AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000-Series Naming Scheme Clues Surface

The Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO) may have given away a hint about the naming of AMD’s upcoming Zen 2-based Threadripper, as spotted by German site Computerbase.de. 

AMD's next Threadripper line of CPUs, Threadripper 3000 or Threadripper 3, will be part of the “Ryzen 3000” family of product names. SATA-IO hinted that it should be named the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 39x0X, with the lower-case x representing a number larger than the "5" in the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X. That leaves us with only a handful of choices: Threadripper 3960X, 3970X, 3980X, or 3990X.

AMD  named its first generation Threadripper processor SKUs as 1900X, 1920X, and 1950X for the 8, 12, and 16-core versions, respectively. The second generation Threadripper SKUs were given the names 2920X, 2950X, 2970X, and 2990X for the 12, 16, 24 and 32-core variants, respectively.

The new 3000-series Threadripper, also called rumored to be given the alias name “Castle Peak,” is expected to start at 24-cores and potentially go up to 64-cores, according to some rumors. Logically, AMD may name them as following: 3960X for the 24-core version, 3970X for the 32-core version, 3980X for the 48-core version and 3990X for the 64-core version. 

It would be unlikely for AMD to go below 3950X for the lower-end Threadrippers, as that could imply they are lower-performance than Ryzen 9. It would also be quite confusing for consumers considering that the new AMD Threadripper would start at 24 cores.

It’s also entirely possible that AMD could go with new branding for the Zen 2-based Threadripper, even if that would mean a divergence from tradition. 

The new 24-core Threadripper is expected to launch in November, while the higher-end versions should arrive later. Rumors have it that some Threadripper SKUs were affected some TSMC manufacturing delays. However, we’re only weeks away from the expected launch of AMD’s launch, so we should see the release dates straight from the company soon.