AMD may introduce its new Ryzen Threadripper HEDT chips on November 5, with the 3960X and 3970X seeing sales info and review embargoes lifted on November 19, and AMD merely teasing its 3990X processor next month, providing only the name and core count. That chip won’t make a full reveal until January 2020.
All this AMD news arrives by way of leaked documents acquired by Videocardz. These documents also mention a new TRX40 chipset, along with a list of motherboard manufacturers slated to showcase TRX40-based products during the reveal. These motherboards won’t go on sale until November 19.
Given the obtained documents are “just a few weeks” old, AMD’s schedule may be outdated. AMD announced in September that the “initial members” of its third-generation Ryzen Threadripper processor family would arrive in volume during November but didn’t provide a solid date.
AMD’s unannounced Ryzen Threadripper 3960X recently made an appearance in the Ashes of the Singularity database. Real or not, the listing reports a 24-core, 48-thread chip based on AMD’s third-generation Zen 2 design. It replaces the Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX, a 24-core, 48-thread chip based on AMD’s second-generation Zen+ design.
In theory, the upcoming Ryzen Threadripper 3970X will replace the second-generation 2990WX HEDT part packing 32 cores and 64 threads. That indicates the 3990X chip may have 64 cores and 128 threads. A possible 3980X model could offer 48 cores and 96 threads.
You’re not mistaken if the 3960X name rings a bell. Intel released the Core i7-3960X “Sandy Bridge-E” 32nm desktop processor in the fourth quarter of 2011. Serving as the company’s first X-series chip, it packed a hefty six cores and 12 threads. It had a base speed of 3.3GHz, a max speed of 3.9GHz, and a 130-watt TDP (thermal design power).
Additional details about AMD’s third-generation Threadripper family appeared via Twitter on October 16. The leaked information stems from the AMD Master Product list showing chips with a TDP of up to 280 watts. What’s notable is that AMD’s new EPYC 7H12 chip with 64-cores has a 280-watt TDP, while the listed Threadripper chip marked with a 280W TDP shows only a 32-core count.
The prefix “CPK” shown on the list is short for Castle Peak. That’s the code name used for AMD’s Threadripper HEDT parts based on its Zen 2 core design. The “SP3R3” term points to a revision of the TR4 socket, as the previous version is listed as “SP3R2.”
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