Ryzen Threadripper 2 (2990WX and 2950X) Review: AMD Unleashes 32 Cores

Ryzen Master, Motherboards & Test Setup

Ryzen Master

AMD's second-gen Threadripper processors communicate with the platform to modulate performance based on what the motherboard's power delivery subsystem can do, which is the key enabler for Precision Boost Overdrive.

The processor monitors Package Power Tracking (PPT) and Thermal Design Current (TDC) variables, measuring available margin to the motherboard's maximum power output and current, respectively. Electrical Design Current (EDC) also indicates the maximum current possible from the VRMs during peak/transient conditions. A control loop feeds real-time telemetry data back to the Infinity Fabric, which then allows the processor to affect performance based on thermal and power conditions dynamically. AMD exposes some of these monitoring features with its updated Ryzen Master overclocking software.

Each motherboard vendor defines its own maximum amperage for PBO based on the power delivery subsystem's capabilities. As you can see in the Ryzen Master screenshot below, MSI has its own custom variables assigned for EDC, TDC, and PPT limits in the MEG X399 Creation motherboard. Due to different settings on different motherboards, PBO performance will vary.

You can also use Ryzen Master to switch the X-series processors into Game or Creator Mode, and toggle the WX-series chips into various legacy compatibility modes. AMD's software now supports per-CCX overclocking as well, and includes a built-in stress test. Again, the three-year warranty does not cover damage caused by overclocking, so exercise caution.

X399 Motherboards

Threadripper 2 is compatible with the X399 chipset, and AMD guarantees that all existing motherboards support stock operation. You do need an updated BIOS. However, all X399-based motherboards have an out-of-band BIOS update mechanism, so you won't need one of AMD's Boot Kits. Here's the rub: while all X399 motherboards support PBO (it's baked into the CPU), many existing platforms have limited power delivery subsystems that weren't designed to accommodate the 32C/64T 2990WX. Ultimately, they'll limit overclocking headroom. If you plan to overclock a second-gen Threadripper or enable PBO, it would be wise to verify the capacity of your motherboard's power circuitry first.

If you're building a first Threadripper-based PC, MSI has a new MEG X399 Creation. Moreover, Gigabyte recently introduced its X399 Aorus Xtreme. Both boards feature capable voltage regulation subsystems and robust cooling. Asus also introduced a cooling kit for its existing ROG X399 Zenith Extreme, which should bring that board up to par with the WX family's greater power consumption.

To recap, the X399 chipset supports two USB 3.1 Gen2 and six USB 3.1 Gen1 ports, along with six USB 2.0 connections. Two PCIe 3.0 lanes allow motherboard vendors to add more storage connectivity (four SATA or two SATA Express), and the eight general-purpose PCIe 2.0 lanes accommodate other controllers, such as Ethernet or WLAN/Bluetooth. Eight SATA ports round out the chipset's connectivity options, and you can leverage several RAID configurations with the attached SATA devices.

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The Threadripper processor provides an additional eight USB 3.1 Gen1 ports and four SATA connections (hardware RAID supported). The 60 remaining PCIe lanes support up to seven PCIe devices. Threadripper 2 CPUs also benefit from an improved SensMI suite, including StorMI Technology. That's a software-based tiering solution able to meld the low price and high capacity of hard drives with the speed of SSDs, 3D XPoint (including Intel's Optane parts), or even up to 2GB of RAM. For more information, check out AMD and Enmotus Expand FuzeDrive Offerings.

Comparison Products

Test Setup

You naturally need a capable power supply to support Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX. After a moderate 3.8 GHz overclock, we observed as much as 38A of current draw during a threaded Cinebench test. Even in its stock configuration, the CPU can pull more than 20A in that benchmark. And if you enable PBO, current draw jumps to a similar level as if you were overclocking manually.

We tested the Threadripper 2 models with MSI's MEG X399 Creation motherboard. Due to cooling and power delivery constraints, we ran through our full test suite at stock settings and with PBO activated, rather than using an all-core overclock. Our PBO-enabled configurations did benefit from higher memory transfer rates, as detailed in the table below.

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