When AMD unveiled its Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3000WX-series processors and WRX80 chipset in July, the company said that the platform will be available only from select workstation suppliers and there were no plans to bring it to do-it-yourself (DIY) enthusiasts. Officially, AMD's stance has not changed and Threadripper Pro are CPUs for professional workstations, but Gigabyte has developed a branded motherboard for Threadripper Pro processors that will likely have broad availability. A promotional picture of Gigabyte's WRX80-SU8 motherboard was published by VideoCardz website, which may indicate that the product is either about to be launched or is in final stages of its development.
Gigabyte's platform is called the WRX80 SU8 IPMI Server Motherboard and it features a server form-factor (most likely EATX) and carries a baseboard management controller (BMC). Meanwhile, the platform supports all AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3000WX-series processors in sWRX8 form-factor up to the 64-core Pro 3995WX. The platform has eight memory slots to use Threadripper Pro's main feature: eight-channel memory support.
(Image credit: VideoCardz)
The motherboard has eight PCIe 4.0 x16 slots (not all of them support 16 lanes at all times though), at least two M.2-2280 slots for SSDs and SAS/SATA ports. Gigabyte's WRX80 SU8 also carries two 10GbE connectors, two GbE ports for management, several USB Type-A connectors, at least one display output (for BMC), and a 7.1-channel audio subsystem, an indicator that this platform is intended both for servers and for workstations.
AMD's Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3000WX-series CPUs do not support overclocking, which makes them somewhat less appealing to enthusiasts. But at the same time support for up to 2TB of eight-channel DDR4-3200 memory make the processors very attractive to professionals.
At present, AMD only sells Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3000WX-series CPUs to select makers of workstations. Given the combination of server and workstation features the Gigabyte WRX80 SU8 motherboard has, it may address workstations by boutique PC shops as well as smaller server builders. If this is the case, AMD is about to start selling its Ryzen Threadripper Pro not only to select makers of professional workstations, but also to distributors and ultimately end users. Unless, of course, the platform was designed for a specific customer with certain requirements and meant exclusively to one client that has access to AMD's exotic Threadripper Pro chips.
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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.
