Amd ryzen threadripper 2950x review in Spanish (full analysis)

We are at the gates of the new generation of AMD Workstration CPU, and we must first remove a thorn that we have stuck in the form of a pending review. It is nothing less than the review of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X, the manufacturer's most balanced enthusiast level processor. A second generation 16 core 32 wire 12nm TR4 low- socket monster ideal for mega-task teams and oriented towards design and rendering, thanks to an improvement in the latency of its cache memory and RAM and its increased manageability of their nuclei.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X technical features

In addition, it will be a good way to test what this immense processor is capable of doing together with a board as with the Asus Prime X399-A versus the 12C / 24T AMD Ryzen 3900X analyzed by us in its output. With this we will be able to fully enter the third generation Threadripper that we hope to have with us very soon.

Unboxing

Well, hardware like this AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X could not deserve anything, so AMD has put all the effort into an exquisite presentation, almost exaggerated we would say. And it is that the version with only the CPU we have a box built in transparent flexible plastic for the lids and an expanded polystyrene cork structure for the shape of the box.

Anyway, we would have preferred a cardboard box to use and that's it, but it is a pretty forceful bundle in terms of appearance. In turn, the processor comes tucked inside a hard plastic box along with an anchor to install heatsinks and the instruction manual.

Know that there is no version that includes a heatsink, at least not by the manufacturer AMD. Cooler Master in collaboration with AMD has built a passive tower-type heatsink for these astronomically sized CPUs called Wraith Ripper, but in our case we are going to test it with liquid cooling, as it should be.

Exterior and encapsulated design

Well, we started to take a closer look at this monster piece called AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X, which we never tire of seeing as it is so different from the rest. There is no heatsink that uses more thermal paste than this and with a brutal extension.

On the upper face, an immense copper and aluminum IHS has been installed with the distinctive screen printing of the model which will be in charge of making contact with the heatsink. Surely you are wondering if a normal heatsink is going to cover this wide area, and the answer in most of them will be no. A clear example is liquid cooling systems, which have a limited cold block in space and that will only cover the central area of ​​the CPU, which on the other hand is where the DIE are actually located. Each of these DIE or CCX will be welded to the substrate in the form of a mesh as we will see later in more detail in the architecture.

Covering the central area in principle will give satisfactory results in normal operation, but if we plan to overclock or carry out heavy work continuously, it is best to opt for a solution that completely covers the IHS. Remember that this package will be directly soldered to the DIEs that make up the CPU with Indio, a metal with high thermal conductivity. In this case, there will be two functional CCX and two dummy matrices with the simple objective of improving the heat dissipation of the assembly and providing greater contact in the IHS.

If we place ourselves on the opposite side, what we have is an array of LGA-type contacts that only AMD has used on this platform due to the enormous number of points required. Recall that the rest of the AMD CPU used the PGA type whose pins are installed directly on the CPU. LGA is the system that Intel has used for more than 10 years in all of its processors.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X is the most balanced of the new generation AMD Workstation, with a count of 16 cores and 32 threads of processing, just half the incredible 2990WX, to which is added the distinctive "W" to indicate that the chip is oriented to workstations. Let's also remember that all 2nd generation Threadripper processors are compatible with the X399 platform, this is important in order to use the Precision Boost Overdrive functionality of the 2950X to reach higher processing frequencies if necessary.

Features and architecture

Now let's take a closer look at the architecture used by these second-generation AMD Threadrippers. It never hurts to explain a bit about their basic internal structure to understand how they work.

In this representation we can see that we will have two dies Zeppelin instead of the four that the 2990WX had, let's not forget that in this case they are 16 cores and we will not need those two extras to double the capacity. In such a case, the two shaded elements exist, but only so that the IHS is able to distribute the heat more efficiently.

The basic functionality of these two Zeppelin is similar to the other Threadripper models, each of them has two memory controllers in order to generate the Quad Channel that supports the CPU with 3200 MHz DDR4 memories. The PCIe I / O complex is also connected to these two die, and all of this will travel through the Infinity Fabric bus. The positive aspect of not having four dies like the 2990WX, is that in the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X the bus speed rises to the 50 GB / s available. Recall that this processor has no less than 64 PCIe 3.0 lanes, a boast of gross power oriented to Workstation on a desktop computer.

To see the structure a bit, let's talk about internal characteristics. In this processor we have a count of 16 cores and 32 processing threads that work at a base frequency of 3.5 GHz and 4.4 GHz in turbo mode. It is the same number of cores as for example the current Ryzen 3950X and that also already exceeds it in performance, imagine how far this third generation has come. Of course it implies that we have multi-threaded SMT technology, and it is still a more rendering-oriented and mega-task processor, with a TDP of 180W.

This second generation of Threadripper Zen + features 12 nm FinFET transistors manufactured by Global Foundries. The improvements made to the internal bus make it a CPU with much lower memory and cache latencies than the previous generation, one of the biggest problems it had. This time we have a 32 MB L3 cache, being two dies, 8 in each one divided into groups of four cores. We continue with an 8 MB L2 cache, with 512 KB for each core, and finally a 1.5 MB L1 divided into 64 KB L1D and 32 KB L1I. The main memory controller supports a total of 128 GB DDR4-2933 Quad Channel, although depending on the board, it will support configurations up to 3600 MHz.

As in the other processors of this platform, AMD has implemented XFR2 or Extended Frequency Range 2 technology. With it, the speed of the cores can be increased whenever the internal temperature allows it. In this case we have a TjMax of only 68 ⁰C. Similarly, we have the other Precision Boost Overdrive technology available that basically eliminates the limitations of the TDP to increase performance. It is more or less a controlled overclocking, but its use voids the product warranty. So be careful.

