AMD Threadripper Pro Workstation CPUs & WRX80 Motherboards Officially Launched For DIY Market, Flagship 3995WX Sets You Back For $5489 US

If anyone needs a 64 core and 128 thread processor for a workstation task, AMD has announced that its Threadripper Pro desktop processors and the WRX80 motherboards are now available to purchase in the DIY segment.

The AMD Threadripper PRO series makes advances in every category and one-ups the competition in most areas. It features 128 PCIe Gen 4.0 lanes which are double compared to the regular Threadripper series at 64 PCIe Gen 4.0 lanes. The mouthwatering feature for most is the 8-channel ECC support with a 2 TB max capacity (UDIMM, RDIMM, LRDIMM). The TDP for all four processors is set at 280W.

The star of the show is the AMD Threadripper PRO 3995WX featuring 64 cores and 128 threads alongside 288 MB of total cache. The clock speeds are respectable at 2.7 GHz base and 4.2 GHz boost. Falling second in the ranks is the Threadripper PRO 3975WX with 32 cores and 64 threads. The clocks are 3.5 GHz base and 4.2 GHz boost clocks and it has 144 MB of total cache. The Threadripper PRO 3955WX falls third in line with 16 cores and 32 threads with 72 MB of total cache. The clock speeds are 3.9 GHz base and 4.3 GHz boost.

To take advantage of the Threadripper PRO, you also need to buy a WRX80 motherboard. So far, ASUS, Gigabyte, and Supermicro have made their options available. The motherboards have ridiculous amounts of I/O and connectivity. Each motherboard features 7 PCIe Gen 4.0 slots and has a wide variety of connectors. The Threadripper PRO series can support up to 2TB of DDR4 memory, but the motherboard is the limitation with all 3 models only supporting 1TB of DDR4 memory. Don't get me wrong, 1TB is a lot, but for the ultimate workstation, that extra terabyte could make a big difference.

The pricing seen in the table shows us AMD Threadripper PRO 3995WX will cost $5,489, the Threadripper PRO 3975WX will cost $2,749, and the Threadripper PRO 3955WX will cost $1,149. The Threadripper PRO 3945WX doesn't have a price yet. If you want more information on the Threadripper PRO series and the WRX80 motherboards, read this article covering the specifics.

AMD's workstation partners which include Supermicro, ASUS & Gigabyte have also announced their respective WRX80 motherboards which consumers can buy. These motherboards are the ultimate workstation solution, offering insane amounts of I/O and connectivity. Let's start with specifications and in-depth details of these motherboards.

ASUS WRX80 PRO WS SAGE SE Motherboard

the ASUS's WRX80 PRO WS SAGE SE features the massive SP3 socket which houses 4096 LGA pins and supports only the Ryzen Threadripper Pro series processors from AMD. Surrounding the socket are eight DIMM slots that can support up to 1 TB of DDR4 memory with speeds of up to 3200 MHz RDIMM/LDIMM. Some highlighted features of the motherboard include:

Unlike Gigabyte, ASUS has made use of larger aluminum heatsinks that cover the power delivery system. The M.2 slots are also covered by full-length heatsinks while the PCH features active fan cooling. The mesh plate over the PCH heatsink looks great and you can see the fan placement under it. There is also a similar mesh plating over the heatsink next to the rear panel I/O. You can also see an active fan cooling solution implemented here and the mesh grill hides it perfectly and also doesn't interfere with the airflow.

As for power, the ASUS WRX80 PRO motherboard features three 8-pin, the standard 24-pin ATX connector, and also carries two auxiliary 6-pin plugs to power the PCIe lanes. The motherboard has a total of 7 PCIe 4 slots, all full-length and all complemented by metal shielding around them. Storage options come in the form of 8 SATA III ports, two U.2 ports, and dual M.2 slots. There's an impressive array of IO on the motherboard. Just internally, we can see several front panel USB 3.2 and USB 3.0 headers. The motherboard also has power on/off and reset buttons along with a high-end audio subsystem on its own isolated PCB area. The motherboard will be priced at around 850-999 USD.

Gigabyte WRX80 SU8 Motherboard

The Gigabyte WRX80 SU8 isn't just an ordinary design and that is apparent from its CEB Form Factor. The SP3 socket on the motherboard is inverted horizontally rather than in the traditional vertical position. The board carries a 10+3 phase power design, one which is powered up by dual 8-pin connectors & a 24-pin ATX connector. There are four DDR4 DIMM channels on each side of the socket and the board is listed to support 8-channel DDR4 memory with capacities of up to 1 TB. The max speeds supported by the board are 3200 MHz (RDIMM/LDIMM).

Both the WRX80 chipset, the VRMs, and the 10G Ethernet controller are cooled off by their own set of heatsinks. The WRX80 chipset is additionally equipped with an active cooling solution. Expansion on the board includes a total of 7 PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, all of which should be running at the x16 link since the AMD Threadripper Pro CPUs offer up to 128 PCIe Gen 4 lanes.

There are also four SATA ports and two M.2 ports. Internal USB ports include four USB 3.1 front panel headers. As for rear I/O, the motherboard carries dual 10GbE and dual 1GbE LAN ports, a range of USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, DisplayPort/VGA/DVI outputs, and a 7.1 channel audio hack with AMP-UP audio technology. The board will support AMD Threadripper Pro CPUs with up to 64 cores and 280W TDPs such as the 3995WX. Additionally, you will find some cool accessories with the board too such as a Thunderbolt Add-in card and an M.2 expansion card. There's no word on the pricing or release date of the Gigabyte WRX80 SU8 motherboard but we expect it in the market in early 2021.

Supermicro SuperO M12SWA-TF WRX80 Motherboard

The Supermicro SuperO M12SWA-TF is another WRX80 motherboard that comes with the CEB form factor. The motherboard features the SP3 socket and eight DDR4 DIMM slots which can support up to 1 TB of DDR4 memory. The motherboard carries an 18 phase power delivery and features dual 8 pin connectors to boot.

Expansion slots include a total of six PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 slots, four full-length M.2 slots (Gen 4.0), & storage options include four SATA III ports and two U.2 ports. The motherboard has an active-fan solution over the WRX80 chipset. The motherboard can support 2 triple-wide, 4 dual-width, and 6 standard graphics cards. I/O on the board includes a 10Gb Aquantia LAN, 1 GB Intel LAN, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, 5 USB 3.2 Gen 2, 5 USB 3.2 Gen 1 and 2 USB 2.0 ports. Additional connectors include up to 10 4-pin fan headers, a Realtek ALC4050H + ALC1220 7.1 channel HD audio jack.