AMD Ryzen 2nd Generation Threadripper 2920X and 2970WX Review

AMD Ryzen 2nd Generation Threadripper 2920X and 2970WX Review

Introduction

Every time we think about the 2nd Generation of Ryzen CPUs we smile. Having been brought up on a diet of Thunderbird and Barton cored AMD CPUs the many years in which they attempted, unsuccessfully, to make their Phenom core work were depressing and so when the Ryzen core appeared and placed AMD firmly back with Intel at the head of the CPU pack it made us happy. After all, this website would be pretty boring to read and write if there was only a single product worthy of purchase.

Whilst the mainstream Ryzen CPUs are really good, the Threadripper really makes us laugh with delight. If you’ve ever run Cinebench and watched it slowly render the image then the ability to have 64… SIXTY FOUR.. threads filling it bits of it is a joy of which you never grow weary. Women might get weary unless you try a little tenderness, but the Threadripper – particularly in 2990WX trim – lives up to its name by ripping off insanely high scores.

However, the 2950X and 2990WX had two small issues. With the 2990WX it was partly price and partly its laser focus on having a monster thread count that meant the tests which didn’t load the CPU up fully suffered with the slower clock speed necessary to keep the 2990WX cool when compared to some of its rivals. With less cores, say for example like the 24 on the Threadripper 2970WX in today’s review, we should see improvements in the mid-load tests but still have the beefy scores needed to keep us smiling. At the other end of the Threadripper 2nd Generation range is the 2920X which has a ‘mere’ dozen cores and comes in at the same price as the eight core i7-7820X.

Technical Specifications

The two Threadrippers we have for review today are very similar to the 2950X and 2990WX we reviewed before, but with the difference that the 2920X has 12 cores compared to the 16 of the 2950X, whilst the 2970WX has 24 instead of the 2990WXs 32. However, reducing the cores has also meant a big reduction in price, allowing those of you who want a little creation to go with your gaming to expand your horizons and lower your rendering time.

  Threadripper 2920X Threadripper 2970WX
CPU Cores 12 24
CPU Threads 24 48
Base Clock 3.5 GHz 3 GHz
Boost Clock 4.3 GHz 4.2 GHz
L1 Cache 1.125 MB 2.25 MB
L2 Cache 6 MB 12MB
L3 Cache 32 MB 64MB
Unlocked Multiplier Yes Yes
CMOS 12nm 12nm
Socket sTR4 sTR4
PCI Express Version 3.0 3.0
TDP 180W 250W
Max Temp 68°C 68°C
MSRP $649 $1299
OS Support Windows 10 64bit
RHEL x86/x64
Ubuntu x86/x64
Windows 10 64bit
RHEL x86/x64
Ubuntu x86/x64