EPYC 7542 vs Core i5-9400F

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-9400F and EPYC 7542 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1021	142
Place by popularity	29	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	17.13	19.14
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Intel Core i5	AMD EPYC
Architecture codename	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Zen 2 (2019−2020)
Release date	8 January 2019 (5 years ago)	7 August 2019 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$182	$3,400
Current price	$129 (0.7x MSRP)	$1139 (0.3x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

EPYC 7542 has 12% better value for money than i5-9400F.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-9400F and EPYC 7542 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	6 (Hexa-Core)	32 (Dotriaconta-Core)
Threads	6	64
Base clock speed	2.9 GHz	2.9 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.1 GHz	3.4 GHz
L1 cache	64K (per core)	96K (per core)
L2 cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)
L3 cache	9 MB (shared)	128 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm, 14 nm
Die size	149 mm2	192 mm2
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	4,800 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+
Unlocked multiplier	No	Yes

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-9400F and EPYC 7542 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1	2 (Multiprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1151	SP3
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	225 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-9400F and EPYC 7542. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	no data
TSX	-	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
SIPP	-	no data
Status	Discontinued	no data

Security technologies

Core i5-9400F and EPYC 7542 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	no data
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-9400F and EPYC 7542 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	no data	+
VT-d	+	no data
VT-x	+	no data
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-9400F and EPYC 7542. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2666	DDR4 Eight-channel
Maximum memory size	128 GB	4 TiB
Max memory channels	2	8
Maximum memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s	204.763 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-9400F and EPYC 7542.

PCIe version	3.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

EPYC 7542 outperforms Core i5-9400F by 375% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	6.12	29.10
Recency	8 January 2019	7 August 2019
Physical cores	6	32
Threads	6	64
Cost	$182	$3400
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	225 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-9400F and EPYC 7542, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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