I am by no means a compounding cream expert but I'm thinking creams and gels have to be at least a little bit different....as far as absorption rates through the skin and stuff like that. So when you say "exactly the same" I'm thinking that's not the case. Yes they'll both be delivering testosterone to your system transdermally but the amount you'll need to apply, absorption rates, ease of application/convenience are a little different.
For instance, a buddy of mine wanted to take a break from injections and had his TRT doc write a script for compounded test cream. When he applied it to his shoulder area it looked like he applied "chalk dust" to the area. A minor inconvenience to be sure but. Also, he could just "feel" that he was "off" a bit from how he felt & performed when on the injections. So at some point he switched to Androgel. It applied more evenly and conveniently and when it dried on the skin you couldn't even tell he applied anything. Plus, through bloodwork, he & his physician found his test numbers to be better on the androgel than they were on the compounded cream. Not quite what they were on injections but pretty close.
Hopefully someone with more experience & knowledge will chime in here for you. Another thought, did you get bloods done when you were taking the 125mg/wk of test e? If so, you can compare numbers...and also how you feel...once you've been on the cream for a while and get bloods pulled.