AMD hasn't released a desktop or HEDT version of its Threadripper CPUs in almost four years, but that's about to change. When the company launched its desktop Zen 4 CPUs in 2022, it raised many an eyebrow by listing "Zen 4 Threadripper" on its roadmap. Now that the desktop chips are finally here and it's launched its Genoa server CPUs, it's about to focus on Threadripper again. That's according to Tony Yu, who manages Asus' business in China. In a recent talk uploaded to the Chinese video site Bilibili, Yu stated AMD would launch its Zen 4 Threadripper CPUs later this year. The video was picked up on Twitter and includes benchmarks comparing the current 5995WX Threadripper Pro with Intel's newest Xeon W CPU, the W9 3495X.
Backing up a bit, the last desktop version of Threadripper was the Zen 2-based 3900X chips, which came out in 2019 and cost $1,399 and $1,999. That's expensive but still in the realm of affordability for a hardcore enthusiast. Then in 2022, it offered a Zen 3 version, dubbed Threadripper Pro. Unfortunately, these chips were OEM only at first. When they finally hit retail, the flagship 64-core, 128-thread CPU was $6,499. Therefore, it was no longer an HEDT chip to be purchased by a power user but a pure workstation part.
AMD's Zen 3 Threadripper is pretty competitive against Intel's new Xeon W CPUs, indicating the Zen 4 version could stomp all over them. Credit: @9550Pro On Twitter
In the video, Mr. Yu states Zen 4 Threadripper, code-named Storm Peak, will be out later this year on the all-new TR5 HEDT platform, according to TechSpot. It'll be offered in two versions; HEDT and workstation. That will allow it to tackle Intel's latest Sapphire Rapids offerings, which also come in two tiers: the W-2400 and W-3400 series. The Asus executive also states he thinks AMD's version will outperform Intel's latest, thanks to having more cores and better efficiency. It's rumored AMD's CPUs will offer at least 64 cores, but the company could go higher. It'll be based on its current Genoa server chips, which offer 96 cores and 192 threads. Its Zen 3 flagship Threadripper Pro CPU has 64 cores and 128 threads. The Intel W9 3495X flagship Xeon W CPU tops out at 56-cores and 112-threads.
Twitter user HXL posted some slides from the presentation, showing Intel's newest CPU benchmarked against AMD's Zen 3 version. The slides show the older AMD CPUs being extremely competitive against Intel's latest offerings in performance and efficiency. That does not bode well for Intel's newest platform, although it does have a several-month head start on AMD this time despite Sapphire Rapids' delays. Time will tell how AMD fares this time, but all signs suggest it will repeat the shellacking it delivered the last time the two titans clashed in the HEDT arena.
