AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series
Ryzen Threadripper 7000 processors are AMD’s latest high-end desktop (HEDT) additions, which AMD wants to mainstream. AMD’s new Ryzen Threadripper 7000 lineups Pro and non-Pro offer more cores and I/O to high-end desktop and workstation users using AMD’s Zen 4 architecture and TSMC’s 5nm process.
AMD offers three new Ryzen Threadripper 7000 SKUs:
The 64-core 7980X, the 32-core 7970X, and the 24-core 7960X. Since its inception, AMD’s server-derived processors have offered more CPU cores, memory channels, and PCIe lanes than AMD’s desktop platform to meet desktop users’ demands for extreme multitasking and high throughput for complex workloads.
While the basic Threadripper lineup differs from the professional workstation-focused Threadripper Pro chips, such as AMD’s new Threadripper 7000 WX-series, it lacks some of the more ‘Pro’ features and CPU/memory/IO hardware of the more powerful Pro chips.
Both the Pro WX-series and non-Pro chips have similar pedigrees and use cases, so segmenting them makes sense. AMD markets Threadripper 7000 to customers who want CPUs more powerful than a desktop Ryzen processor but not as exotic or expensive as a server-grade chip.
AMD is back with a grandiose, interesting HEDT-focused lineup after a break in the previous generation. With the Zen 3-based Threadripper 5000 series, AMD only released workstation-focused Pro parts, leaving semi-affordable high-core count CPUs behind. AMD has brought the HEDT back, creating two Threadripper lines like the 3000 family in 2019.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series today focuses on the trifecta’s top two chips, the 7980X (64C/128T) and the 7970X (32C/64T). Their performance will be compared to the Ryzen Threadripper 3000 series and Intel’s Sapphire Rapids Workstation CPUs, including the Xeon w9-3495X. To see how much performance AMD’s new HEDT venture can squeeze out, They compare them to desktop flagships like the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. Since desktop processors have improved in recent years, is there a market for HEDT chips? See for themselves.
Things looked bleak for the high-end desktop (HEDT) market after AMD skipped releasing a vanilla Threadripper processor in their Zen 3 architecture family, the Ryzen Threadripper 5000 series. Intel skipped HEDT that generation by not bringing down their troubled Ice Lake server silicon to HEDT products, so it looked like more powerful desktop processors may have pushed HEDT out.
After a generation, the HEDT market appears to have improved. AMD is bringing back HEDT models of the Threadripper 7000 series with three new chips up to 64C/128T with full Zen 4 cores to capitalize on their Zen 4 architecture’s success.
Latest HEDTs include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7980X, 7970X, and 7960X, which boost processing power and efficiency. With 64 cores/128 threads, 5.1 GHz turbo, and 2.5 GHz base, the 7980X is the top SKU. The 32-core/64-thread 7970X has a higher base frequency of 3.2 GHz and matches its higher-end counterpart’s 5.1 GHz turbo clock.
Advanced content creation, 3D rendering, and complex computational tasks can saturate high-core count CPUs, so these chips are designed to power them. Extreme multitasking and high throughput suit the more powerful 7980X.
This review embargo doesn’t include AMD’s Threadripper 7960X. At 24 cores/48 threads, 3.2 GHz base frequency, and 5.3 GHz turbo clock speed, the 7960X has the fewest cores but all of Threadripper’s memory bandwidth and I/O lanes, making it ideal for tasks that prioritize data throughput over CPU performance. It costs $1499 and is AMD’s entry-level HEDT platform with fewer CPU cores.
The Threadripper 7000 series supports quad-channel DDR5 memory and up to 48 PCIe 5.0 lanes for storage and graphics. Unlike AMD’s consumer platform, Threadripper 7000 supports DDR-5200 RDIMMs with up to 1 TB of memory, 5x as much as desktop Ryzen.
AMD’s desktop processors push desktop computing power for professionals, enthusiasts, and everyone in between. They are for users who need more than desktop CPUs could provide. The Ryzen Threadripper 7980X and 7970X specialise in multi-threaded tasks. On paper, they can handle more diverse and intensive workloads than desktop processors, making them a key HEDT option.
Supporting 8 memory channels, the Threadripper 7000 Pro WX series boosts performance for workloads, instruction sets, and applications by increasing memory bandwidth and density.
The TRX50 Chipset: Threadripper 7000, TR Pro 7000 WX-Series Support
TRX50 chipsets launch with Threadripper chips. Like Threadripper processors, the TRX50 uses the new 4844-pin sTR5 socket, which AMD derived from their SP6 socket for their cheaper EPYC 8004 (Siena) processors. The pin count is the same, but sTR5 and SP6 are not pin compatible.
There is generational cooler compatibility. The 58.5mm x 75.4mm sTR5 socket accepts previous socket sTRX4 Threadripper coolers. This means sTRX4 chip upgraders can recycle their cooler. It would be necessary to support 350 W of TDP.
TruX50 supports 4-channel DDR5 memory and 80 PCIe lanes for memory and I/O. With 48x PCIe 5.0 lanes and 32x PCIe 4.0 lanes, the latter is an unexpected mix. AMD has limited motherboard manufacturing costs by not running as many max-speed PCIe lanes as PCIe Gen5 is more complicated and requires re-drivers for longer runs. Meanwhile, TRX50 is a cut-down version of WRX90 for Threadripper Pro 7000 WX-series chips that provides everything users need on a middle-abridged chipset between desktop AM5 and WRX90. Dialing back some PCIe lanes to 4.0 also differentiates the two Threadripper lineups.
Setup and Test Bed
They have Intel’s latest Sapphire Rapids Xeons for their comparison. Xeons, like Threadripper, are divided into two subgroups: the full-fat Xeon w-3000 series for high-end workstations and the lighter Xeon w-2000 series for mainstream workstations. Unfortunately, the only Xeons They have are the w-3000 series (which Intel sampled for reviewing when they were released), so it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, especially since TR’s 4 channels of memory are compared to this 8-channel version.
There are similarities in core, thread, and TDP that may provide useful data. Both platforms have 350W TDP, and the Intel W9-3495X is a 56C/112T chip, while the Threadripper 7980X is 64C/128T.
They add Core i9-14900K, Ryzen 9 7950X, and Ryzen 9 7950X3D data for flavor. AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X (64C/128T) and Threadripper 3970X will be compared to the new AMD Threadripper 7000 series chips.
