AMD unveils godlike 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadripper processors and TRX40 platform
Every once in a while, a computer component is released that turns the PC industry on its head. Today, we experienced such an event with the official unveiling of AMD's latest and greatest desktop processors -- the 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadripper chips. The godlike multi-core processors are designed to give extreme processing power to enthusiasts and professionals. There are two model from which to choose-- the 24-core Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and the insane 32-core 3970X. And yes, they are wildly expensive -- as they should be.
Of course, a new chip generation often means a new platform too, and today, AMD is also unveiling TRX40. There are already Socket sTRX4 motherboards planned from companies like ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte, and MSI. These boards will all be offering PCIe 4.0, meaning you can take advantage of the latest blazing fast solid state drives. You can even equip your Threadripper 3 build with Quad-Channel DDR4 memory! This is what dreams are made of, folks...
"The 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper lineup features two new processors built on industry-leading 7nm 'Zen 2' core architecture, boasting up to 88 PCIe 4.0 lanes and 144MB cache with extraordinary power efficiency. Achieving up to 90 percent faster performance over the competition's top-end HEDT processor, the new 32-core Ryzen Threadripper 3970X processor offers unsurpassed performance as the most powerful and fastest desktop processor in the high-end desktop market," says Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
AMD shares details about the new processors below.
| MODEL | CORES/ THREADS |
BOOST/ BASE FREQUENCY (GHZ) | TOTAL CACHE (MB) | TDP (WATTS)8 | PCIe 4.0 LANES (processor + AMD TRX40) |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X | 24/48 | Up to 4.5/3.8 | 140 | 280W | 88 (72 useable) |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X | 32/64 | Up to 4.5/3.7 | 144 | 280W | 88 (72 useable) |
AMD further says, "In tandem with the launch of the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors, AMD unveiled a brand new Socket sTRX4, optimized for near- and long-term scalability of the Ryzen Threadripper platform. Offering 4X more bandwidth to the chipset compared to 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper, and up to 2.5X more available bandwidth than the competition for simultaneous peripherals like SSDs or GPUs, 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper offers the ultimate HEDT platform without compromise."
Speaking of that new platform, AMD shares features below.
- Quad-Channel DDR4 Memory with optional ECC support
- A total of 88 PCI Express Gen 4.0 Lanes
- Multi-GPU Support (AMD CrossFire and SLI)
- Up to 12 native USB 3.2 Gen2 Ports (Superspeed 10Gbps)
- Up to 4 native USB 2.0 Ports
- Up to 2 x4 NVMe ports
- Up to 20 SATA Ports
- SATA RAID 0, 1, 10
- NVMe RAID Support
- Overclocking Support
- AMD StoreMI Storage Acceleration Technology Included
As stated earlier, these new Ryzen Threadripper chips are expensive, and I was not kidding. The impressive 3960X is $1,399, while the superior 3970X will cost $1,999. While both processors are overkill for most consumers, if you are going to build a 3rd gen Threadripper PC, you might as well go all out. Look, you know you want the 3970X -- aren't bragging rights and extreme happiness worth an extra $600? Don't worry, you have a little time to decide -- the 3rd gen Threadripper chips will hit retailers on November 25.