AMD EPYC 9634 vs Intel Xeon 6741P Comparison

The AMD EPYC 9634 and Intel Xeon 6741P are both 99th-percentile server processors, but they approach the workload from opposite directions. The EPYC 9634 leans on 84 Zen 4 cores and a massive shared L3 cache to dominate throughput-heavy tasks, while the Xeon 6741P counters with higher clocks and a more efficient per-core design in specific workloads. Benchmark data shows the AMD part wins 11 of 17 head-to-head tests, yet the Intel chip takes six meaningful victories, including the single-thread crown. This breakdown uses only the measured scores and architectural facts to show where each CPU belongs.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided result in the entire comparison is PassMark data encryption, where the EPYC 9634 scores 151943 against the Xeon 6741P’s 89746. That is a 69.3% advantage, the largest deltaPct in either direction. Similarly, integer math heavily favors AMD: 725356 vs 458058, a 58.4% gap. The EPYC 9634 also crushes the Xeon in random string sorting, posting 261134 to 177322, which is 47.3% higher. Data compression follows the same pattern, with the AMD chip at 2236412 versus 1816408, a 23.1% lead. These four workloads are all classic parallel, memory-bandwidth-hungry tasks, and the EPYC’s 84 cores against 48 cores makes the gap predictable.

In Cinebench tests, the AMD EPYC 9634 wins every single run by exactly 7.2%. That includes R15 multicore (9248 vs 8624), R15 singlecore (1305 vs 1217), R20 multicore (38535 vs 35935), R20 singlecore (5440 vs 5073), R23 multicore (91752 vs 85561), and R23 singlecore (12953 vs 12079). The consistent 7.2% delta across both single- and multi-threaded runs suggests the EPYC’s architecture delivers a uniform performance uplift in these rendering workloads. PassMark multithread also lands at 107944 vs 100660, another 7.2% win for AMD.

The Intel Xeon 6741P’s wins are narrower but real. Its best result is PassMark physics, where it scores 13890 against AMD’s 12291, an 11.5% advantage. Single-thread performance goes to Intel: PassMark single thread shows 3195 vs 2924, which is an 8.5% lead. The Xeon also wins extended instructions (142682 vs 137543, a 3.6% margin) and find prime numbers (1242 vs 1176, a 5.3% margin). Floating point math is nearly a tie, with Intel at 358423 and AMD at 353784, a 1.3% edge for the Xeon. These wins cluster around tasks that benefit from higher per-core clock speeds (3.80 GHz boost vs 3.70 GHz) rather than raw core count.

Architecture Differences

The EPYC 9634 is built on AMD’s Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Genoa, using a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 84 cores and 168 threads, with a base clock of 2.25 GHz and boost clock of 3.70 GHz. The transistor count is listed as 78,840 million, spread across 12 dies each measuring 72 mm². Cache hierarchy is per-core: 64 KB L1 and 1 MB L2, with a shared 384 MB L3. Memory support is DDR5 over a twelve-channel bus, yielding 460.8 GB/s bandwidth. PCIe is Gen 5 with 128 lanes from the CPU. The socket is AMD Socket SP5, and TDP is 290 W. It launched on 2022-11-09 with a launch MSRP of $10304.

The Xeon 6741P uses Intel’s Granite Rapids architecture, also on a 5 nm process but fabricated by Intel itself. It has 48 cores and 96 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 3.80 GHz. The die size is listed as 2x 598 mm², but no transistor count is provided. Cache is larger per core: 112 KB L1 and 2 MB L2, with a smaller shared 288 MB L3. Memory support is DDR5 over an eight-channel bus, giving 409.6 GB/s bandwidth. PCIe is Gen 5 with 136 lanes from the CPU. The socket is Intel Socket 4710, TDP is 300 W, and it launched on 2025-02-23 with a launch MSRP of $4421. Integrated graphics are listed as N/A for the Xeon, while the EPYC has no integrated graphics field at all.

The core-count difference drives most of the performance gap. The EPYC has 84 cores vs 48, a 75% advantage in raw core count. However, the Xeon compensates with higher base and boost clocks (2.50/3.80 vs 2.25/3.70) and a larger L1 and L2 per core. The EPYC’s shared L3 is 96 MB larger (384 vs 288), which helps in cache-heavy workloads like compression and encryption. Memory bandwidth also favors AMD by 51.2 GB/s (460.8 vs 409.6), reinforcing its lead in multi-threaded data movement.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD EPYC 9634 has 84 cores and 168 threads. The Intel Xeon 6741P has 48 cores and 96 threads. That is a 36-core and 72-thread difference in favor of AMD.

Q: Why does the Intel Xeon win single-thread benchmarks despite having fewer cores?

A: The Xeon 6741P has a higher boost clock (3.80 GHz vs 3.70 GHz) and a larger L1 cache per core (112 KB vs 64 KB). PassMark single thread shows 3195 for Intel vs 2924 for AMD, an 8.5% lead, and it also wins Cinebench singlecore runs by 7.2% in favor of AMD, though the PassMark result shows Intel ahead.

Q: Which processor has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD EPYC 9634 provides 460.8 GB/s over a twelve-channel DDR5 bus. The Intel Xeon 6741P provides 409.6 GB/s over an eight-channel bus. AMD’s bandwidth is 51.2 GB/s higher.

