Ryzen Threadripper 1950X CPU by AMD Review

The Ryzen Threadripper 1950X is one of the first CPUs from AMD for the HEDT (High-End Desktop) segment, with 16 cores, 32 threads, 3.4 GHz base clock, 3.7 GHz turbo clock and 32 MiB L3 cache. Let’s see how does it perform compared to its direct competitor, the Core i9-7900X.
For many years Intel had no competitors in the HEDT market, which is aimed on professional users that do image and video rendering, video encoding, scientific computing, among other applications that demand high computational power. However, a few days ago AMD launched a new lineup of CPUs for this segment, called Ryzen Threadripper.
Until now, there were two models launched: the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X (16 cores, 32 threads, 3.4 GHz base clock and 3.7 GHz turbo clock) and the Ryzen Threadripper 1920X (12 cores, 24 threads, 3.5 GHz base clock, 3.7 GHz turbo clock.) These CPUs use the new TR4 socket and support four memory channels, 64 PCI Express 3.0 lanes, 512 kiB of L2 cache per core and 16 MiB of L3 cache for each die.
Internally, the Ryzen Threadripper CPU is made with two dies (or chips), each one similar to a Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 5 CPU. Each die has two CCX (core complex), and each CCX has up to four processing cores.
The Ryzen Threadripper 1950X uses two dies, each one with 4+4 configuration, for a total of 16 cores. Thanks to the SMT (simultaneous multi-threading) technology, each core is seen by the operating system as two logical cores (threads), what results on the impressive 32 threads.
The first TR4 motherboards for Ryzen Threadripper CPUs use the X399 chipset and offer four DDR4 memory channels (officially up to 2,666 MHz) and, usually, four PCI Express 3.0 x16 for video cards, which is possible thanks to the 64 PCI Express lanes provided by the CPU. Typical slot configuration is x16/x8/x16/x8, since some lanes are used by M.2 slots.
The Ryzen Threadripper 1950X has a TDP of 180 W. Besides its 3.4 GHz base clock and 3.7 GHz turbo clock on all cores, there is a 4.0 GHz boost clock when there are up to four active cores and a XFR clock of 4.2 GHz, activated when there are up to four active cores and the processor sensors detect that there is more thermal room to boost the CPU.
Costing USD 999, the Threadripper 1950X is a direct competitor of the Core i9-7900X from Intel (click here to read the review), that costs the same. So, in our tests we compared these two CPUs. We also included in the comparison the Core i7-7740X (review), the Ryzen 7 1700X (read review here), and the Core i7-7700K (review here). Keep in mind, however, that these three models cost a lot less, and are not competitors to the Threadripper.
Figure 1 shows the package of the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X, next to the 1920X’s. It’s a big foam package.

Figure 1: Ryzen Threadripper package

Figure 2 shows the package open, unveiling the content: a second package (plastic) that holds the CPU, a liquid cooling solution adapter frame, a Torx screwdriver, two case stickers and a small manual.

Figure 2: box contents

Twisting a cover begind the plastic package, we has another package, shown in Figure 3, where is the CPU itself.

Figure 3: another package

Opening this package, we get the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X CPU. Notice that the orange frame must not be removed, since it is necessary to install the processor (details on the next page).

Figure 4: the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X

Figure 5 shows the bottom of the CPU. On this processor, AMD adopted the LGA system (like used by Intel), where the pins are located on the socket, not on the CPU.

Figure 5: underside of the Threadripper 1950X

The size of the CPU is quite impressive. In Figure 6, you see the Threadripper 1950X next to the Ryzen 7 1700X.

Figure 6: the Core i7-7740X (left) and the Core i9-7900X (right)

We used a GeForce GTX 1080 video card on all tests.
On the next page, we will see how to install this CPU on the motherboard.
[nextpage title=”Socket TR4 installation”]
The installation of Ryzen Threadripper processor is very different from any other CPU, so you need to take a little attention.
The first step is to open the socket, releasing three Torx screws and lifting the metal frame. Under this frame, there is a rail where the CPU must be slided. In Figure 7, you see this frame lift and a plastic protection on the CPU place.

Figure 7: first step of the installation

After removing the plastic protection, just slide the CPU (with its orange frame) along the trail and then lower it until it snaps. This system avoids damaging the socket pins and assures the CPU will fit the right way.

Figure 8: CPU installed in the rail

Finally, lower the metal frame and fasten the three screws to hold it.

