Threadripper Pro 5000WX's Secret Weapon: Up to 128 Cores per Workstation

According to a leaked spec sheet, support for dual-socket AMD Threadripper systems appears to be coming with the incoming 5000-series chips, meaning two chips can work in tandem in one system (like a dual-socket server), thus bringing up to 128 cores to workstations. As expected, AMD's family of next-generation Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000WX-series CPUs for high-end workstations will be based on the Zen 3 microarchitecture and feature up to 64 cores. However, the showstopper news is that the new processors will have a secret weapon: 2-way SMP that enables dual-socket operation.  

According to the leaked document, AMD's Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000WX family will consist of the 64-core 5995WX, the 32-core 5975WX, the 24-core 5965WX, the 16-core 5955WX, and the high-frequency 12-core 5945WX with a default clock of 4.10 GHz and a maximum clock of 4.55 GHz.  

But the main feature of AMD's next-generation Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000WX CPUs — if the excerpt is indeed correct — will be 2-way symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) support. This enables installing two Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000WX chips into one machine for up to 128 cores operating at 2.70 GHz – 4.55 GHz, or 24 cores working at a whopping 4.10 GHz – 4.55 GHz. 

Dual-socket support for a workstation platform is somewhat strange for AMD since it has EPYC processors for dual-socket machines. However, those CPUs run at considerably slower frequencies, so it remains to be seen how AMD plans to differentiate its Ryzen Threadripper Pro WX5000-series and EPYCs.

Dual-processor workstations are the stomping grounds of companies like Dell, HP, and Lenovo. They tend to cost as much as a car and are aimed at the most performance-demanding professionals with very deep pockets. It is hard to expect motherboard makers to offer dual-socket sWRX8 platforms at this time since 128-core/256-thread machines are complete overkill even for the workstation segment (which is why this capability might be canned if AMD feels that it is easier to offer Epyc platforms for the same market segment instead). Meanwhile, the report also says that Asus and Gigabyte intend to release all-new single-socket motherboards for the upcoming Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000WX CPUs. 

AMD's Ryzen Threadripper Pro retains eight memory channels to provide loads of bandwidth and support for plenty of memory for professional applications. The CPUs will continue to use the sWRX8 socket, though we do not know whether the new products will be drop-in compatible with the existing sWRX8 platform (probably they will, albeit with a BIOS update).  

Since the Ryzen Threadripper Pro processors are designed for professional workstations, not gamers (so you shouldn't expect to see them in our list of the best CPUs for gaming), it shouldn't come as a surprise that all the CPUs have a similar rather conservative 4.55 GHz boost clock at a maximum TDP of 280W. The chips will also come with the B2 stepping.

One unfortunate thing for high-end desktop (HEDT) enthusiasts is that there are no Ryzen Threadripper 5000-series non-Pro CPUs in sight. To that end, those who want to have a Zen 3-based desktop with more than 16 cores will have to opt for the Pro variant and forget about overclocking. Perhaps AMD is still working on a new HEDT platform, but we have not seen any detailed leaks about it so far. 

AMD usually does not comment on unreleased products or leaks, so take all the information with a grain of salt.