AMD is formally launching its new Ryzen Threadripper 9000 Series on July 31, comprising of three SKUs: the 24-core 9960X at $1,499, the 32-core 9970X at $2,499, and the flagship 64-core 9980X at $4,999. Once again, no 96-core model is present for the consumer lineup, though good news: the pricing listed just now are identical to the previous generation, so no price hikes this time around.
Ryzen Threadripper 9000 Series
The Threadripper 9000 chips are built on AMD’s Zen 5 architecture already debuted in consumer (Ryzen) and server (EPYC) segments, codenamed Shimada Peak; all models support up to 5.4 GHz boost clocks, 350W TDP, AVX-512 acceleration, quad-channel DDR5-6400 RAM, and up to 80 PCIe 5.0 lanes via the TRX50 platform. AMD claims up to 16% performance uplift in workstation workloads and up to 25% gains in AI/ML tasks compared to similarly clocked and core-counted previous-generation chips.
The new lineup was followed shortly after the Threadripper PRO 9000 series’ launch on July 23; since both lineups directly succeeds the 7000 series equivalents, socket support and platform features remain identical. That means, existing users on WRX90 or TRX50 motherboards can simply perform a drop-in upgrade if needed.
As such, the same restrictions apply for consumer-focused TRX50 motherboards – memory channels are limited to four (while WRX90 gets eight); capacity is limited to 1TB RDIMM (with ECC), while supported clock speed is 6400MT/s. As for the total PCIe lanes, the workstation platform gets 144, while the HEDT model gets 88. Keep in mind that regular Threadrippers will only work on TRX50 motherboards, while the PRO models works on both (with applicable restrictions if installed on TRX50-based systems).
Pokdepinion: Since Zen 6 is expected to bring a major redesign, could we see increased core counts by then?
