QUICKSTART THE NEWS
The most powerful workstation chip ever
Threadripper goes pro, Oculus Go gone, Apple’s transition, and more.
AFTER WEEKS of rumors and leaks about AMD’s new Threadripper, AMD has revealed what it likes to call “the first and only 64-core professional workstation processor”: the Threadripper PRO 3000WX series. There are four in all. The top model is the Threadripper PRO 3995WX, which has 64 cores and a base clock of 2.7GHz, with a maximum boost to 4.3GHz. Below this are the 32-core 3975WX, the 16-core 3955WX, and lastly the 12-core 3945WX. The clock speeds increase as the core count drops, all the way up to 4.0GHz on the base model 12-core chip. Essentially they are pro versions of existing Threadripper chips, employing the same 7nm Zen 2 cores: The 3995WX is a 3990X, and so forth. The base clock rates are a shade lower across the range, probably down to extra overheads running the memory—the 3995WX loses 200MHz to the 3990X. The PRO range is overclock locked, unlike its predecessor, which is a clear sign of the difference in intended markets.
The main changes take place around the processor’s core, and chief of these is the memory controller, which now boasts eight channels of DDR4-3200 memory rather than four. Memory bandwidth can be a problem on the 3990X, particularly if you want to hit all those cores effectively. The PRO has effectively doubled the bandwidth at a stroke. The maximum memory size is 2TB across the range, which is an awful lot to put into one box. You also get more PCIe 4.0 channels, up from 88 to 128. AMD claims this is a first for this market: Although the Threadripper already has PCIe 4.0, it’s not considered a “professional” chip. There’s also a dedicated security chip and Memory Guard, which offers full memory encryption, so sensitive work that’s stolen or lost is safe. The TDP rating hasn’t changed from 280W. This is generated by an odd AMD-only calculation that has little to do with power draw at all—in fact it isn’t factored into the calculation.
The promotional material contains the usual bar charts showing a performance lead over Intel chips—it’s hardly an independent source, but telling nevertheless.
The 3995WX out-guns the Intel Xeon W-3275 and dual Xeon Platinum 8280s when running benchmarks using dozens of industry-standard heavyweight applications involving video work, mathematical modeling and so forth, typically by a margin of around 20 percent. Anything that can use that extra memory bandwidth shows a big jump.
Along with new chips, we have a new platform, designated WRX. This uses a sWRX8 socket, required because of the new pin-out map required by those extra memory channels. The “W” is for workstation, the “8” for eight-channel memory, and the “X” doesn’t stand for anything but looks good. The accompanying chipset is the new WRX80. We have little on this as yet. Acer and Gigabyte are working on boards.
We have no prices for individual chips yet either. Initially Threadripper PROs will only be available inside prebuilt systems. If you want an individual chip you are invited to contact AMD for a quote, but don’t hold your breath. The first Threadripper PRO system is from AMD partners Lenovo: The ThinkStation P620. It’s a bit of a monster, with up to four Nvidia Quadro graphics cards. It’s offered as a powerful alternative to multiple processor systems (i.e. Intel ones). Each is built to order, and prices start from $4,599 and go considerably higher than that. All this is packed into a modest-sized box. The P620 should be available this fall.
Thhreadripper sits between the desktop Ryzen, and the server-only EPYC. While not designed to sit in a server rack, it is quite a beast for a desktop. The Threadripper PRO further defines that split. The Threadripper is for the highend desktop, and enthusiasts. The new Threadripper is pitched directly at professional creatives using workstations.
The distinction between Threadripper and EPYC is that it’s still a single-socket chip: You can’t build multiple processor boxes or mount them in racks. It does mean you can use fairly standard cases, and ancillary components.
Why are we interested in the Threadripper PRO? Because what’s in a workstation one year is in a desktop later–it will trickle down the chain. And it’s so powerful, even if it’s not really meant for us, we still want one.
The top model is the Threadripper PRO 3995WX, which has 64 cores.