We are in the middle of Computex and both AMD and Intel are presenting their new processors, both for the gaming segment and for servers and business use. The most beast of all is the second generation AMD Threadripper with 32 cores and 64 threads.
Last year, after the launch of Zen (its new architecture) and the first generation of Ryzen for desktops, AMD launched Threadripper , a processor designed for professional use that matched cores and threads (12 and 16 cores, both configurations of the first generation of Threadripper) to the two most powerful Intel Core i9 , but at a much lower price.
Now, at the fair that is being held in Taipei, AMD has presented the second generation of that monster. Following the routing sheet presented a few months ago, these new Threadripper are built in 12 nanometers following the Zen + architecture , an improvement of Zen architecture last year which will be followed by Zen 2, where the 7 nanometer step will be taken (if everything goes as AMD wants, of course).
If you need a lot of cores for a desktop computer, it’s worth it with the Ryzen 2700X
The secret of Threadripper is that each of the processors was made up of four pills (or dies) of eight cores each. Threadripper last year had two of these pills active, achieving 16 cores and 32 threads maximum.
Now, the Threadripper 2000 ” unlocks ” those two pads disabled thanks to the new manufacturing process and can increase their cores and threads up to 32 and 64, respectively at 3.0 GHz base frequency.
Of course, there will be a version with fewer cores, a 24-core and 48-thread Threadripper. Next, we leave you a comparative table between the Threadripper models:
| characteristics | Threadripper 2000 | Threadripper 2000 | Threadripper 1950X | Threadripper 1920X |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Zen + | Zen + | Zen | Zen |
| Nanometers | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 |
| Cores / Threads | 32/64 | 24/48 | 16/32 | 12/24 |
| Base frequency | 3.0 GHz | 3.0 GHz | 3.4 GHz | 3.4 GHz |
| Boost | 3.4 GHz | 3.4 GHz | 4.0 GHz | 4.0 GHz |
| Consumption | 250 W | 250 W | 180 W | 180 W |
What happens with the consumption? Like the cores, it will shoot. As you can see in the table, from the 180W of the first generation, we pass to the 250W of the second generation. It seems that it is a “conservative” measure and that consumption will be lower in most scenarios, but it is clear that this processor is not designed to be mounted on a home computer.
The new AMD Threadripper will be available later this year, and it will be necessary to see if the X399 boards are 100% compatible with this second generation. Now we just need to see if they maintain the attractive price (compared to the Intel equivalents) that the first generation have.