AMD 2nd Gen Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX and 2950X Preview

Ryzen Threadripper WX Series – For Creators and Innovators

The Ryzen Threadripper WX series is something that is entirely new for AMD, offering consumers “ludicrous multi-threaded performance” with TDPs of 250W, up to thirty-two cores and sixty-four threads and four active Ryzen 2nd Generation processor dies under the hood. 

AMD is aiming these processors at “Innovators and Creators”, promising drop-in compatibility with existing X399 motherboards (if they support USB BIOS flashback) and AMD’s Ryzen 2nd Generation features. 

  

The pricing of AMD’s new Ryzen 2nd Generation Threadripper WX series ranges from $1299 to $1799, with core counts that range from twenty-four to thirty-two. Thanks to the modularity of AMD’s Ryzen architecture, AMD can deliver these processors at prices that are similar to two X-series 2920X and 2950X processors for the 2970WX and 2990WX respectively, making price/core scaling relatively linear for AMD’s Threadripper processor lineup. 

With a $1799 price tag, AMD’s Threadripper 2990WX competes head-to-head with Intel’s X299 i9-7890XE, an 18-core CPU, giving AMD a 14-core advantage in multi-threaded workloads. 

  

Looking at AMD’s performance numbers, the Threadripper 2990WX can offer up to a 50% performance boost over Intel’s similarly priced i9-7980XE, making AMD’s CPU significantly faster in heavily multi-threaded workloads.  

These performance levels will likely force Intel to reconsider their X299 pricing structure, as 32 cores for $1799 is insane value for money when compared to what Intel currently offers.