AMD Is Bringing Its Ryzen Threadripper Pro CPUs to the Masses

(AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su)

Today, in connection with Dr. Lisa Su's CES 2021 keynote address, AMD announced a new lineup of mobile Ryzen processors, as well as OEM-only additions to its Ryzen line of desktop processors. But in a surprise development, the chip maker also tipped some information about upcoming plans to bring the Ryzen Threadripper Pro CPU family, formerly a Lenovo exclusive, to the masses.

You can see a full replay of the AMD CES 2021 keynote in the video below, but the key desktop details were shared outside of the event.

New 65-Watt Ryzens for OEMs

Coming off a banner year of desktop CPU releases with its Ryzen 5000 Series launch, AMD is now shoring up its stack of AM4-socket desktop options with the new Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 7 5800.

These two chips come into the mix as low-power (lower-TDP) alternatives to the Ryzen 9 5900X and the Ryzen 7 5800X, respectively. They feature 65-watt TDPs. Both employ the same core and thread count, however, as the full-fat versions of the chips on which they are based. The two new chip models are outlined below:

Note that consumers won't be able to buy these two 65-watt Ryzens directly as upgrade or DIY options. These Ryzens are instead launched to give commercial system builders and OEMs increased flexibility in designing compact or thermally tight systems, thanks to their reduced TDP requirements.

Expect to see them in pre-built PCs coming soon; AMD did not share timing or which OEMs might be adopting these 65-watt chips.

Release the Threadripper Pros!

Next up, there's Ryzen Threadripper, or more accurately, Ryzen Threadripper Pro. Previously available only via a single seller of workstations in pre-built desktops (Lenovo, in the ThinkStation P620, tested at the link), the Threadripper Pro series takes content creation to the limit, with 64 cores of power that can support eight channels of memory, RDIMM and LRDIMM modules, and 128 PCI Express 4.0 lanes with AMD Pro security. (See our initial tests with these chips in the Threadripper Pro 3955WX.)

AMD noted these specs for the three consumer-available Threadripper Pro CPUs:

During the initial Threadripper Pro launch, however, AMD did also cite a fourth option, the Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3945WX, for the ThinkStation P620. That lowest-end of the Pro chips presumably will not be offered on its own for separate sale.

AMD expects that the chips will be on shelves in March, through retailers and system integrators. The company did not share pricing for the discrete chip models yet, nor which motherboard makers would be offering compatible boards.

The latter is key, because Ryzen Threadripper Pro uses the WRX80 chipset, which brings on a bunch of improvements over the TRX40 chipset used by the latest non-Pro Threadrippers. (TRX40 debuted to support third-generation Threadrippers, which are on a different socket than earlier iterations of Threadripper.) The WRX80 supports up to 128 PCI Express 4.0 lanes, up from 88 for the Ryzen Threadripper and its TRX40 chipset. It also doubles the memory channels from four to eight and works exclusively with error correcting code (ECC) memory, important for fields such as scientific simulations, architecture, and high-end data analysis.

About Our Expert

John Burek

Executive Editor and PC Labs Director

My Experience

I have been a technology journalist for almost 30 years and have covered just about every kind of computer gear—from the 386SX to 64-core processors—in my long tenure as an editor, a writer, and an advice columnist. For almost a quarter-century, I worked on the seminal, gigantic Computer Shopper magazine (and later, its digital counterpart), aka the phone book for PC buyers, and the nemesis of every postal delivery person. I was Computer Shopper's editor in chief for its final nine years, after which much of its digital content was folded into PCMag.com. I also served, briefly, as the editor in chief of the well-known hard-core tech site Tom's Hardware.

During that time, I've built and torn down enough desktop PCs to equip a city block's worth of internet cafes. Under race conditions, I've built PCs from bare-board to bootup in under 5 minutes. I never met a screwdriver I didn't like.

I was also a copy chief and a fact checker early in my career. (Editing and polishing technical content to make it palatable for consumer audiences is my forte.) I also worked as an editor of scholarly science books, and as an editor of "Dummies"-style computer guidebooks for Brady Books (now, BradyGames). I'm a lifetime New Yorker, a graduate of New York University's journalism program, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

The Technology I Use

I use a lot of computers on rotation in my daily work, but I rely on just a few to get things done. I split my work life mostly between a Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (a 15-inch Ryzen model), paired with a Lenovo ThinkVision portable monitor, and a custom-built big-chassis Windows 10 desktop PC that has served me well for years now. (Specs: Liquid-cooled Intel Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition, 32GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1080 card.) That's all in a giant chassis with six hard drives and SSDs packing its bays. (As I upgrade systems, I just keep moving the old warhorse drives over.) This behemoth is hooked up to a 32-inch LG monitor.

I also have a bunch of PCs around the house, all custom builds: another one attached to my main TV (for gaming and occasional forays into VR), a mini-PC on the bedroom TV (acting as a media server), and a Mini-ITX desktop in a corner of the living room...just because. I carry around an oversize OnePlus phone, but when I do long-haul travel, a vintage iPod Touch comes along, too, for old times' sake.

I wasn't always a PC guy. I cut my teeth on a cassette-drive-equipped Commodore VIC-20 in the 1980s. But I got serious with Apple desktops in the early 1990s, starting with a Macintosh SE, then a Macintosh LC, and finally one of the short-lived Umax "clone" Macs, before building my first PC and never looking back.

With all my typing and editing work over the years, I've become a huge proponent of thumb trackballs, which minimize wrist action (and my wrist pain). I have a secret cache of the long-discontinued Microsoft Trackball Optical Mouse (my personal favorite), held in an undisclosed location.

Read the latest from John Burek

Read full bio