AMD shared an overwhelming amount of performance data for the Threadripper Pro series spanning the key verticals in the workstation market — software and sciences, media and entertainment, design and manufacturing, and architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC). AMD also had breakout sessions with representatives from several major software firms, like Ansys, Adobe, and PTC Creo, that presented their own performance data and touted AMD’s Threadripper as the hands-down fastest solution on the market. The company even demoed a large language model running live on a Threadripper Pro processor.

Another big difference is memory support. Whereas AM4 processors support dual-channel memory, HEDT chips like the 3970X and 3990X utilize quad-channel memory. However, the Threadripper Pro series goes a step further by supporting octa-channel memory. That's eight DDR4 memory channels just like it's offered on Epyc server processors. The single core gains are more impressive, here the 5995WX was 14% faster than the 3990X, but also 9% slower than the 5950X and almost 30% slower than the 12900K. For comparison we've included the Threadripper 3990X which was tested on the MSI Creator TRX40 motherboard using the same Team T-ForceDDR4-3600 memory at 3400. Then we have a few desktop CPUs for comparison: a Ryzen 9 5950X tested with dual-rank DDR4-3200 memory, and the Intel Core i9-12900K using DDR5-6400 memory. The graphics card used for all testing is the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. Let's get into the data... Benchmarks Based on AMD performance lab testing on January 31, 2022, using the Revit RFO benchmark, the V-Ray benchmark and the Unreal Engine compile benchmark to compare performance of (5) AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO 5000 WX-Series reference systems, each configured with 8x32GB DDR4, NVIDIA Quadro RTX A5000, 1TB SSD, Win 11 vs. (5) similarly configured BOXX APEXX4 workstations with Intel® Xeon® W-3300 series processors. Results may vary. CGP-21

The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X: The top Zen 2 chip of the mainstream Ryzens from the previous generation (the Ryzen 3000 series), with 16 cores. (We are working on testing the newer Ryzen 9 5950X.) Last year, AMD announced that it would exit the HEDT market, but the company reversed course today as it announced two new families of 'Storm Peak' Threadripper processors, the Threadripper 7000-series CPUs for the HEDT market and the Threadripper Pro 7000 WX-series for the workstation market, looking to maintain Threadripper’s spot at the top of our list of best CPUs for workstations. AMD claims its new HEDT chips offer up to 94% more performance than Intel’s competing Xeon w9-3495X flagship and up to 46% more performance than its own prior-gen Threadripper Pro 5995WX, setting the stage for a new level of high-end performance for the desktop PC market. If cost is no object, you can even snap in a 96-core 192-thread Pro series processor into the new HEDT platform. The Hitman 3 results are a bit more typical, where the 5995WX was slightly slower than the 5950X, a mere 3% decline in performance which meant it was still 18% faster than the older 3990X.

This third-generation Threadripper Pro 7000 series platform is a serious upgrade over the Threadripper 5000 series. It starts with a move to AMD’s more efficient Zen 4 architecture (described in our AMD Ryzen 9 7950X review), an increased thermal design power (TDP) rating of 350 watts (W) versus 280W, and support for the latest PCI Express 5.0 specification and DDR5-5200 memory. AMD’s internal benchmark slides show the new Threadripper consistently outperforming the old one to the tune of double-digit percentages. The importance to Intel of ‘Sapphire Rapids’ Xeon W-2400 and Xeon W-3400 being a success cannot be overstated. For the last few years AMD has had little in the way of competition in workflows that benefit from many cores or high memory bandwidth. Intel will have certainly felt the impact of Threadripper Pro. Meanwhile, the Core i9-10980XE, also in the Cascade Lake generation, trades blows with the Threadripper Pro 3955X but generally comes in a bit behind it on the multi-core-heavy trials. It does fare a bit better than the Xeon in most cases.Ray trace rendering is highly scalable. Roughly speaking, double the number of CPU cores to half the render time (if frequencies are maintained). Simultaneously, AMD is also introducing the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 Series processors, returning to the HEDT environment for the first time since 2020. Maintaining AMD’s high standard for creative and professional users, the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X processor offers the most computing power possible in an enthusiast desktop, 1 with exceptional multi-threaded performance for users who demand the best. These processors, also built with the AMD “Zen 4” architecture and offering up to 48 PCIe® 5.0 lanes available to desktop users, feature up to 64 cores and 128 threads for an unprecedented level of performance and efficiency.

The ECC support is a crucial distinction in the workstation world. ECC is essential technology for fields, such as science, architectural design, and finance, in which unimpeachable accuracy and every decimal place matters. Non-Pro Ryzen Threadripper chips, in contrast, support ECC memory only in conjunction with certain motherboards. If you're familiar with the Threadripper 3000 processors, then this new 5000 series won't offer any surprises, it's basically the same deal. The layout is much the same and the power consumption is much the same, therefore the cooling requirements are about equal.There are many different types of ‘solvers’ used in FEA and CFD and each behaves differently, as do different datasets. AMD Radeon™ PRO workstation graphics are designed to provide professionals, creators and artists with exceptional performance, reliability, and value to drive the most demanding professional design and creative applications across a range of industries, including Media & Entertainment, Design & Manufacturing, and Architecture, Engineering & Construction. Based on AMD Labs testing as of January 31, 2022 using the Puget Systems Adobe After Effects CC benchmark test to compare the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5975X reference system configured with 8x32GB DDR4, NVIDIA Quadro RTX A5000, 1TB SSD, Win 11 vs. a similarly configured BOXX APEXX4 workstation with an Intel® Xeon® W-3365. Results may vary. CGP-39 Threadripper Pro chips come with the 'WX' suffix to denote they are designed for the workstation market. AMD didn't introduce more cores with the two top-end models, but they're faster due to the step up from the Zen 2 architecture to Zen 3.

Since the launch of AMD’s Threadripper Pro platform, the desire to see what eight channels of memory brings to compute over the regular quad-channel Threadripper has been an intriguing prospect. Threadripper Pro is effectively a faster version of AMD’s EPYC, limited for single CPU workstation use, but also heralds a full 280 W TDP to match the frequencies of the standard Threadripper line. There is a 37% price premium from Threadripper to Threadripper Pro, which allows for ECC memory support, double the PCIe lanes, and double the memory bandwidth. In this review, we’re comparing every member of both platforms that is commercially available. Threadripper Pro: Born of Need

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The supporting chipsets are also different. The Threadripper Pro WX-series uses the new WRX90 chipset, while the Threadripper X-series employs the TRX50 (a follow-on from the last consumer Threadripper chipset, the TRX40). Intriguingly, it’s possible to install a Threadripper Pro WX in a TRX50 motherboard, including the 96-core giant we’re testing, though it’ll limit the PCIe lanes and memory channels to what the Threadripper X-series platform supports. The reverse scenario—a Threadripper X CPU on a WRX90 motherboard—won’t work, though, due to the chip having some different pin-outs. Engineering simulation includes Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). FEA can help predict how a product reacts to real-world forces or temperatures. CFD can be used to optimise aerodynamics in cars or predict the impact of wind on buildings. Both types of software are extremely demanding computationally.