EPYC 7542 vs EPYC 7401

Primary details

Comparing EPYC 7401 and EPYC 7542 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	86	118
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	15.60	11.45
Market segment	Server	Server
Series	AMD EPYC	AMD EPYC
Architecture codename	Naples (2017−2018)	Zen 2 (2019−2020)
Release date	29 June 2017 (6 years ago)	7 August 2019 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,850	$3,400
Current price	$1477 (0.8x MSRP)	$2197 (0.6x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

EPYC 7401 has 36% better value for money than EPYC 7542.

Detailed specifications

EPYC 7401 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	24 (Tetracosa-Core)	32 (Dotriaconta-Core)
Threads	48	64
Base clock speed	2 GHz	2.9 GHz
Boost clock speed	3 GHz	3.4 GHz
L1 cache	96K (per core)	96K (per core)
L2 cache	512K (per core)	512K (per core)
L3 cache	64 MB (shared)	128 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm, 14 nm
Die size	192 mm2	192 mm2
Number of transistors	4,800 million	4,800 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	Yes

Compatibility

Information on EPYC 7401 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	2 (Multiprocessor)	2 (Multiprocessor)
Socket	TR4	SP3
Power consumption (TDP)	170 Watt	225 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by EPYC 7401 and EPYC 7542. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by EPYC 7401 and EPYC 7542 are enumerated here.

AMD-V

+

+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by EPYC 7401 and EPYC 7542. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4 Eight-channel	DDR4 Eight-channel
Maximum memory size	2 TiB	4 TiB
Max memory channels	8	8
Maximum memory bandwidth	170.671 GB/s	204.763 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by EPYC 7401 and EPYC 7542.

PCIe version	3.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	128	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 7401 outperforms EPYC 7542 by 16% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	35.74	30.79
Recency	29 June 2017	7 August 2019
Physical cores	24	32
Threads	48	64
Cost	$1850	$3400
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	170 Watt	225 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between EPYC 7401 and EPYC 7542, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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