AMD Ryzen 2nd Generation Threadripper 2920X and 2970WX Review
Introduction and Technical Specifications
Published: 29th October 2018 | Source: AMD | Price: |
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 |
Most Recent Comments
I'm actually quite tempted to go down the Thread ripper route for my next build.Quote
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Originally Posted by Wraith
Not seeing it on my end, quality is as normal as any other video.
I'm actually quite tempted to go down the Thread ripper route for my next build. |
Still no reason for me to upgrade here though. Well, it would be nice, but the cost is just far too high to make any sorta sense. Thing is, I took a risk on a 14 core CPU but looking around a bit? it's kinda starting to pay off. I just checked the specs for FO76 and you need quad core min with QC+HT recc. So we are heading in the right direction.Quote
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Originally Posted by Wraith
Not seeing it on my end, quality is as normal as any other video.
I'm actually quite tempted to go down the Thread ripper route for my next build. |
I just wanted to start out with saying that I generally enjoy the content here and I value the reviews you guys do, but I was wondering what the reasoning behind having a graph dedicated to comparing temperatures of various CPUs when the test setup isn't kept identical?
As far as I can tell then only the results for 2950X, 2990WX, 2920x and 2970WX are from using the Coolermaster ML360 RGB TR4 AIO Cooler, whereas the i7-6700k used the Corsair H110i GTX and all other CPUs used the Corsair H110i GT.
In your review of the 2950X and 2990WX you explain the decision for using the coolermaster cooler with: "we're using the Coolermaster MasterLiquid ML360R RGB TR4 for our overclocking tests as there is no chance of keeping these monsters under control when overclocked using an air cooler.", but all other CPUs you compare with were already tested with an AIO, just 280mm instead of 360mm so that seems like an odd justification for changing from your regular setup.
So to go on and conclude that "The days of toasty AMD CPUs are long behind us and the Threadrippers, even with their enormous core counts, still remain cool under pressure." seems odd when you're specifically testing the threadripper CPUs with a beefier cooler than all others you compare it to.
If you didn't feel that your regular cooler, the Corsair H110i GT, would do a good enough job or you had other reasons for testing with the Coolermaster ML360 RGB TR4 then that's fine, but my point is just that the results shouldn't be in the same graph together when they aren't comparable.Quote
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It's like the background is wobbling it's pretty weird to be honest, doesn't look like your normal quality of videos.
Either way I know my next upgrade is going to be on my render machine and it will be a threadripper, but still not sure if it will be 1st gen or 2nd gen threadripper.Quote