Review: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and 1920X

Conclusion

AMD has used the word disruptive to describe the new Zen CPU architecture that powers Ryzen desktop CPUs, Epyc server processors and now, in August 2017, a trio of Threadripper chips designed to rip up the existing high-end desktop rule book.

Threadripper practically doubles the performance potential of Ryzen 7 by effectively building a new chip that houses two of them side by side. Gargantuan in size and equally gargantuan with respect to multi-threaded performance, it is the first time in recent history that Intel's best is hacked off the performance throne in no small measure. Threadripper 1950X isn't just a bit faster than Core i9-7900X in core-loaded benchmarks, it is way more rapid, thanks to 16 Zen-based cores humming along at high speeds and backed by quad-channel memory.

And this is where Threadripper shines most brightly, in benchmarks that take advantage of its muscular, many-core design. Digital content creators need to sit up and take notice, because AMD brings true premium workstation-class performance, massive I/O and all, to the desktop.

Yet as impressive as Threadripper can certainly be in the right circumstances, it is not the all-conquering hero. Intel retains a commanding lead in the multitude of applications that are lightly threaded, gaming performance is decent but not table-topping, and the flitting between Creator and Game Modes is not ideal. Intel, too, has its own massive-core powerhouses in the pipeline, meaning the second half of 2017 has become very interesting in the high-end desktop space.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper is an unashamed attempt to rip the performance legs off Intel's best consumer CPUs to date. The big, $999 beastie, 1950X, does this effortlessly, leaving the Core i9-7900X in its multi-core wake. This was its design philisophy. This is how it has played out.

Think very carefully about what you want your next premium PC build to do. Threadripper does brilliantly in certain respects and average in others, so we'd recommend it to those of you who can leverage its multi-core potential. Though for those who focus on gaming alone, a decent four-core chip is far more cost effective.

Bottom line: all in all, is Threadripper disruptive? Absolutely, and it brings back some much-needed competition in an area that has been bereft of it for far too long.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X and 1920X

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AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors are available to purchase from Scan Computers.

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