With new Zen 3 processors expected to be launched before the end of 2021, AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper 3990X, the firm’s mighty 64-core (128-thread) processor, has received an unwelcome price bump that pushed its price back to almost its original suggested retail price of $3,999.
Not bad for a product launched in February 2020. Newegg sells it - with a limit of two per customer - for $3949.99, far lower than Microcenter's shocking $4999.99 price tag for the same product.
AMD can charge such astronomic prices because (a) it can (b) demand is booming while supply remains very tight (c) Intel has yet to catch up (d) the Threadripper Pro 3995WX is even more expensive with a 50% premium.
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That's assuming, of course, you can make use of the serious multi-core performance on offer with this 64-core beast. The average consumer is unlikely to need this level of firepower, unless they're into content creation, 3D modelling or video editing.
The 3990X is based on AMD's EPYC 7702P server processor (used in data centers) and supports ECC memory as well as PCIe 4.0. Its onboard cache (256MB) and TDP (280W) means it requires powerful cooling to get its 64 cores humming.
Note that while it can boost to up to 4.3GHz, its base clock speed is only 2.9GHz. It can also support up to four DDR4 channels (compared to eight for the EPYC 7702P).
Bear in mind
- If this product is unavailable in your region, you may have to use a specialist parcel forwarding service to take advantage of the deal.
- If you've found a cheaper product with equivalent specifications, in stock and brand new, let us know and we'll tip our hat to you.
