Review: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and 3970X

by Tarinder Sandhu on 25 November 2019, 14:00

Tags: AMD (NYSE:AMD)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qaefs4

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Test Methodology

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and 3970X Specifications


AMD Ryzen Processor Configurations

CPU
CPU Base Clock
3.5GHz
3.0GHz
3.8GHz
3.7GHz
CPU Turbo Clock
4.7GHz
4.2GHz
4.5GHz
4.5GHz
CPU L3 Cache
64MB
64MB
128MB
128MB
CPU Cores / Threads
16 / 32
32 / 64
24 / 48
32 / 64
CPU TDP
105W
250W
280W
280W
Integrated Graphics
-
-
-
-
IGP Base Clock
-
-
-
-
IGP Turbo Clock
-
-
-
-
Socket
AM4
TR4
TRX40
TRX40
Lithography
7nm
12nm
7nm
7nm
Motherboard
Asus X570 Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi
MSI MEG X399 Creation
MSI Creator TRX40
BIOS
1105
7B92v13
7C59v11
Memory
Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR4-3600
Memory Config
64GB (4x16GB)
Memory Timings
14-14-14-34-1T
Memory Speed
3,200MHz
2,933MHz
3,200MHz
Disk Drive
SK hynix Canvas SC300 (512GB)
Power Supply
be quiet Dark Power Pro 11 (1,000W)
Graphics Card
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition (441.20)
CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-D15S
Fractal Design Celsius S24
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) 1909

Intel Core Processor Configurations

CPU
CPU Base Clock
4.0GHz
2.6GHz
3.0GHz
CPU Turbo Clock
5.0GHz
4.4GHz
4.8GHz
CPU Cache
16MB
24.75MB
24.75MB
CPU Cores / Threads
8 / 16
18 / 36
18 / 36
CPU TDP
127W
165W
165W
Integrated Graphics
UHD 630
-
-
IGP Base Clock
350MHz
-
-
IGP Turbo Clock
1.20GHz
-
-
Socket
LGA 1151
LGA 2066
Lithography
14nm
Motherboard
Asus ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming
MSI Creator X299
BIOS
2603
7B96v10
Memory
Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR4-3600
Memory Config
64GB (4x16GB)
Memory Timings
14-14-14-34-1T
Memory Speed
2,666MHz
2,933MHz
Disk Drive
SK hynix Canvas SC300 (512GB)
Power Supply
be quiet Dark Power Pro 11 (1,000W)
Graphics Card
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition (441.20)
CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-D15S
Fractal Design Celsius S24
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) 1909

Benchmark Suite

CPU Benchmarks
HEXUS PiFast Our number-crunching benchmark stresses a single core by calculating Pi to 10m places
Cinebench R20 Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses all cores
HandBrake 1.2.2 Free-to-use video encoder that stresses all CPU cores (64-bit)
Blender 2.80 Running the Gooseberry benchmark
Keyshot 9.0 Running Camera.bip benchmark
V-Ray 4.10.03 Running built-in raytracing benchmark
POV-Ray 3.70 Running the benchmark.pov at 1,920x1,080 16:9 AA 0.3
Corona 1.3 Running the built-in benchmark
SPECwpc 3.0.2 Running the CPU component of Energy, Life Sciences, Financial Services and General Operations benchmarks
Memory Benchmarks
AIDA64 Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency
System Benchmarks
3DMark Time Spy Graphics benchmark run using the Time Spy test
PCMark 10 System test using the standard preset
Civilization VI: Gathering Storm AI Test CPU test to determine turn speed
World of Tanks Graphics benchmark run at FHD to determine CPU involvement
Gaming Benchmarks - Discrete
Civilization VI: Gathering Storm 1,920x1,080 ultra settings
Far Cry 5 New Dawn 1,920x1,080 ultra settings
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 1,920x1,080 ultra settings
Total War: Three Kingdoms 1,920x1,080 ultra settings
Miscellaneous Benchmarks
Power Consumption To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record system-wide mains power draw when idle, when rendering via KeyShot 9 and while playing SOTTR

Notes

We have redone the benchmarks from scratch. Windows has been updated to v1909, we're using newer Nvidia drivers (441.20), system memory is pushed to 64GB (4x16GB) and most importantly, we have a greater number of CPU tests than in our regular processor suite. All chips are run with their correct Turbo frequencies and motherboards with the latest BIOSes.

In particular, Blender is updated to 2.80 and uses a different, more intense workload, KeyShot, V-Ray, POV-Ray, Corona, and SPECwpc all make an appearance, and we only look at gaming performance at 1080p. The purpose is to test these HEDT CPUs with the kinds of applications digital creators and workstation users may use.

A few comparisons ought to be interesting. How 3rd Gen Threadripper compares against the 2nd Gen 2990WX. How Threadripper compares against Intel's finest HEDT chip, the Core i9-10980XE, released today and reviewed over here, and how do the value and efficiency metrics play out in this space.