Formula.350
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2011
- Messages
- 1,102
I don't think you'll get your wish on dual Threadrippers :\I just built a Broadwell-E system... but if someone comes out with a dually threadripper mobo... . Ima be all over that thing.
I'll let someone else fill this in, too much going through my mind right now to properly remember what was release details and what was rumored details... So I'll jot down what I recall and believe to be non-rumor info:
- The sockets are 4000-some pin LGA. The HEDT (Threadripper, "TR", WhiteHaven) version will have like 80-less pins --I feel like this was upwards of 120?-- , which comes from being a Single-Chip-Only design and those additional pins on the Server (EPYC, Naples) are the PCIe "Fabric" lanes for multi-chip communication.
- The TR platform will be limited to just a portion of the chip's total PCIe lanes, but will have enough for multiple FULL x16 slots, and plenty for storage solutions. It'll be a capped-amount in their HEDT design, not a limitation of what the chip has available.
- The CPUs will actually be the same, like Ryzen are, all based off the 32C EPYC chip, just disabled to make what will be the 16C TR chips. This is why it will have an abundance of un-used PCIe lanes. So while you probably won't be able to get dual 16C, you MIGHT be able to plop in a single 32C chip.
- The TR platform will have a higher TDP socket, allowing the chips to run at higher speeds, drawing more power. Their cut down 16C nature being done to free up the additional thermal headroom. Like Ryzen, I can only imagine this is programmed into the chip itself and while the board will be rated to deliver more power, it'll be just as capable of handling a 32C chip, since it will run at slower speeds and ultimately draw around the same power (or possibly less, given what 7's draw as they pass 3.2GHz).
ARMCHAIR ENGINEER SPECULATION TIME: I presume that these are like Ryzen, where it was originally intended to run around the 3.0-3.2GHz max, but was ultimately pushed to what we have now. I'll bet TR to be a 1700X clocked part with 16C/32T, and the fastest EPYC to be maybe 2.6-2.8GHz. HOWEVER, I'm betting that the trade off is going to come down to the Infinity Fabric... The TR will in turn being 1:1 with DRAM (aka 1:2, since the Fabric is 1/2 that of DDR's effective clock, where DDR4-2400 is running at 1200MHz, which is the same speed as the Fabric), where as the EPYC chips will be able to take advantage of the Fabric running at "Full Speed" with DRAM (which would be 2400MHz at DDR4-2400). No doubt TR will benefit from the relaxed environment and have faster memory speeds, too. EPYC I'm sure will get capped at DDR4-2666, though I suspect 2400 to be the 'adopted standard'.
As for price... I'm an optimist I wouldn't be surprised if they plan to continue shaking things up and offer A 16C for as low as $900, and probably closer to $1100 for the top one. 12C/24T models for $750, and if a 10C/20T model is in the stack, $700. *nods* It'll be interesting to see what it ends up being heh I'm literally basing this solely off what Ryzen ended up getting priced at.
And just for giggles, which I may very well be putting my foot in my mouth since I haven't see any other speculation or announcement for EPYC's pricing, but... I'm slapping an absurd price tag on the 32C/64T of $1800! (yea, I looked up what the 20C and 24C Xeons are going for, so about 1/2 their price. I really do think AMD is out for blood here.)