPYC 9004 series and uses the AMD Socket SP5. The i7-4790K uses the Intel Socket 1150. The EPYC 9224 supports PCIe Gen 5 with 128 lanes from the CPU, while the i7-4790K supports PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. The EPYC 9224 also supports ECC memory, which is a critical feature for server reliability and data integrity.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every specification field recorded in the database.

The Intel Core i7-4790K has 4 cores and 8 threads, with a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The AMD EPYC 9224 has 24 cores and 48 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 3.70 GHz. The Intel part has a higher clock speed, but the AMD part has six times the cores and six times the threads.

The TDP figures are 88 watts for the i7-4790K and 200 watts for the EPYC 9224. The Intel part is much more power-efficient in absolute terms, but the EPYC 9224 delivers far more throughput per socket.

Memory support differs completely. The i7-4790K supports DDR3 on a dual-channel bus with 25.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The EPYC 9224 supports DDR5 on a twelve-channel bus with 460.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The EPYC 9224 supports ECC memory; the i7-4790K does not.

PCIe connectivity differs as well. The i7-4790K offers PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The EPYC 9224 offers PCIe Gen 5 with 128 lanes from the CPU. This makes the EPYC 9224 suitable for systems with many high-speed expansion cards, NVMe drives, and accelerators.

The i7-4790K includes integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics, while the EPYC 9224 has no integrated graphics. The i7-4790K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking, while the EPYC 9224 does not.

The production statuses differ: the i7-4790K is end-of-life, while the EPYC 9224 is active. The release dates are April 30, 2014 for the Intel part and November 9, 2022 for the AMD part.

The launch MSRP for the Intel Core i7-4790K is $350. The launch MSRP for the AMD EPYC 9224 is $1825. These are the only recorded prices in the database, and they reflect the different market positions of a desktop consumer CPU and a server/workstation processor.