Figure 9: CPU installed

The Ryzen Threadripper comes with a frame adapter that fits common liquid cooling systems from several vendors. The CPU itself is so big that, after installing the block, part of the heatspreader stays out of the base, which may not cause problems because the heat is generated in the center of the CPU.

Let’s compare the main specs of the reviewed CPUs in the next page.

[nextpage title=”The Reviewed CPUs”]
In the tables below, we compare the main features of the CPUs included in our review.

CPU	Cores	HT/SMT	IGP	Internal Clock	Turbo Clock	Core	Tech.	TDP	Socket	Price
Ryzen Threadripper 1950X	16	Yes	No	3.4 GHz	3.7 GHz	Sumit Ridge	14 nm	180 W	TR4	USD 1000
Core i9-7900X	10	Yes	No	3.3 GHz	4.3 GHz	Skylake-X	14 nm	140 W	LGA2066	USD 1050
Ryzen 7 1700X	8	Yes	No	3.4 GHz	3.8 GHz	Sumit Ridge	14 nm	95 W	AM4	USD 340
Core i7-7700K	4	Yes	Yes	4.2 GHz	4.5 GHz	Kaby Lake	14 nm	91 W	LGA1151	USD 340
Core i7-7740X	4	Yes	No	4.3 GHz	4.5 GHz	Kaby Lake-X	14 nm	112 W	LGA2066	USD 350

Below you can see the memory configuration for each CPU.

CPU	L2 Cache	L3 Cache	Memory Support	Memory Channels
Ryzen Threadripper 1950X	16 x 512 kiB	32 MiB	Até DDR4-2667	4
Core i9-7900X	10 x 1 MiB	13.75 MiB	Até DDR4-2667	4
Ryzen 7 1700X	8 x 512 kiB	2 x 8 MiB	Up to DDR4-2667	2
Core i7-7700K	4 x 256 kiB	8 MiB	Up to DDR4-2400	2
Core i7-7740X	4 x 256 kiB	8 MiB	Up to DDR4-2667	2

[nextpage title=”How We Tested”]During our benchmarking sessions, we used the configuration listed below. Between our benchmarking sessions, the only variable devicand was the CPU being tested, besides the motherboard, which had to be replaced to match the different CPUs.
Hardware Configuration

Motherboard (LGA2066): Gigabyte X299 Aorus Gaming 7
Motherboard (AM4): ASRock X370 Taichi
Motherboard (LGA1151): Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7
Memory: 64 GiB DDR4-3000, four HyperX Predator 16 GiB memory modules configured at 3000 MHz
Boot drive: Samsung 960 EVO 500 GiB SSD
Video Card: GeForce GTX 1080
Video Monitor: Philips 236VL
Power Supply: Corsair CX600

Operating System Configuration

Windows 10 Home 64-bit
NTFS
Video resolution: 1920 x 1080 60 Hz

Driver Versions

NVIDIA driver version: 384.94

Software Used

Error Margin
We adopted a 3% error margin. Thus, differences below 3% cannot be considered relevant. In other words, products with a performance difference below 3% should be considered as having similar performance.
[nextpage title=”PCMark 10 and 3DMark”]

PCMark 10

PCMark 10 is a benchmarking software that uses real-world applications to measure the computer performance. We ran the “Extended” test, which included applications opening, web browsing, writing, gaming, photo editing, video chat, video conversion, and rendering. Let’s see the results.

On the 3DMark 10 Extended benchmark, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 6% faster than the Core i9-7900X.

3DMark

3DMark is a program with a set of several 3D benchmarks. Time Spy runs a DirecX12 simulation; Fire Strike runs a “heavy” DirectX 11 simulation, and Sky Diver also measures DirectX 11 performance, but is aimed on average computers.

On Time Spy, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was on a technical tie to the Core i9-7900X.

On the Fire Strike benchmark, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 6% faster than the Core i9-7900X.

On the Sky Diver benchmark, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X performed similarly to the Core i9-7900X.

[nextpage title=”Performance in programs”]

Cinebench R15

Cinebench R15 is based on the Cinema 4D software. It is very useful to measure the performance gain obtained by the presence of several processing cores while rendering heavy 3D images. Rendering is an area where a bigger number of cores helps a lot, because usually this kind of software recognize several processors (Cinebench R15, for example, can use up to 256 processing cores).
We ran the CPU benchmark, which renders a complex image using all the processing cores (real and virtual) to speed up the process. The result is given as a score.

On Cinebench R15 CPU benchmark, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 38% faster than the Core i9-7900X.