Q: How do the two compare in encryption workloads?

A: The EPYC 9634 scores 151943 in PassMark data encryption vs the Xeon’s 89746. That is a 69.3% advantage for AMD, the single largest performance gap in the benchmark set.

Q: What is the difference in L3 cache size?

A: The EPYC 9634 has 384 MB of shared L3 cache, while the Xeon 6741P has 288 MB. AMD’s L3 is 96 MB larger, which contributes to its wins in compression and integer math.

Q: Do both CPUs support ECC memory?

A: Yes, both the AMD EPYC 9634 and Intel Xeon 6741P list ECC memory support as true in their specifications.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the AMD EPYC 9634 and Intel Xeon 6741P:

• Cores: 84 (AMD) vs 48 (Intel)
• Threads: 168 (AMD) vs 96 (Intel)
• Base Clock: 2.25 GHz (AMD) vs 2.50 GHz (Intel)
• Boost Clock: 3.70 GHz (AMD) vs 3.80 GHz (Intel)
• TDP: 290 W (AMD) vs 300 W (Intel)
• Socket: AMD Socket SP5 vs Intel Socket 4710
• Architecture: Zen 4 (AMD) vs Granite Rapids (Intel)
• Codename: Genoa (AMD) vs Granite Rapids (Intel)
• Generation: EPYC (Zen 4 (Genoa)) vs Xeon 6 (Granite Rapids-SP)
• Foundry: TSMC (AMD) vs Intel (Intel)
• Transistors: 78,840 million (AMD) vs not listed (Intel)
• Die Size: 12x 72 mm² (AMD) vs 2x 598 mm² (Intel)
• L1 Cache: 64 KB per core (AMD) vs 112 KB per core (Intel)
• L2 Cache: 1 MB per core (AMD) vs 2 MB per core (Intel)
• L3 Cache: 384 MB shared (AMD) vs 288 MB shared (Intel)
• Memory Bus: Twelve-channel (AMD) vs Eight-channel (Intel)
• Memory Bandwidth: 460.8 GB/s (AMD) vs 409.6 GB/s (Intel)
• PCIe Lanes: Gen 5, 128 Lanes (CPU only) (AMD) vs Gen 5, 136 Lanes (CPU only) (Intel)
• Integrated Graphics: Not listed (AMD) vs N/A (Intel)
• Release Date: 2022-11-09 (AMD) vs 2025-02-23 (Intel)
• Launch MSRP: $10304 (AMD) vs $4421 (Intel)
• Part Number: 100-100000797 (AMD) vs SRVEY (Intel)

Fields that are identical include DDR5 memory support, ECC memory support, 5 nm process node, and active production status. Both parts have locked multipliers.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD EPYC 9634 wins in every Cinebench version tested (R15, R20, R23) for both single- and multi-core runs, with a uniform 7.2% margin. It also dominates PassMark multithread (107944 vs 100660), integer math (725356 vs 458058), data compression (2236412 vs 1816408), data encryption (151943 vs 89746), and random string sorting (261134 vs 177322). These are the workloads for database servers, data analytics, virtualization hosts, and any application that scales with core count and memory bandwidth. The 384 MB L3 cache and 460.8 GB/s bandwidth give it a clear edge in large in-memory datasets.

The Intel Xeon 6741P wins PassMark physics (13890 vs 12291, an 11.5% lead), PassMark single thread (3195 vs 2924, an 8.5% lead), extended instructions (142682 vs 137543), find prime numbers (1242 vs 1176), and floating point math (358423 vs 353784). Its higher base and boost clocks, plus larger per-core caches, make it better suited for latency-sensitive applications, scientific simulations with heavy branch prediction, and workloads that rely on single-threaded performance. The physics win suggests it handles rigid-body or particle simulations more efficiently, despite having fewer cores.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split. If the workload is multi-threaded and memory-bandwidth-bound, the AMD EPYC 9634 is the stronger choice. It wins 11 of 17 benchmarks, with its largest margins in encryption (69.3%), integer math (58.4%), and random string sorting (47.3%). The 84-core count, 384 MB L3, and twelve-channel memory bus are the architectural reasons for these wins. For server consolidation, data compression pipelines, or any task that can use 168 threads, the EPYC 9634 provides measurably higher throughput.

If the workload is single-threaded or latency-sensitive, the Intel Xeon 6741P deserves consideration. It wins PassMark single thread by 8.5%, physics by 11.5%, and extended instructions by 3.6%. The higher boost clock (3.80 GHz vs 3.70 GHz) and larger per-core L1/L2 caches help in these scenarios. However, the Xeon loses every Cinebench test by 7.2%, so its wins are narrower in scope. The Xeon also has a lower launch MSRP ($4421 vs $10304), but that is a single data point and should not be used to judge overall value.

The final recommendation depends on the specific mix of workloads. For a general-purpose server running mixed multi-threaded applications, the EPYC 9634’s broader win profile makes it the safer bet. For a system dedicated to single-threaded physics, prime-finding, or floating-point math, the Xeon 6741P’s six wins are relevant. Both are 99th-percentile CPUs, so neither is a weak option — the choice comes down to whether the dominant tasks favor AMD’s core count or Intel’s per-core speed.