AMD pushes 64-core, 4.3GHz Ryzen Threadripper Pro workstation processors
- Reference: 1594794310
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/07/15/amd_ryzen_threadripper_pro_for_workstations/
- Source link:
The Ryzen Threadripper Pro comes in four variants, detailed below, and has been juiced to ensure that users of demanding desktop applications can run reams of RAM and have bulk bandwidth to shunt data around. Here’s what you can get your hands on if so inclined.
Model
Cores/Threads
Boost speed/base speed (GHz)
Total cache (MB)
Watts
PCIe 4.0 lanes
Memory support
3995WX
64/128
Up to 4.2 / 2.7
288
280
128
Up to 2TB
3975WX
32/64
Up to 4.2 / 3.5
144
280
128
Up to 2TB
3955WX
16/32
Up to 4.3 / 3.9
72
280
128
Up to 2TB
3945WX
12/24
Up to 4.3 / 4.0
70
280
128
Up to 2TB
The processors all support eight-channel ECC RDIMM, LRDIMM, and UDIMM DDR4-3200 memory. AMD’s also packed in its Pro security and manageability tech it offers with business desktop parts. Lenovo has signed up as the first customer for the new silicon and will slot it into a forthcoming ThinkStation P620 model sometime in the northern autumn/fall.
Workstation analyst outfit John Peddie Research has [1]opined AMD's latest TSMC-fabbed 7nm silicon could make it hard to justify buying twin-processor workstations. Which is a reflection of the fact that the Xeon E range Intel aims at workstations tops out at 28 cores and 3.6GHz.
The analyst firm also counted around 1.4 million workstation shipments in Q1, when business was a little slow due to a certain virus you may have heard about in recent news.
Even at a more usual 1.6m units per quarter, the workstation market isn’t massive. But as buyers expect to pay hefty sums for such machines, component-makers often see pleasingly high margins in this field. Hence AMD’s interest in a low-volume market.
Resumed, the socket wars have
Lenovo and AMD have form attacking Intel-powered dual-socket computers: in August 2019 the former released the ThinkSystem SR655, which packed a 64-core single-socket AMD Epyc 7002, and promptly pointed out it would make a fine VMware vSphere host and incur lower licensing charges than a dual-socket box. VMware eventually [2]changed its licensing scheme so that 32-plus-core processors count as two processors!
AMD has said the new silicon will be confined to “OEMs and system integrators,” which sadly seems to rule out individual chip sales to enthusiasts who fancy building their own machines based on the new processors. ®
PS: The new products mean [3]Linus Torvalds ’ 32-core Threadripper-powered PC is already old hat.
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[1] https://www.jonpeddie.com/news/64-cores-2tb-ram-hello-threadripper-pro
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2020/02/04/vmware/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/24/linus_torvalds_adopts_amd_threadripper/
[4] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
I believe it uses a different socket and motherboard to the none Pro chips - which given the limited market size means none OEM motherboards would be very expensive.
Overkill?
I feel that one core per playing card could be a little excessive.
Re: Overkill and over powered?
If it's like the Ryzen 3000 series then the lowest idle clock supported will be 2200MHz per core. That 280 Watt TDP on the high end would then be book-ended with high idle power draw. Which means C-State 3 or higher would be needed after a just a few minutes of idle to save money.
Re: Overkill and over powered?
As far as I'm aware Ryzen puts cores to sleep if not currently in use. I can't imagine Threadripper being any different.
Re: Overkill and over powered?
As to independent measurements from the overclocking scene (known for going excessive lengths to achieve their goals for world records etc.) a single Zen 2 core in its default configuration for Windows operation can go as low as 200 MHz, 0.2 V core voltage and a resulting power draw of about 120 milliwatts per CPU (not entire package, just a single CPU). Since Threadripper Pro has 64 of these, a simple linear extrapolation results in an idle power consumption of about 8 W, which is right in line (about double as much as) what my Threadripper 3970x 32-core setup at home consumes when doing nothing and not moving the mouse cursor in booted-up state.
Cool'n'Quiet it is.
Re: Overkill and over powered?
That is odd because in Linux if I open a terminal while my system is idle and run "watch -n 5 grep MHz /proc/cpuinfo" I see ~2200 MHz on all cores.
I wonder which UK-based "OEMs and system integrators" will start producing workstations with these CPUs inside.
Yawn.
A new CPU is out, that's a bit faster than the previous one. That's happened more or less every six months for the last 50 years. There will be an even better one along in six months time.
The only relevant factor in determining the speed of a computer is its age. The computer you buy today will be much faster than the one you bought 3 years ago and much slower than the one you buy in 3 years time. The relative advantage of any particular chip compared to the others available at the time, is negligible in comparison.
I could walk into any shop and buy bread, hell I could pick up 3 different loaves in the same shelf and get different best before dates.
Same applies to computers, it's not WHEN you buy it but WHAT you bought and in many cases longevity is more linked to the motherboard than the components which are incrementally updated which insert into it etc.
ARM will rule them all
Since Apple is coming soon with ARM-powered Macs that will dominate these irrelevant offerings by AMD in both heat dissipation and overall performance, why should we care?
iPads/iPhones are already more powerful than most laptops in the market; now imagine a multiple-core Mac with 100x the processor power of iDevices.So only unemployed geeks will be worried about using any of these weak Ryzen processors.
Re: ARM will rule them all
You should know that any post here praising the Cupertino 'tat slinger' will be downvoted and especially one slagging off AMD who are liked here simply because they are not Chipzilla.
the ARM powered Mac's will be fair game for the Apple haters here. The 'Walled Garden' taunts will get even worse.
Re: ARM will rule them all
Err the post said "...imagine a multiple-core Mac with 100x the processor power of iDevices." OK. Now I'm imagining AMD's Ryzen-based chips keep advancing, and they produce a CPU with more power than that. Now I'm imagining that Intel get their act together in the next few years and produce their own chips which are just as competitive. Imagination is a wonderful thing.
None of this imagining is providing any useful contribution to the debate. Not every downvote is because the poster mentioned Apple.
Re: ARM will rule them all
"iPads/iPhones are already more powerful than most laptops"
Can they run Crysis reasonably?
AMD has said the new silicon will be confined to “OEMs and system integrators,” which sadly seems to rule out individual chip sales to enthusiasts who fancy building their own machines based on the new processors.
That's a pity, but maybe also good protection against hurting myself. News like this always gives me an itch "to build it and see what it can do". Then again, I must also admit that such a system might be a bit of overkill for my daily Solitaire use case nowadays...