AMD 12 and 24-Core Threadripper 2 CPUs: 2970WX and 2920X on 29th October
by Anton Shilov on October 5, 2018 3:52 PM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- AMD
- ThreadRipper
- Ryzen 2
- Threadripper 2
AMD has now disclosed the availability date for the two additional members of its 2nd Generation Ryzen Threadripper family. The AMD Threadripper 2970WX for extreme workstations as well as the AMD Threadripper 2920X for high-end desktops will be available for purchase globally on October 29.
The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX processor is similar to the 2990WX, which uses four eight-core Zeppelin dies on a single piece of substrate, but with one core disabled within each CCX (two per die). The CPU thus has 24 cores with SMT technology and running at 3.0-4.2 GHz, 64 MB of cache, a quad-channel DDR4-2933 memory subsystem, and 60+4 lanes of PCIe Gen 3. The chip has a 250 W TDP and therefore greatly benefits from the latest AMD X399-based motherboards with enhanced VRMs as well as high-performance coolers designed to dissipate such a vast amount of thermal energy.
Designed for high-end desktops for enthusiasts, the Ryzen Threadripper 2920X uses two Zen+ dies with two cores disabled within each of them. Running its 12 cores with SMT at 3.5-4.3 GHz, the chip offers 32 MB of cache, a quad-channel DDR4-2933 memory subsystem, and 60+4 lanes of PCIe Gen 3. With a TDP of 180 W, the “baby” Threadripper 2 is compatible with any AMD X399-powered platform with a proper BIOS. Meanwhile, since such chips are made to be overclocked, a motherboard with a reliable VRM and a robust cooler are highly recommended since power consumption and TDP tend to skyrocket on overclocked processors.
AMD's High-Performance Desktop CPUs | ||||||||
Cores/ Threads |
Base/ Turbo |
L3 | DRAM 1DPC |
PCIe | TDP | SRP | Retail Price |
|
TR 2990WX | 32/64 | 3.0/4.2 | 64 MB | 4x2933 | 60 | 250 W | $1799 | $1799 |
TR 2970WX | 24/48 | 3.0/4.2 | $1299 | - | ||||
TR 2950X | 16/32 | 3.5/4.4 | 32 MB | 180 W | $899 | $899 | ||
TR 1950X | 3.4/4.0 | 4x2667 | $799 | $720 | ||||
TR 2920X | 12/24 | 3.5/4.3 | 4x2933 | $649 | - | |||
TR 1920X | 3.5/4.0 | 4x2667 | $399 | $449 | ||||
TR 1900X | 8/16 | 3.8/4.0 | 16 MB | $299 | $308 | |||
Ryzen 7 2700X | 8/16 | 3.7/4.3 | 16 MB | 2x2933 | 16 | 105 W | $329 | $319 |
Ryzen 7 1800X | 8/16 | 3.6/4.0 | 16 MB | 2x2667 | 95 W | ? | $244 |
AMD is also noting today that these parts will feature a 'Dynamic Local Mode', designed to arrange the NUMA such that cores with direct access to memory have priority, although we will have to look deeper into this feature.
The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX processor will retail for $1,299, whereas the Ryzen Threadripper 2920X will cost $649. Both will be available on October 29 from leading retailers.
Related Reading:
- The AMD Threadripper 2990WX 32-Core and 2950X 16-Core Review
- AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper 2950X CPU Now Available
- The AMD Threadripper 2 Teaser: Pre-Orders Start Today, Up to 32 Cores
- AMD Slashes Prices of First-Gen Ryzen Threadripper CPUs: Starting at $300
- Cooler Master Launches Wraith Ripper Cooler for Threadripper 2 CPUs
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ash9 - Friday, October 5, 2018 - link
…..Guess I'll just do it myselftyger11 - Saturday, October 6, 2018 - link
So no 2900X?eachus - Sunday, October 7, 2018 - link
There is really no need to replace the 1900X. It is aimed at a specific market where programs are dominated by memory access. If you want to talk about how to get decent Lisp performance on existing processors, I can help. But even large/huge pages can't help all that much. (There are also some database uses, especially non-relational databases optimized as mailservers or some accounting applications.)Anyway given the price of Threadripper motherboards, leaving 8 cores to mainstream Ryzen and starting Threadripper at 12 cores makes sense.
Namisecond - Monday, October 8, 2018 - link
Wonder where the ECC memory situation is headed for the AM4 platform (or the successor to it). With all this horsepower at this price level, it'd be good to see cheaper workstations.milkod2001 - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
Wonder if i benefit from: TR 2920X in any way if i mostly games and do bit of PS,After Effects and maybe soon Premiere Pro or should i just get 2700X? Any thoughts?a5cent - Thursday, October 11, 2018 - link
@milkod2001If you spend a lot of time encoding video in Premiere Pro, you'll benefit from extra cores. I don't think your usage scenario generates any other such workloads, so if that isn't what you do in Premiere Pro, then most of your cores will sit around doing nothing most of the time, in which case fewer cores with a higher IPC/core would be more useful.
Most desktop software isn't highly multithreaded. While Windows will maintain hundreds of threads at any given time, 99.9% of them are typically dormant, waiting for some other part of the software to open up the software-gate blocking their way so they can let rip. Games practically never go beyond four threads, and even having 4 is very rare.