This is the Ryzen Threadripper processor, we're talking about AMD's highest end consumer CPU, the most powerful of its kind on the market. Release date for this mega-processor is due this month, in August. Threadripper pose stiff competition to Intel's top tier performing processor, which has dominated high end desktop market for the past couple of years.
Suddenly we have a CPU arms race brewing where have chip manufacturers out doing the other. With that said, rather than over extend this intro, here's everything you need to know about the AMD Threadripper processor.
About The Specs
Threadripper will come in three different variants, the 1950X, 1920X and the 1900X. The 1950X will feature 16 working processing cores, SMT ( Simultaneous mullti-threading) with 32 Threads of compute power. The base clock goes as follows, 3.5GHz, with a 4GHz boost clock speed. This processor will run you $999, which you can order and purchase on Amazon.
The Ryzen Threadripper 1920X will feature 12 working cores with 24 threads of SMT compute power. The base clock speed will run at 3.3GHz with a 4GHz boost speed, priced at $799 (Amazon).
Meanwhile onto the Ryzen Threadripper 1900X, it will feature 8 working processing cores with SMT 16 threads of compute power, this particular processor closely mirrors the Ryzen 1800X, the only difference is this processor in profile needs a capable X399 motherboard. The base clock speed of the processor comes in at 3.5GHz with a 4GHz boost speed, with a $549 price point.
Both 1950X and 1920X will have a 180 watt TDP, this means you'll need a pretty decent CPU cooler, preferably a water cool solution if you plan on doing any overclocking. The Ryzen Threadripper processor will support up to 1TB of RAM when of course the LR-DIMM are in full use. If I'm not mistaken, and I'm going on a educated guess, this maybe the only processor of its kind that capable of supporting 1TB of memory on a single motherboard.
While we're on the subject of motherboards, the Threadripper processor will be supported on the new X399 platform, with a entire new TR4 socket, incompatible with current Ryzen processors that's on the market as the socket itself is rather large, more on the TR4 socket later on in this post. On the memory front, the chip will support Quad-channel DDR4 memory.
The Memory Support In Full Depth
Lets observe the memory support in detail because it pretty interesting, if not amazing as it can support up to 1TB of RAM, that is if you already filled out all 8-DIMMs with the 128GB LR-DIMMs ( acronym for Load Reduced DIMMs). Most DIMMs today uses a embedded chip to re--drive signals to memory directly from the CPU. The LR-DIMM on the other hand uses a certain type of memory buffer to re-drive all data and instruction sets, I must say a pretty unique piece of technology.
No gimmick, this is the actual Threadripper package
Using a 32GB LR-DIMM DDR4/2133 module is an expensive proposition as it will run you well over $1000, adding a 128GB LR-DIMM will likely double the price.
The X399 Chipset Though
The X399 chipset is very unique in that it is the very first of AMD's kind to venture away from the archaic pin PGA (pin grid array) which by the way is the same as Intel's land grid array (LGA). The Threadripper's pins is not on the processor but in the motherboard's socket. Big advantage to having this sort of pin arrangement on the AMD chip prevents pins from being bent when you insert the processor onto the motherboard, being that there is no pins to begin with. But you most exercise caution when placing the processor in the socket, if you're not careful pins can still bend.
The Processor and Socket Is Fucking Huge
When I first saw images of the Ryzen Threadripper I thought maybe the images were somewhat doctored, then realize this is no Photoshop image enhancement, the processor is really huge, 13 percent bigger than Intel's LGA1151 processor in comparison. Just take a look at image below this passage and observe how large the AMD TR4 socket is on this Asus Zenith Extreme motherboard.
With the processor and socket being so enormous in size, no ordinary AM4 CPU cooler would not come close to fitting this socket. You'll need a cooler that has a very large base plate that literally covers an entire human hand.
Image Source: Wccftech
Really, Who's The Threadripper For?
If you're thinking about using Threadripper for the sole purpose of just gaming, then spending exuberant amount of money on a processor that rivals the cost of some gaming systems doesn't make any sense whatsoever. This processor with all the extra cores would be best serve for those who plan on partaking in video editing, rendering in 3D, and other resource intensive tasks. Threadripper will simultaneously allow users to run 3D rendering, view 4K content, and play a series of video games without any system hiccup.
Threadripper Market Release Date
AMD will market release the Ryzen Threadripper the 1950X and 1920X on August 10th, along with X399 motherboards, The 8-core Threadripper will be release to market on August 31.