Noctua showcase EPYC/Threadripper Ready TR4/SP3 ready CPU coolers
Noctua showcase EPYC/Threadripper Ready SP3/TR4 ready CPU coolers
At Computex 2017, Noctua has showcased several new EPYC/Threadripper ready TR4/SP3 ready CPU cooler designs, proving that both new CPU sockets feature the same cooler mounting mechanisms.
As you can see in the imaged above and below, the mounting mechanism of these coolers closely match previously leaked images of AMD’s Naples/ EPYC SP3 CPU socket, which means that these two new platforms will not support any existing coolers without a mounting kit upgrade.
Noctua has confirmed that both EPYC and Threadripper will support the same cooler mounts, though both CPUs will use different socket designs, with Threadripper using the TR4 LGA SP3r2 socket and EPYC using the SP3 socket design (pictured below).
The prototype coolers shown at Computex are based on the NH-U14S, the NH-U12S and the NH-U9. At this time Noctua has not announced any retail ready coolers with AMD TR4/SP3 support.
This presents a huge problem for AMD’s Threadripper CPUs, as there will not be many TR4 ready coolers at launch, unlike Intel’s X299 platform which is backwards compatible with all LGA 2011-3 coolers. AMD will need to make sure that there are adequate TR4 cooler options when Threadripper becomes available to the public.
AMD will need to make sure that there are enough TR4-ready cooler options when Threadripper becomes available to the public.
You can join the discussion on Noctua’s TR4/SP3 ready CPU coolers on the OC3D Forums.