Test bench and performance test

We have proceeded to perform all relevant performance tests on this AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X except for overclocking. The reason is simple, we would only increase your clock to approximately 4.1 GHz, so it is not considered as an overclock as such. It is also not a gaming-oriented CPU, so this practice is not expected to be necessary in a real environment.

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
Base plate:	Asys X399 Prime-A
Memory:	32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum 3200 MHz
Heatsink	Asus Ryuo 240
HDD	ADATA SU750
Graphic card	Nvidia RTX 2060 Founders edition
Power supply	Cooler Master V850 Gold

We will also check the stability of the processor in stock values. The motherboard we have stressed with Prime 95 Large and liquid cooling of 240 mm. The graphic we have used is an Nvidia RTX 2060 Founders Edition, without further delay, let's see the results obtained in our tests.

Benchmarks and synthetic tests

Let's see how this CPU has behaved with a memory configuration in Quad Channel of 32 GB at 3200 MHz. The tests that we will carry out will be these:

• Cinebench R15 and R20 (CPU Score).Aida64 (RAM) 3DMARKVRMARKPCMark 8Blender RobotWprime 32M

In the records of AIDA64 this CPU wins by a landslide to everything we have tried before, since the configuration in Quad Channel makes a lot of difference. If we buy one of these, it is without a doubt to use this functionality.

Game testing

We have tested this AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X with the 6 games that we have been using for some time, in order to have a reference with the rest of the analyzed models.

NOTE: It is important to know that in gaming FPS tests we have used a configuration of 16 GB of Dual Channel RAM at 3600 MHz, since it gives better results than the previous Quad Channel. The modules are the G-Skill Trident Z NEO RGB

This is the graphic configuration used

• Shadow of the Tomb Rider, Alto, TAA + Anisotropico x4, DirectX 12 Far Cry 5, Alto, TAA, DirectX 12 DOOM, Ultra, TAA, Open GL 4.5 Final Fantasy XV, standard, TAA, DirectX 12 Deus EX Mankind Divided, Alto, Anisotropic x4, DirectX 12 Metro Exodus, High, Anisotropic x16, DirectX 12 (without RT)

Threadrippers are not processors for gaming, and this is demonstrated in the results obtained. You will see that in all cases we are below the desktop processors par excellence. We only beat the discrete Ryzen 5 3400G in 1080p, the most widely used resolution.

If we go to more demanding resolutions, it is true that the registers improve and are equal to the rest of the processors that we have tested with this RTX 2060. But the truth is that today, such a processor does not make sense for gaming, for performance and for the price, especially.

Consumption and temperatures

We have used Prime95 in its large version to test both temperatures and consumption. All Watts readings have been measured from the wall socket and the entire assembly except the monitor.

Despite being a 12nm processor of the previous generation, it still has better consumption records than for example the Ryzen 3900X. It is also due to having a lower temperature and lower clock frequency. If we stress the complete set with GPU, we will obtain 410W registers.

In temperature, more or less the same thing happens, better temperatures than a 12-core processor, although of course, its TjMax is much lower, with only 68⁰C.

Final words and conclusion about AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

We come to the end of this late review of this 16/32 processor with TR4 socket. The overall balance is positive, it could not be otherwise with such a monster, but processors such as the Ryzen 9 3950X and Ryzen 9 3900X, already outperform the Threadripper in processing capacity and have a cheaper price.

We expect a lot from the third generation of these WorkStation processors, especially from that supposed 64/128 that could appear. Meanwhile, these Zen + are perfect processors for rendering teams and especially mega tasks in work teams. Here, a Quad Channel configuration does make a difference.

The results obtained in pure processing are worth evaluating, with values close to 3900X in Cinebench, Blender or WPrime, where the improvements of the Infinity Fabric bus and those 50 GB / s of capacity are noted. Regarding gaming, it is not a feasible option, since its performance is discreet and the price of the platform very high, so it is not worth it, perhaps it would be a good option if we take advantage of its 64 PCIe lanes for mining with multiGPU.

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As always, temperatures are good as long as we have liquid cooling on, or failing that Cooler Master's Wraith Ripper heatsink. If you're going to be under heavy loads, we recommend a cold block that grabs the entire IHS for better efficiency, rather than the typical round blocks like the one on the Asus Ryuo 240 we've used.

We have not touched the overclocking aspect, since at this point, and for what this processor is oriented, we believe that it makes no sense to try to raise it a few MHz that they will not even reach the maximum available.

Finally, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X can currently be found at around 880 euros in our country, a fairly high figure if we also consider the purchase of a refrigeration and an X399 board. And we have a Ryzen 9 3900X at about 547 euros with a heatsink included and with superior performance. Moral? Today, this CPU is not worth it unless we go down to using its Quad Channel capacity in mega tasks.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
- SUITABLE FOR MEGA TASK AND USE WITH QUAD CHANNEL	- THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE POWERFUL AMD RYZEN 3000 PROCESSORS
- HIGH CAPACITY OF PURE PROCESSING	- IT IS A VERY EXPENSIVE PLATFORM
- THE BENEFITS OF HAVING 64 PCIE LANES FOR MULTIGPU	- WE HAVE TO BUY HIGH PERFORMANCE HEATSINK

The Professional Review team awards you the gold medal and recommended product:

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

YIELD YIELD - 91%

MULTI-THREAD PERFORMANCE - 95%

OVERCLOCK - 85%

PRICE - 75%

87%