AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7980X & 7970X Review: Revived HEDT Brings More Cores of Zen 4
by Gavin Bonshor on November 20, 2023 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- AMD
- HEDT
- ThreadRipper
- Zen 4
- Threadripper 7000
- TRX50
TR 7000 vs. Intel: Encoding
One of the interesting elements of modern processors is encoding performance. This covers two main areas: encryption/decryption for secure data transfer and video transcoding from one video format to another.
In the encrypt/decrypt scenario, how data is transferred and by what mechanism is pertinent to on-the-fly encryption of sensitive data - a process by which more modern devices are leaning towards for improving software security.
We've updated our list of encoding benchmarks for our 2024 CPU suite to include some of the most relevant and recent codecs, such as AV1, HEVC, and VP9. Not only this, but we have also included FLAC audio encoding as well as WebP2 image encoding into the mix to show not only how the latest processors perform with these codecs but also to show discrepancies in performance throughout the different segments.
We are using DDR5-5200 RDIMM memory on the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X and 7970X as per JEDEC specifications. For Intel's Xeon W9-3495X, we are using DDR5-4800 RDIMM memory as per Intel's JEDEC specifications. It should be noted that both platforms are run with their full allocation of memory channels, eg, TR7000 in 4-channel and Sapphire Rapids in 8-channel.
Below are the settings we have used for each platform:
- DDR5-5200 RDIMM - AMD Threadripper 7000
- DDR5-4800 RDIMM - Intel Xeon Sapphire Rapids WS
- DDR5-5600B CL46 - Intel 14th Gen
- DDR5-5200 CL44 - Ryzen 7000
Starting with the WebP2 Image encoding tests, the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X and 7970X perform well compared to the other chips we've tested. Interestingly, in the SVT AV1 encoding using the fastest preset, the desktop chips with the faster core frequencies win. The tables turn using the mid preset, with both Threadripper 7000 chips sitting on top of the charts.
In the SVT-HEVC benchmark, the Intel Xeon W9-3495X sits at the top of the list, and the same is prevalent in the VP9 encoding benchmark. In the FFmpeg 6.0 benchmark with x264 and x265, the desktop processors with the faster cores win in this situation, with the Core i9-14900K and the 6.0 GHz boost core frequencies playing a bigger hand than simply having more cores.
Looking at 7-Zip performance, both the Threadripper 7980X and 7970X are vastly superior to the Intel Xeon W9-3475X and the flagship desktop chips, including the Core i9-14900K, Ryzen 9 7950X, and Ryzen 9 7950X3D.
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Makaveli - Monday, November 20, 2023 - link
So how did you not catch that the memory you were looking at was using Hynix?I just had to look at the specs and I knew just by the Cas latency. There was no good memory in the DDR4 range that came in at CL18.
meacupla - Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - link
Well, clearly, the site that I used thought it was B-die, when it was false info for the 2x16GB model.tamalero - Tuesday, December 5, 2023 - link
I remember when samsung released low quality "b" dies. It was in the news i think in tomshardware.These were used as "b dies" in corsair high end ram.
And they were not as good as the top class high binned true b die.
Someone correct me If I am wrong.
29a - Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - link
The PCB the memory is mounted on matters too.kn00tcn - Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - link
micron m-die(?) 3600c16 working great on am4, it just wasnt available until a couple years after launch, samsung isnt the only choiceand actually hynix had different dies, some tighter and more stable than others
first hand anecdotal:
1) in 2018 hynix cjr(?) 3200c16 / 2600x / msi b450m mortar = never fully stable, had to tweak low level ohms, maybe the cpu had issue, linux randomly showed amdgpu pcie timeouts in log
2) though in 2023 the same hynix sticks work fine with 5600g / asrock deskmeet
3) in 2020 micron 3600c16 / 3600x / asus tuf b450m = solid
4) in 2023 different micron 3600c16 / 5600 with pbo / same msi b450m mortar from 2018, everything fine
demu - Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - link
Before b-die memory I also had a G.Skill Trident set with Hynix ic:s (G.Skill 64GB (4 x 16GB) Trident Z, DDR4 3600MHz, CL17, 1.35V CL17-19-19-19).They also worked @3600 CL16-18-18-18 or 3733 CL17.
iamkyle - Monday, November 20, 2023 - link
I see unlike previous generations of Threadripper, AMD and its board partners are abandoning the "content creator/gamer" segment.Great for the workstation crowd, a loss for the aforementioned.
Threska - Monday, November 20, 2023 - link
The people who created Crysis could have used this. :-)kn00tcn - Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - link
and what does a content creator need tons of pcie lanes and quad+ channel memory for? regular desktop isnt weak with 16 high freq cores and 3d cacheif workloads like rendering scale so well with cores then they also scale across multiple networked computers for a cost effective render farm instead of a single expensive threadripper
main issue is probably the daw niche of extremely complex realtime audio synths/effects, but this has workarounds for years (prerender specific tracks), and it's not like we had better performance available in the past
thestryker - Monday, November 20, 2023 - link
HEDT isn't back when the platform price of entry is more than double that of the top desktop setups. AMD did release Zen 4 TR cheaper than Intel's current closest equivalent ($1500 vs $2100), but when $1500 is the cheapest it gets CPU wise you could put together CPU/DRAM/mobo for less. This is why I've contended TR 3xxx actually marked the end of HEDT as that is when the price of entry became significantly higher than desktop.