AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1st Gen - Ryzen Threadripper 1950X Whitehaven (Zen) 16-Core / 32 Threads 3.4 GHz Socket sTR4 180W YD195XA8AEWOF Desktop Processor

Pros: This is a super workhorse I run daily at 4.1GHz. My CPU bench tests about 20% above the reported TRl 1950x averages at various benchmark sites and runs reliably at 4.1 GHz. So you get more for your money than advertised. With ECC memory, this well outperforms all dual xeon v4s except E5-2698/2699 at less than 25% of the price and with a single socket board. CPU Benchmarks are similar to average i9-7960x for half the price A beast at multithread, floating point computation as needed for scientific simulation Handles streaming 4K/8K editing, no problem!

Cons: The fabric design of Threadripper seems to have high memory latency. 3 times that of an intel CPU. Part of that could be that in reality 1050x is a dual cpu design. But reduced latency would be a help to every performance aspect. In general, RAM performance lags intel similar products by about 30% The memory latency issue affects - Stability in rendering, which is very sensitive to BIOS settings, - RAM performance dependent on CPU intercommunication - Large 20% memory performance difference between NUMA and non-NUMA settings. On my system, the NUMA setting (memory interleave on) for some reason reduces CPU performance by about 15%, while boosting RAM performance by 20%. On my intel workstations there is little performance difference NUMA vs non-NUMA.

Overall Review: This is the best deal for a workstation cpu relative to Xeons, and as an unlocked processor, you can get the max out of it, unlike Intel xeons. Was best cpu value when I bought it for $999, and is a much better value now at the reduced MSRP $799. Wish amd could improve the memory controller and reduce CPU-RAM latency to competitive levels. My next AMD workstation build will use the newer TR 2950x, but the 1950x still offers the best cpu performance for price, until the 2950x is available.

Pros: -Incredibly powerful CPU, this coming from someone who had never previously owned a high-end workstation CPU before. I previously had a 6700K coming from a 7700K (weird, I know, but the 7700K's TIM was so bad I could not keep it cool even at stock). -Cool even under load. Stock max temps were around 58-60C max, OC to 3.9 at 1.225v yields a max temperature of 75-76C on Prime95. That is, with me having the 360mm fans NOT AT MAX, around 60-70%. Could cool even better, so your temps might be even better if you max your cooling. -Scores around 2800 on Cinebench at stock, OC to 3.9 at 1.225v it scored max 3292. It seems that whether your 1950x base score is 2800 or 3000, when OCed to 3.9 or 4.0 the usual score increase is around 400 points. -Breezes through my Handbrake encoding loads. I used to encode 23min video files on the 6700K, and those would take upwards of 30+ minutes to complete. Now, these take between 3-5 minutes... blown away! -64PCIe lanes, full and unrestricted as opposed to Intel's mere 48 (even on their new pathetic 7980XE or 7860X CPUs) -Upcoming NVME Raid support + current support for Raid configurations unrestricted, again unlike Intel -Kinda fun to install - everything from unboxing the excellent packaging to the socket insertion system works perfectly, and adds to the experience and the fact Threadripper is the most exciting CPU launch in YEARS.

Cons: -Not many good coolers out in the marked, other than the Noctua NA14 (I think that is the name, apologies if it wrong) and MY CHOICE of Enermax Liqtech TR4 360mm AIO.

Overall Review: -Truly the comeback story of the decade in the tech world, specially for CPU manufacturers. AMD is back, baby, and doing things right as opposed to Intel.

Pros: - Game on! - 16 threads/8 cores - Paired with liquid cool Corsair H115i - temps are 30-40C stock clocking. - Comes with necessary cooling bracket in the processor and Torx wrench for socket install - Clear instructions - Built for O.C. - Price / performance ratio blows Intel out of the water (again)

Cons: - Pins on socket are REALLY fragile, be careful - Chip footprint is huge - make sure you get a decent case with plenty of room.

Overall Review: Full disclosure: I've always been a fan of AMD during my 20+ years of building PCs. