The first official AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and 3960X prices have been confirmed directly by our sources. The prices are a retailer and wholesaler specific so they are not representative of AMD's MSRP but they give us an idea of where the new Threadripper prices will be at launch. In addition to the prices, we also received confirmation about the specifications of both chips which look to be ideally positioned against Intel's X-series lineup.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32 Core For $1907 & Ryzen Threadripper 3960X For $1340, Retailer Specific Prices Leaked
So to start off with the official data, we can confirm that the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPUs are indeed being announced today. The embargo lifts in a few hours at 9 AM (EST) when Ryzen Threadripper 3000 series and the respective TRX40 motherboards would be unveiled to public. Since this is an announcement, only information, and product pictures would be released.
The actual 'on-shelf / launch' embargo would be lifted on the 25th of November, again at 9 AM (EST). This would allow consumers to purchase both the new AMD Ryzen Threadripper and the TRX40 series motherboards from retail outlets. Once again, as the previous embargo leak had detailed, the initial lineup for Ryzen Threadripper CPUs would include the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X.
AMD's 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadripper packaging was leaked out by Videocardz earlier today, revealing another fantastic design for the next-gen of HEDT CPUs. (Image Credits: Videocardz)
Both processors would be announced today but a teaser for the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X is also suggested to be released. The flagship of the lineup won't be getting a proper announcement till January 2020 but those who want more than 32 cores would be aware that AMD has a better CPU coming later on.
The retail packaging that we saw yesterday would not feature any heatsink fan. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X (AMD 100-100000011WOF) and the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X (AMD 100-100000010WOF) would be detailed entirely. As for the specifications, the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X would feature 32 cores, 64 threads, 128 MB of L3 cache and a TDP of 280W. The processor will have a boost clock of up to 4.5 GHz (Single-Core). Similarly, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X would feature 24 cores, 48 threads, 128 MB of L3 cache and a TDP of 280W. The 3960X would get a maximum clock speed of 4.5 GHz (Single-Core). The base frequencies have not yet been detailed but we will know them shortly too. Both processors would feature support on the sTRX4 socketed TRX40 motherboards and would also enable up to 128 Gen 4 PCIe lanes.
AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadripper Processor SKUs
| CPU Name | CPU Cores | CPU Thread | CPU Predecessor | Base Clock | Boost Clock | Cache | TDP | Price | Retail Launch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X/WX | 64 Core | 128 Thread | AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX (32 Core / 64 Thread) | 2.9 GHz | 4.3 GHz | 288 MB | 280W | $3990 US | 7th February 2020 |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3980X/WX | 48 Core | 96 Thread | N/A | TBD | TBD | TBD | 280W | $2499-$2999 US | 2020 |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X/WX | 32 Core | 64 Thread | AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX (24 Core / 48 Thread) | 3.7 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 144 MB | 280W | $1999 | 25th November 2019 |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X | 24 Core | 48 Thread | N/A | 3.8 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 144 MB | 280W | $1399 | 25th November 2019 |
Coming to the prices, we have the retailer/wholesaler specific price list with us according to which, the Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is to be priced at $1907 US and the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is to be priced at $1340 US. These wholesale prices are usually slightly lower than the MSRP since they don't factor in tax but they are pretty much close to the real thing which means that the 3960X could end up being priced at around $1400 US while the 3970X could be priced around $2000 US. We will know for sure so stay tuned for our official launch post of the Ryzen Threadripper 3rd Gen series and the TRX40 motherboard roundup later today.
The pricing makes more sense than the one that leaked out yesterday considering that AMD is pricing their 16 core Ryzen 9 3950X at $749 US and that is ideally positioned to compete against Intel's 14 and 18 core 10th Gen X-series parts so the Ryzen Threadripper series which offer much more performance at hand should be priced as such too.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000 Series CPUs - Here's What To Expect In Terms of Price, Specs, and Performance
The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000 series family is internally known as “Castle Peak” and is stated to bring dominant leadership in the HEDT market. The family will prove to be a new watermark in performance and overall efficiency while new platform features will be introduced on the new and enhanced sTRX4 motherboards which are rumored to feature a revised socket and a new chipset
Currently, reports state that there will be two separate platforms for enthusiasts and workstation chips, the TRX40 and WRX80. The details of these platforms are listed below.
