AMD Epyc 7302P Review

The Epyc 7302P is one of AMD's high-end Server processors. It was released in 2019 with 16 cores and 32 threads. With base clock at 3GHz, max speed at 3.3GHz, and a 155W power rating. The Epyc 7302P is based on the Rome 7nm family and is part of the EPYC series.

The AMD Epyc 7302P marks yet another blast from Team AMD, ramping up the intensity of the AMD vs Intel processor war. Still, though, there’s more than just core counts when it comes to a mainstream processor, as single-core performance needs to be on point, especially if you’re hoping to play the best PC games.

Now, we're asking ourselves whether or not the AMD Epyc 7302P finally dethrones the Xeon Gold 6246 as the de facto ruler of the mainstream processors. Ultimately, it depends: the Epyc 7302P doesn't reach the same single-core performance as Intel, but we're starting to see more games adopt multi-threaded CPUs, so that doesn't matter as much.

Speaking of which, if you want a high-end desktop (HEDT) 20-core processor that can compete with the AMD Epyc 7302P, you’re going to have to drop quite a bit more cash and get something like the $3078 Intel Xeon Gold 6248. And, even if you do go with this Intel chip, you won’t necessarily end up with the same level of performance.

One thing that the switch to 7nm silicon has allowed for however, is an increase in cache size. AMD is now describing its L3 and L2 cache in a combined spec of 512K (per core) and 128.00. But, because the 7nm CPU cores are contained within their own chiplets, AMD was able to pack much more in – with a whopping 512K (per core) and 128.00. This is a really big deal, as it allows for much faster performance, especially when you’re shooting for high framerates in 1080p games, and will be especially effective in old esports titles like Counter Strike: Global Offensive.

The AMD Epyc 7302P is an absolute behemoth of a processor, as it absolutely should be with its 16 cores, 32 threads and high price tag. If you’re looking for the absolute best processor money can buy on a mainstream processor, then look no further. Whether you’re playing PC games or even doing hardcore video and 3D work, the AMD Epyc 7302P can handle them with ease.

However, you should be aware that there are some workloads where the Xeon Gold 6246 will still perform a little better. Old games that are completely single threaded, like World of Warcraft, will still run better on an Intel processor – but that gap is definitely starting to narrow.

Over the last couple years, AMD has been reaching for dominance in the desktop CPU world, and with the AMD Epyc 7302P, it's finally there.

AMD's Zen 2 series has landed, upping the ante with Intel in its high-stakes game for desktop PC market dominance with a well-rounded lineup of new chips that push mainstream platforms to higher core counts and more raw compute than we've ever seen. As a result, Intel's commanding presence in the enthusiast space is threatened in a way we haven't seen in over a decade.

The Epyc 7302P slots in beneath the Epyc 7351, which comes with 14nm compute die to yield a 16-core 32-thread part. AMD has worked wonders to reduce the impact of this sort of multi-chip arrangement, but it's fair to assume that the Epyc 7302Ps single-compute-die design, paired with a higher TDP rating that facilitates more aggressive boost clocks, could actually rival the Epyc 7351 in some applications – games included.

We covered the deep dive details of the Zen 2 chip design in our AMD Epyc 7351 and Epyc 7301 review, so head there for more information on the Epyc 7302P's architecture, which is identical to the Epyc 7301.

As the higher-priced version of the Epyc 7301, the Epyc 7302P has higher base and Boost frequencies of 3 and 3.3 GHz, respectively. That's an increase in base frequency and a bump to boost clocks, but the real advantage should lay in the higher Package Power Tracking (PPT) envelope, which is a measurement of the maximum amount of power delivered to the socket. The Epyc 7301's PPT tops out at 170W, while the motherboard can pump up to 142W to the Epyc 7302P at peak performance. That opens up much more aggressive boost behavior, on both single and multiple cores, that could widen the performance gap beyond what we see on the spec sheet.

As we've seen, gaming remains an advantage for Intel, so if squeezing out every last frame is all you care about, Intel's processors are a good choice. Much of that performance advantage will be less noticeable when gaming at higher resolutions, or if you pair the processors with a lesser graphics card.

Value seekers who aren't afraid to press the Precision Boost Overdrive button and have sufficient cooling should look to the Epyc 7301 for roughly equivalent performance to the Epyc 7302P, particularly if gaming factors heavily into the buying decision. That could save you money, reinforcing our decision to give the Epyc 7301 an Editor's Choice award.

The AMD Epyc 7302P, like the rest of AMD's Rome processors, is built on a 7nm manufacturing node – the smallest in a commercially available CPU. What this means for most people is lower power consumption and much improved performance at the same time.

What this all means is that the AMD Epyc 7302P is an absolute beast when it comes to multi-threaded workloads, especially at this price point. If you're counting on doing some video editing or compiling one hell of an Excel spreadsheet, you're going to see firsthand a performance boost with the Epyc 7302P.

If extended overclocking and boost frequencies are trivial matters to you, AMD also offers the Epyc 7301 at $825. It’s still outfitted with 16-cores and 32-threads, but clocks in at a slower 2.2GHz and maxes out at only 2.7GHz.

With EPYC, AMD continues to innovate on its new architecture and 7nm process. Like EPYC, AMD has engineered EPYC to operate on a P3 chipset with all the modern amenities of computing. This includes support for DDR4 RAM, the fastest NVMe SSDs and Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Now the biggest question is can AMD’s EPYC processor play games? The answer is simply yes as it got a respectable gaming score of 83% in our benchmarks.

Regardless of those external factors, the Epyc 7302P proves it has the chops to be your main gaming system and a just as effective media creation platform – two things that are becoming intrinsically connected in this age of live-streaming, eSports and uploading gameplay videos.

The Epyc 7302P clocks up to 3.3Ghz just as it promises on the box, and with AMD’s software you can take one of the cores all the way up to 3.4GHz. However, don’t expect to get much beyond that without seriously upgrading your cooling solution and manually tweaking voltages behind the operating system level.