AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper HEDT CPUs are making a comeback after what can only be describe as a very, very long sabbatical from the space. No, really, think about it for one second: the last series the chipmaker launch was back in 2019, with the Ryzen Threadripper 3000 Series.
After a focused effort on its Threadripper Pro and its EPYC datacentre Series of CPUs, AMD is finally bringing the HEDT heavy metal thunder back to the consumer space once more.
New Architecture And Updated Features
“But John,” I hear your voices in my head, ready to query. “Some of these Threadripper 7000 Series HEDT CPUs just seem like an overkill and I could easily just get the job done with an high-end, consumer-level Ryzen 7000 Series processor. Why would I get this?”
That’s a good question, and one of the answers I can give can be described in three words: more PCIe lanes. This has always been one of the major benefits of using a Ryzen Threadripper CPU. Compared to the non-HEDT desktop CPU, you’re looking at 128 PCIe lanes ready to go and because this is based on the Zen 4 architecture, those are all PCIe 5.0 lanes.
The second answer I will give to that question is this: as with all Ryzen Threadripper processors, the number of memory slots that is available on the corresponding motherboards is double the slots of a non-HEDT AM5 motherboard. And yes, the new motherboards have been updated to support DDR5 RAM.
The third answer I will give to the question will be this: the Threadripper platform is, and always has been, the option AMD created for enthusiasts and gamers that are in the market for a high-octane system, and money is no objection.
Three New SKUs For the Consumer Segment
Moving on, AMD is releasing three SKUs for this market segment: The 7960X, 7970X, and 7980X. Moving from the lowest tier to the top, the 7960X is a 24-cores, 48-threads CPU with a boost clock of 5.3GHz, and an Infinity Cache of 152MB.
Moving up the ladder, the 7970X is the middle child of the trio, running with 32-cores, 64-threads, a base clock 5.3GHz , and a larger Infinity Cache of 160MB. Sitting at the top, the 7980X can boast 64-cores, 128-threads, a slightly lower boost clock of 5.1GHz, and a massive Infinity Cache of 320MB.
Regardless of the SKU, though, all the Ryzen Threadripper CPUs have an TDP of 350W.
These Ones Are For The Pros
Of course, AMD hasn’t neglected its Pro WX segment of its Threadripper segment, to which there are a total of six SKUs. In ascending order, those CPUs are 7945WX, 7955WX, 7965WX, 7975WX, 7985WX, and 7995WX.
The 7945WX features a 12-cores, 24-threads configuration and is the only Threadripper CPU on the list.
Interestingly enough, the Threadripper Pro WX 7000 Series is the only lineup that has both the processor with the highest core count at 96-cores, 192-threads, as well as the SKU with the smallest core configuration at 12-cores, 24-threads. Additionally, it is the 7995WX that comes with 8-channel memory support, which basically means that the CPU is able to run much faster, provided you feed it much more memory.
Oh, and as with all new chipsets, both the Threadripper Pro WX 7000 Series and HEDT Threadripper CPUs will require new chipsets, to which there are two: the WRX90 and TRX50. The WRX90 chipset will be relegated to the Pro CPUs, while the TRX50 is designed to run with the non-Pro SKUs. AMD has noted that Threadripper Pro processors can be used with motherboards from both teams, giving them a wider versatility, but the non-Pro HEDT CPUs will only be usable with TRX50 motherboards.
In terms of performance, sadly, I can’t really share any numbers or metrics right now, That being said, we were treated to some extreme overclocking of the 7995WX, to which world records were broken.
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