AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX Box

Product Information

This is the most expensive AMD Ryzen CPU you can buy, which as you might suspect is also the fastest and most powerful Ryzen CPU currently in existence. Not even upcoming Zen 4 CPUs will change that, at least not when talking about core-heavy workloads. As expected, the Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-13900K and AMD Ryzen 7950X had a clear lead. With fewer cores, higher turbo frequencies, and (apart from the Core i9-12900K) better IPC, Intel and AMD’s high-end workstation processors simply can’t keep up.

Among the Intel Xeon W-2400 Series, the processors that stand out are the Xeon w7-2495X and w7-2475X which combine high core counts with the highest boost frequencies. The lower-end models may be suited to certain Finite Element Analysis (FEA) or other simulation tools that benefit from higher memory bandwidth but can’t necessarily take advantage of large numbers of cores. They can also provide a platform for multi-GPU workflows, such as GPU rendering. Our initial testing shows the Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000 series has massive potential. More accurately, it has all the potential that the software you’re using gives it. But there's a problem for enthusiasts — Intel abandoned the consumer-oriented high end desktop (HEDT) market after its crushing defeat three years ago, and now that AMD is the only game in town for HEDT chips, it's also dropping the segment. Computers are my lifelong obsession. I wrote my first laptop review in 2005 for NotebookReview.com, continued with a consistent PC-reviewing gig at Computer Shopper in 2014, and moved to PCMag in 2018. Here, I test and review the latest high-performance laptops and desktops, and sometimes a key core PC component or two. I also review enterprise computing solutions for StorageReview.In Rodinia, the Xeon w9-3495X outperformed the Threadripper Pro 5995WX by a whopping 101%. In WPCcfd, the lead was smaller but, at 13%, still significant. Performance of both processors were dwarfed by the dual Intel Xeon Platinum 8490H. The chip giant certainly has its work cut out here. With Threadripper Pro, AMD delivered the holy grail of workstation processors, combining vast numbers of cores (up to 64) with high turbo frequencies and high-memory bandwidth to deliver impressive performance wherever your workflows may take you — single threaded CAD, multi-threaded rendering, or memory intensive simulation, Threadripper Pro can handle pretty much anything you throw at it.

If you're familiar with the Threadripper 3000 processors, then this new 5000 series won't offer any surprises, it's basically the same deal. The layout is much the same and the power consumption is much the same, therefore the cooling requirements are about equal.Threadripper arrivedin 2017 with a then-mind-blowing 16-cores, an awesome show of force as AMD began muscling Intel out of the enthusiast HEDT market. Three generations of Threadripper later, and Intel abandoned HEDT in 2019 after the Core i9-10980XE. It isn't clear if Intel will return with the Fishhawk Falls chips based on the oft-delayed Sapphire Rapids, but it's starting to look like those will also be workstation-focused. Threadripper Pro has 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes (the CPU exposes 120 lanes to the user) compared to Intel's 64 lanes, an advantage because most workstations have plenty of additives, like GPU accelerators, NVMe storage, and high-speed NICs. All of this is exciting, but one can’t help but keep one eye on the future. AMD is expected to launch its next generation ‘Zen 4’ Threadripper Pro CPUs later this year. And, if rumours of 96-cores and 12-channel memory (DDR5) become a reality, then any lead Intel might have could be short lived. Eight RAM slots surround the CPU, each bank with its own RAM cooler. That’s simply not something you see except, rarely, on elite gaming desktops. But this machine, workstation grinder that it is, is designed to run under full load, 24/7, so that kind of extra cooling is a necessary precaution.