AMD's 64-Core Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7985X Gets Tested on Boulder Gulch Platform

AMD
(Image credit: AMD)

AMD is rumored to launch its next-generation Ryzen Threadripper Pro CPUs sometime this September, so it is not surprising that the company's partners are testing the company's codenamed 'Boulder Gulch' platform along with a 64-core Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7985X processor. Somehow, the performance numbers of the said system's Agisoft Metashape 1.8.5 benchmarks ended up in Puget's public database, revealing details about the eight-channel memory subsystem of the upcoming CPU. 

The Boulder Gulch platform discovered by @BenchLeaks features a 64-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7985X CPU and comes equipped with 256GB of DDR5-5600 memory using eight 32GB memory modules as well as Nvidia's RTX A5000 graphics card. In fact, the main thing that strikes the eye is that AMD's next-generation Ryzen Threadripper Pro CPUs will feature an eight-channel DDR5-5600 memory subsystem, in contrast to the 12-channel subsystem AMD uses for the EPYC Genoa counterparts. 

Truth to be told, we still do not know for sure which socket AMD's next-generation Ryzen Threadripper Pro CPUs adopt, but we can speculate that it is going to use a socket derived from SP6 for EPYC 'Siena' processors, which indeed supports eight DDR5 memory channels. Going SP6 also means the forthcoming Ryzen Threadripper Pro CPUs will top at 64 cores.

Eight DDR5-5600 memory channels will provide AMD's next-generation Ryzen Threadripper processors 358.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which means 5.6 GB/s per core in case of a 64-core CPU, which is a stark contrast with AMD's current-generation Ryzen Threadripper 5000-series processors. The latter has an eight-channel DDR4-3200 memory subsystem with a 204.8 GB/s peak memory bandwidth or 3.2 GB/s per core for a 64-core CPU.

There is a number of reasons why AMD would prefer to equip its next-generation Ryzen Threadripper 7000-series processors with an eight-channel memory subsystem and not opt for a 12-channel memory subsystem featured by the latest EPYC 'Genoa' CPUs. Firstly, it is physically hard to install an SP5 (6096-pin) processor socket onto an E-ATX motherboard. Secondly, it is expensive to route 12 DDR5 memory channels, and it is impossible to install 12 memory slots onto an E-ATX motherboard without reducing the number of available PCIe slots, but expandability is a must-have feature for workstations. Thirdly, it is prohibitively expensive to populate all 12 memory channels.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Row 0 - Cell 0 Ryzen Threadripper 7985WX Best ResultRyzen Threadripper 7985WX Worst ResultXeon W7-3455
CPU Configuration64C/128T64C/128T24C/48T
Metashape Pro 1.8.5 | Rock Model Total Time79.798.6137.6
Metashape Pro 1.8.5 | School Map Total Time263.8260.6307.3

When it comes to the benchmark results, they don't really show the potential of the next-gen Threadripper. Agisoft Metashape is a program that generates 3D spatial data using photogrammetric processing of images. The software uses GPU acceleration to speed things like depth map calculation, dense point cloud construction, mesh building, and texture generation, so it may not be the best benchmark for CPUs in general. Furthermore, the 1.8.5 version of Metashape is a rather new version, so the closest system we could find with Nvidia's RTX A5000 graphics card was based on Intel's 24-core Xeon w7-3455, so the actual performance numbers that were published do not show the potential of AMD's upcoming workstation CPU.

For now, we're only talking about workstation-oriented Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7000-series processors and not high-end desktop-bound Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7000-series that may have fewer memory channels and/or other peculiarities. Furthermore, remember that the information is preliminary and comes from an unofficial source, so even if it is accurate for now, this does not mean that actual products will have similar specifications.    

Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.


  • AMD's 64-Core Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7985X Gets Tested on Boulder Gulch Platform..so it is not surprising that the company's partners are testing the company's codenamed 'Boulder Gulch' platform along with a 64-core Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7985X processor.

    Wrong. That's not the platform name. That is an AMD’s reference and validation/TEST board, dubbed internally as BoulderGulch-STP.

    The actual platform name is “Storm Peak”.
    Truth to be told, we still do not know for sure which socket AMD's next-generation Ryzen Threadripper Pro CPUs adopt, but we can speculate that it is going to use a socket derived from SP6 for EPYC 'Siena' processors

    That's again not correct. It will use 6096 SP5 Socket for PRO series. AMD's SP6 socket is named as LGA4844 for HEDT SKUs.

