AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X in the test – With the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X, AMD places a processor far above all other products in the desktop – and it shows itself in the test as a brutal beast. Smaller software problems do not spoil the fun, it comes back twice with the crazy overclocking.
If 32 cores and 64 threads are not enough, AMD now has the right product for you: a desktop processor with 64 cores and 128 threads. Yes, a classic desktop processor, not a server product – although the boundaries are blurring more and more. Because the RRP of $ 3,990 also speaks for a server and not for the home desktop.
Basically, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X is also a workstation CPU. The large heat spreader hides nine chips: eight 74 mm² small ones with eight processor cores each (the “chips”) and a 416 mm² large I / O die. The latter is the main difference to the Epyc server processors, because this is castrated, the memory interface is cut to 50 percent, just like the PCIe 4.0 lanes. The result is still an extremely powerful processor with a quad-channel memory interface and 64 PCIe lanes.
Socket and chipset remain the same
The rumors about a W / TRX80 chipset that octa-channel RAM should make possible are buried with the final presentation of all key data on the CPU, because the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X also uses the socket previously used by Threadripper 3000 together with the TRX40 chipset and thus Quad-channel RAM and a maximum of 64 PCIe lanes according to Standard 4.0.
Is it a workstation processor or not? Yes and no. AMD often called him that, but officially he started with the desktop portfolio and thus clearly separated from the server area.
Overview of all Threadripper processors
The Threadripper 3000 corset also covers AMD’s 64-core flagship. This primarily means that the frame parameters are not changed. Above all, the TDP goes from a maximum of 280 watts, which has an impact on the clock. This drops significantly compared to the 32-core, but ultimately is simply due to the physics, because with AMD TDP usually also stands almost exactly for the consumption and that eight chips with 64 cores with the same clock rate more energy than four chips for 32 cores need is clear. In order to consume the same amount, they must be clocked down. Threadripper 3000 and the predecessor in comparison
Around 4,000 euros are not a cardboard stick, but there was and is no direct comparison product for such a CPU on the market. AMD thus addresses a small group of customers who require even more power than a 32-core processor can offer. But the manufacturer also explains that customers should be aware of what their hardware needs. Because if they are demanding but smaller projects, the 32-core model can pay off even more than the 64-core model. This is for specialists who have to implement projects lasting for hours or days and previously had to use a workstation or even a server. The word workstation came up in the press briefing two weeks before the start for almost every presentation slide, but the solution is still officially marketed as a high-end desktop (HEDT).
And the alternative? Not from Intel, only from AMD; and only as a server CPU. For the 2nd generation Epyc for servers, 64 cores in the form of the Epyc 7702P cost at least $ 4,425. The TDP of this CPU is 80 watts lower, therefore AMD guarantees a base clock of only 2.0 GHz, the maximum single-core turbo is 3.35 GHz. The CPUs always offer an octa-channel memory interface and 128 PCIe lanes.
On the next page: 128 threads are often only 2 × 64 in everyday use
Related posts:
7-nanometer Nvidia GPU, TSMC will handle most of the production 
ASRock X299, a new BIOS allows you to install 2 TB of memory 
MSI Prestige X570 Creation Review: Test | Specs | Hashrate 
Radeon RX 5500 XT, PCI Express 3.0 castrates performance? 
An overclocker ran 1TB of RAM on an X299 motherboard limited to 256GB 
Best Review 2021: MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WiFi Under $250 ($200)