Blender

Blender is a image and movie redering software that uses all the threads of the CPU. We used the program to render a heavy image of a project named Gooseberry Benchmark. The graph below shows the time the CPU used to finish the image, so the less, the better.

On Blender, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 9% faster than the Core i9-7900X.

CPU-Z

On its current version, the well-known hardware identification software CPU-Z comes with a benchmarking tool, which measures CPU performance for one core and for all available cores.

On the single thread benchmark, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 7% slower than the Core i9-7900X.

On the multiple thread benchmark, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 70% faster than the Core i9-7900X.

Handbrake

Media Espresso is a video conversion program that uses the graphics processing unit of the video engine to speed up the conversion process. We converted a 1 GiB, 1920x1080i, 23,738 kbps, .mov video file to a smaller 320×200, H.264, .MP4 file for viewing on a smartphone. The results below are given in seconds, so the lower the better.

Here the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 14% faster than the Core i9-7900X.

WinRAR

Another task where the CPU is very demanded is on file compacting. We ran a test compacting a folder with 8 GiB on 6.813 files to a file, using WinRAR 4.2. The graph below shows the time taken on each test.

On WinRAR, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 10% faster than the Core i9-7900X.
[nextpage title=”Gaming Performance”]

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an action RPG with FPS elements, launched in August 2016, that uses the Dawn engine, being compatible with DirectX 12. We tested it using the benchmark included in the game, with DirectX 12 enabled, Full HD, and graphic options as “high”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.

On this game, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 12% slower than the Core i9-7900X.

Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V, or simply GTA V, is an open-world action game released for PCs in April of 2015, using the RAGE engine. In order to measure the performance on this game, we ran the performance test of the game, measuring the framerate with FRAPS. We ran GTA V at Full HD, with all image quality set as “high” and MSAA off.

The results below are expressed in frames per second.

On GTA V, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was on a technical tie to the Core i9-7900X.

Hitman

Hitman is an action/stealth game, launched in March 2016, that uses a DirectX 12 compatible version of the Glacier 2 engine. To measure performance in this game, we ran the benchmark in it, measuring the framerate with FRAPS. We ran this game in Full HD, DirectX 12 enabled, with image quality set as “high”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.

On Hitman, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 14% slower than the Core i9-7900X.

Rise of the Tomb Rider

Rise of the Tomb Rider is an adventure/action game launched in January of 2016, based on Foundation engine. In order to measure the performance using this game, we ran the benchmark included on it, using Full HD resolution and graphics quality set to “medium”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.

On Rise of the Tomb Rider, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was 4% faster than the Core i9-7900X.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is a tactical FPS game launched in December of 2015, based on AnvilNext engine. In order to measure the performance using this game, we ran the benchmark included on it, using Full HD resolution and graphics quality set to “high”.
The results below are expressed in frames per second.

On this game, the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X was similar to the Core i9-7900X.

[nextpage title=”Overclocking”]
All the Ryzen processors have unlocked clock multiplier, which means you can overclocking it just by changing its multiplier, as long as the motherboard has this feature.
We were able to configure the CPU to run stable at 3.875 GHz (100 MHz reference clock and x38.75 multiplier), with the original voltages, testing stability with Prime95. At 3.9 GHz, it crashed after a few minutes. It may be possible to reach higher frequencies if you “play” with the available adjusts, as long as you have a good power supply, motherboard, and cooling system.
It is also good to keep in mind that the overclock capability depends on pure luck, since two CPUs of same model can reach different maximum clocks.
[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]
The Ryzen Threadripper is the weapon from AMD to fight the Core X Intel lineup, with which it brings some similarities, like the quad-channel memory access and, of course, the high core (and thread) count.
Our tests show that the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X is, with no doubt, a serious competitor for the Core i9-7900X. In all the applications where the number of cores is crucial, like Cinebench, Blender, and Handbrake, the Threadripper 1950X was faster than the Intel model.
So, the Threadipper 1950X is an excellent choice for the segment it is mean to be used: professional applications that use a lot of cores, like image and video rendering, raytracing, video encoding, scientific computing, etc.
But AMD also bets on the enthusiast market, specially gamers that like to do several things simultaneously, like playing a game while encoding and webcasting the gameplay, for example.
But for the regular consumer? Like its competitor, it is not a good deal if you just want to play games, and even more if you will only surf the web, type texts, fill spreadsheets, etc. Our tests shown that the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X (and the Core i9-7900X) are slower, in most games, that CPUs that cost one third of its price.
As a final conclusion, it is excellent to see competition in a segment where, for a long time, there was a monopoly. It is healthy for the market and great for the consumers.