Threadripper: The Quest for Performance

Looking back to the beginning of the millennium, consumers wanted a fast, single or dual-core chip that could force as many cycles through the processor as possible. 17 years later in 2017, we now have the battle for the number of cores that we can put in a consumer-grade chip. Up until now, 10 is the highest number of cores that we have ever been able to put into a consumer chip. However, thanks to the reemergence of AMD® as a major competitor in the consumer-processor market, we now have the Ryzen™ Threadripper™, which supports up to 16 physical cores.

This is great news for consumers who want a beefy, multicore processor, but don’t want to spend over $2000 on just the chip alone. The top-of-the-line Threadripper™ 1950X retails right around $1000, making the 16-core monster available to more than just enthusiasts. Let’s look at the technical specifications on the two chips AMD has released thus far:

With the development of new processors comes innovative new technology. Every Threadripper™ processor is compatible with AMD’s Ryzen™ Master Utility. This is AMD’s overclocking application that allows the end-user to control and overclock each individual core in the processor. What other technology comes packaged with Threadripper? Let’s take a look:

• AMD SenseMI Technology– A set of learning and adapting features that allows your Threadripper processor to cater to your needs. Have an application that needs more processing power than another? With this technology, your system will recognize this and give that application priority.
• AMD Ryzen™ VR-Ready Premium Virtualization – This is a guarantee that your new Threadripper meets and exceeds the requirements for both the Oculus Rift and HTC® Vive™. Make sure the rest of your system can as well!

One thing that consumers need to keep in mind when setting up their new rig with Threadripper is that these processors operate using Flex TDP, meaning that even though the specifications say 180 watts, they can surge past that. This is especially valuable information when selecting a cooler. Call the professionals at AVADirect to help you out if you have any questions on your build!

Thus far, the new Threadripper lineup looks very promising… 32 threads at an affordable price, and impressive performance to boot? Count me in! Call today to get started on your AVADirect Threadripper-powered system.