    So the HEDT chips are said to be compatible with LGA 4844 (SP6) motherboards while the WS chips are expected to be compatible with the SP5 socket (LGA 6096).
    Reply
  • tamalero
    Metal Messiah. said:
    Wrong. That's not the platform name. That is an AMD’s reference and validation/TEST board, dubbed internally as BoulderGulch-STP.

    The actual platform name is “Storm Peak”.


    That's again not correct. It will use 6096 SP5 Socket for PRO series. AMD's SP6 socket is named as LGA4844 for HEDT SKUs.

    So the HEDT chips are said to be compatible with LGA 4844 (SP6) motherboards while the WS chips are expected to be compatible with the SP5 socket (LGA 6096).
    Does this means we will again see normal Threadrippers (not PRO) with more decent prices?
    Or will AMD still get stuck with the PRO line at staggering workstation prices while Intel supposedly is entering HEDT again?
    Reply
  • tamalero said:
    Does this means we will again see normal Threadrippers (not PRO) with more decent prices?
    Or will AMD still get stuck with the PRO line at staggering workstation prices while Intel supposedly is entering HEDT again?

    No. AMD will release PRO series in the WS/Workstation segment, Threadripper series. Considering that this leak featured a Pro chip supporting an 8-channel DDR5 memory config, it is likely we are looking at the WS platform.

    The standard HEDT chips will likely not feature the "Pro" branding. They will come without PRO branding, unlike the WS processor series.
    Reply
  • tamalero
    Metal Messiah. said:
    No. AMD will release PRO series in the WS/Workstation segment, Threadripper series. Considering that this leak featured a Pro chip supporting an 8-channel DDR5 memory config, it is likely we are looking at the WS platform.

    The standard HEDT chips will likely not feature the "Pro" branding. They will come without PRO branding, unlike the WS processor series.
    Not what I asked lol.

    I wanted to know if there was any confirmed information that standard THREADRIPPERS would be out (aka non pro).
    Since Intel is coming back to the HEDT market. Which made AMD complacent.
    Reply
  • tamalero said:
    Not what I asked lol.

    I wanted to know if there was any confirmed information that standard THREADRIPPERS would be out (aka non pro).
    Since Intel is coming back to the HEDT market. Which made AMD complacent.

    Lol, okay I misunderstood your question. Yes, AMD non-pro processors are back.

    AMD said earlier that they wanted to "simplify the platform" and would only develop Threadripper Pro CPUs, so we shouldn't expect to see a vanilla Threadripper 5000 lineup like we did with 2019's 3000 and previous generations.

    However, according to a new leak things look different.

    A well known leaker, Momomo_US, actually leaked a listing that confirms two upcoming AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 CPU families/ZEN 4.

    We first have the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7900 CPUs as listed under the "79x5WX" family for workstation PCs, and the Ryzen Threadripper 7900 CPUs as the "79x0X" family for HEDT PCs.

    So it appears that future workstation PCs will be catered for with AMD's PRO "79x5WX" family, and HEDT systems will be best served by non-PRO "79x0X" variants.

    https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/legal/product-master.pdf
    https://i.imgur.com/NkGVk0N.jpg
    Reply
  • tamalero
    Metal Messiah. said:
    Lol, okay I misunderstood your question. Yes, AMD non-pro processors are back.

    AMD said earlier that they wanted to "simplify the platform" and would only develop Threadripper Pro CPUs, so we shouldn't expect to see a vanilla Threadripper 5000 lineup like we did with 2019's 3000 and previous generations.

    However, according to a new leak things look different.

    A well known leaker, Momomo_US, actually leaked a listing that confirms two upcoming AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 CPU families/ZEN 4.

    We first have the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7900 CPUs as listed under the "79x5WX" family for workstation PCs, and the Ryzen Threadripper 7900 CPUs as the "79x0X" family for HEDT PCs.

    So it appears that future workstation PCs will be catered for with AMD's PRO "79x5WX" family, and HEDT systems will be best served by non-PRO "79x0X" variants.

    https://www.amd.com/content/dam/amd/en/documents/legal/product-master.pdf
    https://i.imgur.com/NkGVk0N.jpg
    I can't wait to see more information leaked.
    Will we still see 4 channel vs 8 channel of PRO models vs normal HEDT models?
    I wonder..
    Reply
  • richard987
    What about the 96 core 7995WX tho?
    Reply