AMD TRX40 'Enthusiast' Ryzen Threadripper 3000 Processors
The TRX4 HEDT platform would feature quad-channel memory, UDIMM memory support with 2 DIMMs per channel and up to 256 GB of capacity per channel. This means that the platform will support up to 1 TB of memory. There would also be support for 64 Gen 4 PCIe lanes with 16 lanes switchable with the SATA interface. There also seems to be info regarding TDPs and we can also notice the segmentation here too. The Group 'A' series processors, which are the HEDT lineup for the TRX40 platform with 280W TDP, Tcase Max temperature of 60C and Tctl Max of 100C.
AMD WRX80 'Workstation' Ryzen Threadripper 3000 Processors
Now coming to the WRX80 series, we are looking at a pure workstation lineup. Even the processors built around this platform are spec'd similar to the EPYC 7002 variants, featuring 8-channel DDR4-3200 support in UDIMM, RDIMM, LRDIMM flavors. The platform would support 1 DIMM/channel featuring support for up to 2 TB of memory. There wouldn't be any OC support like the TRX40 series but you get 96-128 Gen4 PCIe lanes with 32 switchable lanes to SATA. The Group 'B' series processors which are the workstation lineup for the WRX80 platform will also feature a 280W TDP but different temperature range of Tcase Max temperature of 81C and Tctl Max of 100C.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper Generation Comparison:
| Family Name | AMD 1st Gen Ryzen Threadripper | AMD 2nd Gen Ryzen Threadripper | AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadripper |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU Architecture | Zen 1 | Zen+ | Zen 2 |
| Process Node | 14nm | 12nm | 7nm |
| Max CPU Cores | 16 | 32 | 64 |
| Max CPU Threads | 32 | 64 | 128 |
| PCIe Support | PCIe Gen 3.0 | PCIe Gen 3.0 | PCIe Gen 4.0 |
| Max PCIe Lanes | 64 | 64 | 72 |
| Max L2 Cache | 8 MB | 16 MB | 32 MB |
| Max L3 Cache | 32 MB | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Socket | TR4 | TR4 | sTRX4 |
| Chipset | X399 | X399 | TRX40, TRX80, WRX80 |
| Launch | 2017 | 2018 | 2019-2020 |
Considering that AMD would want to remain in a dominant position with the Threadripper 3000 series, we will be looking at some spectacular amounts of multi-threaded performance numbers which will only get better with the added clock speeds thanks to the 7nm process node. The CPUs will also be getting major core bumps, but AMD would like to keep prices close to current levels.
Some of the leaker performance benchmarks that we have seen so far (#1, #2, #3) put the 32 core variants up to 70% faster than the existing Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX 32 core chip with an average bump of 35% in performance.
AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su:
“You know. it’s very interesting, some of the things that circulate on the Internet—I don’t think we ever said that Threadripper was not going to continue—it somehow took on a life of its own on the Internet,” Su said, speaking to a small group of reporters following her keynote. “You will see more [Threadripper] from us; you will definitely see more.
If mainstream is moving up, then Threadripper will have to move up, up—and that’s what we’re working on.”
If we look at the trend with AMD's jump from Ryzen Threadripper 1000 to Ryzen Threadripper 2000, we saw that the new processors with core parity of the previous generation were priced around the same with a $200-$300 shaved off from their previous price tag. The 1950X became 2950X and cost $200 US less. The higher core count parts were at a different market tier entirely, costing north of $1200 US but at the same time, much cheaper than their Core-X competitors.
In terms of raw performance output, the new die layout remains to be tested, but since it is more refined over the previous two generations with a stronger interconnect between them, the cache and latency performance may end up giving a bigger boost to total system responsiveness. AMD will definitely be aiming for both LGA 2066 and LGA 3647 lines with their new chips. The new CPUs are aiming retail availability around the end of November so stay tuned as we keep you posted for more Threadripper news!
