AMD has just launched its new range of very high-end processors (CPUs): the Threadripper 7000. Power monsters aimed primarily at professionals and users who need (a lot) of power.
In the world of computer processors, ranges are generally quite simple to understand and distinguish. At AMD, for example, the top of the range is the Ryzen 9 7950X, a perfect processor for a very muscular gaming tower. It is one of the most efficient processors of the moment and one of the references in the field. What is less known is that there is an even more efficient range from AMD: the Threadrippers. Processors with gargantuan power, the latest generation of which, the Threadripper 7000, was released at the end of November.
These new processors are already available individually from LDLC Pro, but also and above all from the French manufacturer and integrator Carri Systems which already offers them within its VD Phenix AT 7000M workstation. A workstation that features an AMD Threadripper Pro 7965W processor associated with an AMD Radeon Pro W7700 graphics card and 64 GB of DDR5 RAM (expandable up to 1 TB).
Who is the new Threadripper 7000 range for?
With these new processors, AMD is targeting two types of users: creators (graphic artists, designers, architects) who want to have the cream of the crop in their turn and professionals from the world of media, entertainment, video games or even scientists. Whoever these users are, the goal of this processor line is to save time.
For these two types of users, AMD is planning two types of Threadripper 7000. The standard Threadripper 7000 range is intended for (large) PC towers. If independent graphic artists or designers want to save rendering time on Blender, Maya or Unreal Engine, they can then equip their machine with the best processor available.
Professionals, engineers or scientists, for whom rendering, simulation or compilation times are essential, will instead turn to a workstation equipped with a Threadripper 7000 Pro WX-Series. AMD’s OEM and IS partners will launch workstations using the new chip in the coming days. Dell Precision, Z by HP or Lenovo will offer customizable configurations by the end of the year and professional integrators like Carri Systems already offer workstations equipped with this processor.
This is the case of the VD Phenix AT 7000M workstation. A workstation designed to tackle extreme workloads. It features an AMD Threadripper Pro 7965W processor (24 cores and 48 threads) associated with an AMD Radeon Pro W7700 graphics card and 64 GB of DDR5 RAM (expandable up to 1 TB). On the storage side, it features Samsung 990 PRO M.2 SSDs (7450 MB/s reading and 6900 MB/s writing) for a total storage capacity of 3000 GB. Additional PCI Express 4.0 and 5.0 slots are also available on the motherboard. A 1300 Watt power supply located in a well soundproofed case allows the whole thing to run.
AMD aimed for performance when designing its new Threadripper 7000 processors and proves it with benchmarks to back it up. The Anandtech site put it through its tests on numerous rendering, simulation, encoding and even AI applications and the results speak for themselves: AMD monopolizes the highest scores. For the rest, here are AMD’s promises in terms of performance improvements.
Many video game studios use Threadripper processors to speed up the rendering time of their creations. This is the case for Respawn Entertainment. The developer of Star Wars Survivor relied on Threadripper-based workstations to improve the rendering time of light generation in certain levels of the game. The developers of Star Wars Survivor explain that Threadrippers made it possible reduce rendering time from 3 days to just one day thanks to workstations equipped with AMD processors.
Similarly, special effects studio Pixomondo relied on Lenovo workstations equipped with Threadripper processors to generate virtual environments on giant LED walls. These powerful machines save precious time when creative companies tackle ambitious projects.
The two types of Threadripper 7000
We know AMD well for its consumer processors. Since 2017, AMD has relied on a new architecture, Zen, the fourth generation of which was released last year. The different variations of Zen 4 have until now covered the domain of towers, laptops (via the Rzyen range) and servers (Epyc range).
Missing from this coverage was the very high-end part, what we call in the small world of processors HEDT or High-End Desktop. This range of processors is intended above all for professionals: it concentrates all the technological know-how of the brand and aims for only one thing, performance. At AMD, this range is called Threadripper, and the new generation has just been launched under the name Threadripper 7000.
For this launch, AMD is offering two types of Threadripper 7000 processors:
- The Threadripper 7000 Series are processors intended for muscular PC towers. A “general public” version in a way.
- The Threadripper 7000 Pro WX-Series are processors intended for workstations. They were essentially designed for professional use: creative, architectural or design or scientific environments.
Threadripper 7000: more cores, more threads, but “reasonable” consumption
The Threadripper 7000 processors are processors based on the excellent Zen 4 microarchitecture. They therefore benefit from 5nm engraving, excellent energy performance and above all PCI Express 5.0 support. But for them specifically, AMD pushed the stops to the maximum by adding as many cores as possible, with the highest possible frequencies.
The figures speak for themselves: in their standard version, the Threadripper 7000 offers chips with 24 to 64 cores, supplemented by SMT technology (Simultaneous MultiThreading) and base frequencies ranging from 3.2 to 4.2 Ghz.
The Pro versions of the Threadripper 7000 break all the ceilings. From 12 to 96 cores for the most efficient version and maximum frequencies of up to 5.3 Ghz. The Pro versions can also include up to 480 MB of L3 cache!
Alone or accompanied by a single graphics card, these chips are not of much interest. The principle is obviously to associate them with several graphics cards, NVMe SSDs as part of professional multithreading activities, in particular to generate renderings or simulations. The Threadripper 7000 can thus manage up to 48 PCIe 5.0 lines (128 for the Threadripper 7000 Pro) and be associated with up to 1 TB of RAM (on 4 DDR5 RDIMM channels). The Pro versions can go up to 2 TB of RAM.
One of the most interesting aspects of these processors comes from their power consumption. AMD thus announces a TDP of 350 Watts on all Threadripper 7000s. A substantial cooling system (cooling fan or watercooling) is however required, these chips being supplied without a fan. 350 Watts may seem like a lot, but you have to compare it to what happens with the competition. During its test of the Threadripper 7970X and 7980X, the very serious Anandtech confirmed that the TDP did not exceed 351 Watts at full power… compared to more than 500 Watts for the high-end Intel Xeon!
To install these new processors, you need a suitable motherboard, and therefore capable of accommodating processors with up to 96 cores. AMD has designed two new chipsets based on the socket developed for the occasion, the sTR5. For the Threadripper 7000, a TRX50 chipset is mandatory, and for the Pro versions of the processors, the TRX50 and WRX90 chipsets (which will arrive in the coming days) will be compatible. Gigabyte, Asus and Asrock are among the first motherboard manufacturers to offer such supports in their catalog.
Where to find the new AMD Threadripper 7000 and Threadripper 7000 Pro WX-Series?
These new very high-end processors have been launched for a few days in France and around the world. The first price starts around 1666 euros excluding tax and it is possible to contact integrators like Carri Systems to find out more about the prices of their workstation.