AMD Threadripper 2990wx vs AMD Ryzen 9 3850X Specs Comparison

The AMD processors have always been one of the most preferred options for the workstation requirements. When you are looking for an ideal workstation processor, performance and throughput (IOPS) is the key to achieving the best possible results. For HEDT enthusiasts, the second generation Threadripper CPUs, the 2990X has been considered to be one of the prominent choices in 2018. How does it compare to the upcoming AMD Ryzen 9 3850X? Let us check it out (Threadripper 2990wx vs AMD Ryzen 9 3850X) in this post.

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Related: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs 2700X

Table of Contents

AMD Threadripper 2990WX – A Quick Review

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Detailed Specifications:

Features / Particulars	Description
Number of cores / Features	32 Cores, 64 Threads (12nm FinFET – CMOS) PCIe 3.0 x16 sTR4 Socket 2933MHz – Quad-Channel DDR4 Support AMD SenseMI Technology AMD Ryzen™ Master Utility
Number of threads	64
Clock speed	3.0 GHz
Boost speed	4.2 GHz
Prefetch cache capacity	83 MB Total L1 Cache – 3MB Total L2 Cache – 16MB Total L3 Cache – 64MB
Power Consumption	250W TDP Max Temps: 68°C
Cooler option	Not included in package

The count of cores has always been a matter of discussion ever since AMD launched its Threadripper series with 8 core modules as opposed to the four core packs on Intel processors. The recent addition launched with 32 cores and aimed to be a power performer when it comes to the workstation workload requirements.

AMD has launched two processors in this sequence. The Threadripper 2990X comes under the new halo product. It offers you 32 cores and 64 threads and is being provided with a base clock speed of 3.0 GHz. The top turbo frequency tops at 4.2 GHz.

The processor is based on the Zen+ architecture from AMD. It is manufactured on 12 nm process. The TDP offered by the processors reads 250W. The processor supports up to 2 TB of quad-channel DDR4-2933 memory.

The new processor comes with Precision Boost 2 technology. Precision Boost 2 is one of the best options to streamline the power requirements precisely in tune with user workloads. The frequency and voltage dynamically shift in the order of the power budget available at any point in time. The adaptive clock speeds will auto-adjust depending upon the multithreaded workloads. The precision Boost 2 technology works in conjunction with XFR2 technology. XFR stands for eXtreme Frequency Range. If you have access to a good cooler, the device is expected to get a 10 percent clock speed boost through XFR2.

The 2990wx also brings up StoreMI technology which is designed to improve the caching performance. You should be able to make use of DRAM, SSD, and even HDD storage as a single unified cache platform.

AMD Threadripper 3850X – An introduction

The AMD Ryzen 3000 series of processors is based on the Zen 2 architecture. Of course, the processor 3850x has not been launched and rumored to be launched along with the other 3000 series products sometime in July 2019.

A few technology websites have also listed the expected features. Please note that the processors are yet to be launched and it may take a while to understand if these processors will come with the same specifications. The new Ryzen 9 3850X is expected to come with 16 cores and 32 threads. The 3850X is expected to come with the 4.3 GHz clock speed and a boost speed of 5.1 GHz. The TDP offered will be at 135 W.

What is Zen 2?

Well, Zen 2 is a new manufacturing architecture that the new Ryzen 3000 series AMD processors will be based on. The modern architecture is designed as a successor to AMD’s Zen and Zen+ microarchitectures.

The new technology comes with a 7 nm manufacturing process. The technology and architecture will take off with the launch of the third generation of Ryzen processors in mid-2019. Zen 2 will bring in an increased number of instructions per clock (IPC) over the existing Zen architecture. It is also expected to remove the vulnerability issues concerning Spectre security vulnerability. Another improvement that is expected to arrive on the new architecture will include doubling of core density and halving of power consumption for the same performance. The new architecture is also likely to bring in a 1.2x performance boost in IPC over current Zen+-based CPUs helped along by using a second generation Infinity Fabric.

The Infinity Fabric (IF) is AMDs own proprietary low-latency system interconnect architecture that facilitates data & control transmission across all CPU models on a Ryzen CPU. This interconnect is also used on AMD’s Vega GPUs as well.

The Comparison chart: Threadripper 2990wx vs AMD Ryzen 9 3850X

Having gone through the concise details of AMDs workstation processors, it is time, as usual, to check out the options and features offered by the two siblings. The side by side comparison should provide you with an input into the exact differences and similarities that each of the products tends to offer you.

Features / Particulars	AMD Threadripper 2990WX	AMD Ryzen 9 3850X
Processor family	Ryzen Threadripper	Ryzen 9
Base clock Frequency	3.0 GHz	4.3 GHz
Boost clock frequency	4.2 GHz	5.1 GHz
Architecture	Zen+	Zen 2
Manufacturing process	12 nm	7 nm
Number of cores	32	16
Number of threads	64	32
Number of transistors	19,200,000,000	NA
TDP	250 W	135 W
Socket	Socket TR4, LGA-4094	NA
L1 Cache	3 MB	NA
L2 Cache	16 MB	NA
L3 Cache	64 MB	NA
Memory controller type	DDR4	NA
Maximum Memory	2 TB	NA
PCIe version	3.0	3.0 or 4.0
Maximum PCIe lanes	60	NA

As can be seen here, one of the prominent inferences we can draw from the above comparison chart is that the new Ryzen 9 3850X has not yet been launched and as such we may need to wait till the actual launch date and the announcement of the processor to know the full features offered.

In any case, the new processor and the modern architecture coupled with the 7 nm manufacturing process can improve your experience further.

The Concluding Thoughts

That was a formidable comparison between the two processors from AMD and how do they fare against one another. Of course, the comparison is not complete, and we promise to update the post when the Ryzen 9 3850X is launched and made available to the consumer market. The new processor is likely to be launched in July 2019 along with the planned Ryzen 3000 series processors and the X570 motherboard chipset.

If you come across any developments, do bring them to our notice. That way you would help us in updating the details in this post and enlighten our readers about the new features available on new Ryzen 9 and 3000 series processors. Until then, let us keep speculating about what can be expected from AMD.