Review: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Conclusion

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X stands as a shining testament to how far the company has come in the HEDT computing space. For many years relegated to playing minion to Intel's Core powerhouses, the latest slew of 'rippers turn the tables in blockbuster style.

Performance from this 64-core, 128-thread beast is suitably electric. In applications that can take full advantage of its muscle, it is approaching 3x the speed of Intel's finest Core i9 HEDT offering. That's not mere victory; that's annihilation.

It's so fast, in fact, that at stock speeds it's in the top 0.1 per per cent of all systems - multi-CPU or otherwise - for select rendering applications. Are we surprised? Not really, as it's effectively a top-line 2nd Gen Epyc clothed differently.

Complemented by a class-leading platform, TRX40, there will be nothing faster in the HEDT space for a while. And why should there be, as this platform offers premier 2P server-like CPU performance for a lot less money.

Yet there are considerations to be aware of. Those looking at this chip need to ensure their workloads can span the entire 128 threads. If not, the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is the better bet, particularly if program completion time is counted in minutes rather than hours. And it gets very thirsty, very quickly, when overclocking.

One needs to move away from the desktop and think of the server space when fully evaluating this unique chip. For businesses whose compute requirement was previously expressed by dual Xeons, with little need for a terabyte of memory, AMD, even at $3,990, offers a real alternative at a fraction of the price. If you can find a genuine use for its intrinsic power, this is a remarkable processor.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

HEXUS.where2buy*

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X processor are available to purchase at Scan Computers.

HEXUS.right2reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.