AMD's Threadripper PRO 7985WX 64-Core CPU has been tested on an 8-channel WRX90 platform, delivering up to 94% uplift over the 7980X.
8-Channel WRX90 vs 4-Channel TRX50 Showdown: AMD Threadripper PRO 7985WX 64-Core Crushes Ryzen Threadripper 7980X 64-Core With Huge Performance Uplifts Across The Board
AMD's Threadripper 7000 CPUs are available in two flavors, the HEDT Ryzen Threadripper SKUs and the Workstation Threadripper PRO SKUs. There are also two separate motherboard platforms, the HEDT TRX50 and the Workstation WRX90. Both Threadripper variants are supported by the TRX50 motherboards but the workstation platform only supports the PRO chips and for good reason too.
Not only does the WRX90 motherboard platform offer increased PCIe lanes but it also comes with PRO features and support for 8-channel memory which is crucial for workstation-oriented tasks. In terms of availability, the AMD WRX90 motherboards are still a few weeks away from a DIY release but they have been shipping through OEM systems. One such system provider is the UK-based Armari Ltd who have now showcased the benefits of the WRX90 motherboard platform and how it boosts Threadripper PRO 7000 CPUs to new heights utilizing the 8-channel memory interface.
The showdown included two of the latest 64-core chips, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7980X and the Threadripper PRO 7985WX. Both of these chips have the same core configuration with 64 Zen 4 cores, 128 threads, 256 MB of L3 cache, 64 MB of L2 cache, 3.2 GHz base clock, 5.1 GHz boost clock, and a TDP of 450W. Both of these chips are unlocked for overclocking on both platforms (WRX90 & TRX50) but doing so will blow the fuse which makes it easy for AMD to detect if overclocking was performed on the chip when claiming a warranty for a damaged part.
The AMD Threadripper PRO 7985WX was run on a ASRock WRX90 WS EVO motherboard with 8 sticks of DDR5-5600 (32 GB) memory while the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X was run on the ASUS PRO WS TRX50 SAGE SE motherboard with 4 sticks of DDR5-5600 (32 GB) memory. The rest of the system specs were identical.
Straight up, the AMD Threadripper PRO 7985WX CPU with 8-channel memory on the WRX90 board delivered a 94% boost in memory bandwidth in the AIDA64 benchmark. In SPEC Workstation 3.1, it offered up to a 24% uplift over the 7980X despite both being the same chips which shows benefits coming from the 8-channel memory. In the Product Development suite of the same benchmark, it saw a 71% uplift and up to a 46% increase over the 4-channel TRX50 solution in Life Sciences tests.
AMD Threadripper PRO 7985WX CPU Benchmarks With 8-Channel Memory On WRX90 Platform (Image Source: Armari Ltd):
These are just a few benchmarks posted by Armari Ltd and we can expect more tests in Part 2 of the WRX90 benchmark series. One thing is clear AMD's Threadripper 7000 CPUs, whether in TRX50 or WRX90 series, is a true beast of a chip. The 8-channel memory solution provides superb results that are eons ahead of Intel's Xeon platform which is unfortunately only going to see a minor refresh in 2024 which means that the workstation/HEDT segment belongs to AMD for the next and coming years.
