CHIPMAKER AMD has taken the wraps off of its second-gen Ryzen ‘Threadripper’ CPUs as it looks to further unsettle Intel. AMD has introduced…
CHIPMAKER AMD has taken the wraps off of its second-gen Ryzen ‘Threadripper’ CPUs as it looks to further unsettle Intel.
AMD has introduced a new naming scheme for its new Threadripper CPUs, with the ‘WX’ branded 32-core Threadripper 2990WX and 24-core 2970WX taking aim at professionals, while the ‘X’ series 16-core 2950X and 12-core 2920X are designed to cater towards enthusiasts and PC gamers.
All the CPUs feature AMD’s new boosting algorithms including features such as Precision Boost and Precision Boost Overdrive, and of the chips use the existing TR4 motherboard socket, which means they’ll fit into any existing X399 motherboard on the market with a BIOS update.
AMD’s top-of-the-line Threadripper 2990WX, which is based on AMD’s 12nm Zen+ architecture and boasts 32 cores, 64 threads, and a 3GHz base clock frequency with boost speeds up to 4.2GHz, will ship on 13 August priced at $1,799 (£1,400). Pre-orders for the CPU kick off today.
There’s no news on UK pricing as yet, although Ebuyer has the previous top-of-the-range Threadripper 1950X now down to £654.99 .
AMD claims the top of the line chip is more than 50 per cent faster than Intel’s similarly-specced, yet more expensive Core i9-7980XE Extreme Edition, and boasts that the CPU has racked up the highest-ever benchmark scores in the Cinebench single-socket desktop processor category with a score of 7,618.
The previous was held by Intel with its Core i9-7880XE, which scored 5,828 points in the same test.
The AMD Threadripper 2950X will be the next chip to be made available, with a release date slated for 31 August. At $899 (£695) it’s cheaper than its 1950X’s predecessor, despite now offering a is single-core boost speed of 4.4GHz — the highest of any Ryzen CPU and a 3.5GHz base clock.
AMD’S 12-core, 24-thread Threadripper 2920WX and the 24-core, 48-thread Threadripper 2970WX and the 12-core, 24-thread Threadripper 2920WX will launch later in the year. Both will launch in October, priced at $699 and
AMD is also teasing two chips that will launch later in the year: the 24-core, 48-thread Threadripper 2970WX and the 12-core, 24-thread Threadripper 2920X will launch later in the year. Both will go on sale in October, priced at $1,299 (£1,000) and $699 (£540) respectively. µ