The
"Zen2"-series of CPU architecture has seen AMD set new standards with their Ryzen series of processors. The High-End-Desktop-Segment (HEDT) has also received some impressive additions thanks to their
Threadripper series of processors, where the total number of cores available has also increased significantly. Thanks to switching over to a
7nm process, AMD is now able to pack twice as many cores into the same die area as their predecessors. Aside from the potential to double the total number of cores, the
Ryzen Threadripper 3000 series ("Castle Peak") has also received an effective doubling of the total number of PCIe Lanes, now that the
PCIe 4.0 Standard is supported - without any reduction in the number of lanes available elsewhere.
The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24-Core Processor at a Glance:
AMD Zen2 - Scalable Architecture in 7 nm
The AMD Ryzen
Threadripper 3960X is a "Zen2"-gen processor with 24 physical CPU cores. Thanks to Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT), "Zen2" cores are each capable of processing two threads simultaneously, meaning that the total number of cores available has been doubled to a total of 48 cores effectively. The 24-core CPU functions with a high base clock of 3.8 GHz per core, with
Precision Boost allowing it to turbo boost up to 4.5 GHz (single core) in realtime while remaining within TDP. The Thermal Design Power (TDP) is 280 Watts on this model.
The silicon is lithographed using the advanced
7nm FinFET manufacturing process. Thanks to the significant reduces in node size and thus the amount of space opened up on the die, this has allowed for the integration of a total of 16 MB Level 2 Cache and a full 128 MB Level 3 Cache to be embedded at the heart of the CPU. Due to the intelligently controlled cached buffer and thanks to the implementation of "Smart Prefetch" algorithms, Ryzen is capable of incredibly efficient predictive behaviours, making Ryzen a winner when it comes to the smooth and uninterrupted processing of data in any scenario, whether the CPU is used for gaming and VR all the way up to cloud computing and virtualisation.
Extended Frequency Range (XFR) for Automatic Overclocking
Manual overclocking is no longer something that owners of AMD's Ryzen Threadripper series need concern themselves with, this is because the CPU regulates the entire process itself: The AMD Ryzen
Threadripper 3960X is equipped with a revolutionary
Auto-OC feature called
Extended Frequency Range (XFR). This means the CPU's frequency can exceed by leaps and bounds the factory-established Boost Clock limits - that is while the chip is supplied with sufficient cooling at any rate. As soon as the CPU's integrated sensors detect an increase in cooling capacity, the Ryzen CPU adjusts its frequencies in accordance with the cooling solution available.
Overclocking has never been so easy! Depending on whether the processor receives air cooling courtesy of a relatively diminutive boxed cooler or a larger tower- or dual-tower cooler, high-end AiO- or custom water cooling, or even with extreme solutions such as liquid nitrogen (LN2), XFR unlocks significant increases in clock frequency in the premium and enthusiast segments depending on the cooling performance available.
Alternatively, all AMD Ryzen CPUs are "unlocked" and have - as usual from the "Black Editions" and "K" variants of earlier model series - an
unlocked multiplier, so that overclockers can easily increase the relatively high clock rates directly by hand in the BIOS or UEFI or using software tools, an appropriate motherboard with the OC-enabled chipset AMD TRX40 and sufficient additional cooling is required.
Notes:
- This is a boxed "WOF" version without a bundled CPU cooler
- Attention: Using an AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000 CPU requires a TRX40 motherboard that includes the sTRX4 socket.
- Attention: Due to the size of the Ryzen Threadripper CPU, the TR4 LGA socket differs markedly when compared to its competitors' sockets. Please pay close attention to the installation instructions when mounting the CPU on the motherboard!
Technical Details:
- Type:
AMD Ryzen TR 3960X
Zen2 (Castle Peak)
Node: 7 nm FinFET
- CPU Cores: 24 / 48 (physical / virtual)
- CPU clock:
Base clock: 3.8 GHz
Boost clock: max. 4.5 GHz (Precision Boost)
- Level 2 cache: 16 MB
- Level 3 cache: 128 MB
- Integrated PCI Express 4.0 lanes:
x64 (x8 for chipset, x8 reserved for NVMe SSDs)
- Main memory:
Memory controller: internal
Memory channels: 4
Max. Memory: 256 GB
Memory standard: DDR4 (ECC & non-ECC)
- TDP: 280 Watt
- Socket compatibility: sTRX4
- Command set extensions:
SMT (Simultaneous Multithreading)
X86-64 (64-bit AMD64 processor)
AMD-V (Compute Virtualization)
VT-Vi (I/O MMU virtualization)
2x AES units (encryption)
AVX & AVX2 (Advanced Vector Extensions)
NX bit (virus protection) & EVP (advanced virus protection)
TBT 3.0 (Turbo Core 3.0)
- Special feature:
Free multiplier (unlocked)