AMD’s upcoming Ryzen Threadripper high-performance desktop platform is just around the corner, and boutique system builders are gearing up to take your orders. AMD revealed a list of authorized partners that can now accept your Ryzen Threadripper pre-orders.
AMD is doing everything in its power to shake up the CPU industry this year. At the tail end of the first quarter, the company released the first of a series of Ryzen processor lines. It started with the 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 lineup which takes aim at Intel’s Core i7 products, and followed with the quad-core Ryzen 5 lineup to put pressure on the Intel Core i5 lineup. Most recently, AMD revealed the quad-core Ryzen 3 processors, and team red isn’t done shaking up Intel’s business. For the first time in, well, ever, AMD is preparing to enter the high-performance desktop arena, and it has several partners lined up to back its efforts.
The AMD Ryzen Threadripper line, which includes 12-core and 16-core processors, isn’t yet available for individual purchase, but if you want to be one of the first on the block with AMD’s top dog, you can place your order today with a handful of boutique system builders from around the world.
AMD partnered with six American system builders to cater to the US market, including CyperPowerPC, Cybertron, iBuypower, Maingear, Origin PC, and Velocity Micro. AMD also worked with a handful of international system builders, including Overclockers UK, Scan Computers, and Workstation Specialists in the United Kingdom; Komplett in Norway; Digital Razer in Russia; PCThemes in southeast Asia; and Youngjae Computers and Polaris Com in Korea.
Each of these Ryzen Threadripper systems features a premium price tag, which you should expect for a high-end desktop platform. Ryzen processors start at $799, and you can expect to pay upwards of $170 for four sticks of memory to take advantage of the Threadripper platform's quad-channel memory support. We don't expect X399 motherboards to carry budget prices, either. Still, some of the following builds have price tags that could make your eyes water. Each boutique builder offers a unique take on the Ryzen Threadripper platform, some of which went over the top with custom options.
CyberPowerPC offers three customizable systems, including the $2,575 Threadripper Pro, the $3,385 Threadripper Xtreme, and the $4,179 Threadripper Ultimate PCs, which offer a range of GPUs, memory, and hard drive options. Cybertron offers two customizable Ryzen Threadripper systems, including the Cybertron Ra, which starts at $2,198 and the Cybertron Set, which you can pick up for as low as $1,875.
Each of the CyberPowerPC and Cybertron PCs feature an ASRock Fatality X399 Taichi motherboards, but Cybertron offers the ASRock X399 Pro Gaming, MSI X399 Gaming Pro Carbon AC, Gigabyte AORUS X399 Gaming 7, and Asus ROG Zenith Extreme as options. CyberPower offers both ASRock motherboards and the Gigabyte AORUS X399 Gaming 7.
iBuyPower offers the most affordable Threadripper system on the market. The company’s base AMD Threadripper configuration starts at $1,699 and includes a Gigabyte Aorus motherboard, Ryzen Threadripper 1920X, 8GB of memory, and a GTX 1050 Ti. iBuyPower’s Ryzen Threadripper Pro and Ryzen Threadripper Extreme configurations feature 16GB of memory and GTX 1080 and GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards, respectively.
If you’re in the market for a no-nonsense workstation build, Velocity Micro offers a Threadripper system for $2,899 that doesn’t include the lights, windows, and paint jobs found in some of the other Threadripper builds. Velocity Micro’s ProMagix HD80 Threadripper workstation build features a basic window-free case, an undisclosed AMD X399 motherboard, a Ryzen Threadripper 1950X, 16GB of DDR4-2400 memory, and a PNY Nvidia Quadro K620 workstation graphics card.
If flashy paint jobs, RGB lighting, and water cooling systems are more your style, Origin and Maingear offer several options for those who wish to take their build to the next level. Origin offers two base configurations: the full-tower Millennium line, which starts at $2,883, and the super tower Genesis line, which starts at $2,920. Both Origin configurations offer significant customization options up to and including custom paint jobs and up to four GPUs.
Maingear tops the charts with the most expensive base Ryzen Threadripper configuration. A Maingear Rush equipped with a Ryzen Threadripper 1920X with the Super Stock overclocking option will set you back at least $5,900. A few customization options, including a custom automotive paint job inside and out, multiple SSDs for additional storage, and a couple of extra graphics cards, can bring the price well beyond $10,000.
Maingear also offers more affordable options, including The Vybe, which starts at $2,099, and The R1|Razer, which is available for as little as $2,249. The Rush is also available for as little as $2,949 if you forgo the Super Stock option.
Pre-orders for AMD Ryzen Threadripper-equipped PCs should begin shipping in August. We expect pre-orders for individual Threadripper CPUs and X399 motherboards to begin soon.
