- AMD Threadripper Pro 9995WX dominates paper specs, but pricing will determine its true market impact
- Threadripper 9000 chips retain platform compatibility, easing the upgrade path for AMD users
- Real-world gains depend on workload, but AMD’s benchmarks show serious multi-core firepower
AMD has officially launched its Zen 5-based Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9000 WX-series, headlined by the powerful 9995WX with 96 cores and 192 threads.
Built on the updated “Shamida Peak” architecture, the flagship chip delivers performance gains over its predecessor and claims a 2.2x lead in rendering workloads compared to Intel’s fastest Xeon W chip.
With features including 384MB of L3 cache, AVX-512 support, 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes, and DDR5-6400 memory compatibility, AMD is positioning it as a top-tier solution for professionals in content creation, simulation, and AI.
Architecture and compatibility offer some familiarity
The specs alone suggest it could power the fastest PC currently available. That said, the new Threadripper 9000 series retains many elements from the previous Threadripper Pro 7995WX.
While clock speeds have increased slightly, now peaking at 5.4 GHz, up about 6%, thermal design power remains the same at 350W.
The chips continue to use the sTR5 socket and are supported on existing WR90 and TRX50 platforms with a BIOS update, making the upgrade path relatively simple.
Coolers compatible with previous Threadripper models are also supported, which is useful for users looking to upgrade with minimal disruption.
AMD shared internal benchmarks showing up to 245% performance gains over Intel’s Xeon W9-3595X in tasks like LLM inference and 3D design.
These results, while promising, should be viewed with caution, as vendor-supplied figures often rely on favorable workloads and testing conditions.
Complicating the appeal of the 9995WX is the presence of AMD’s own EPYC 9655P. Also built on Zen 5 with 96 cores, it shares many architectural traits but is priced much lower, $6,234.99 on retail sites like Newegg.
While Threadripper is optimized for single-socket workstations, the EPYC line may offer better scalability and value for users who don’t need workstation-specific firmware.
For those chasing the fastest laptop or desktop build, the question becomes one of return on investment. The Threadripper Pro 9995WX might top benchmarks, but the EPYC 9655P could be the more practical choice.
While AMD hasn’t confirmed official pricing, the 9995WX is expected to retail above $13,000, based on its 22% performance uplift over the 7995WX, which currently sells for $10,940.99.
Via Tomshardware
Leave a comment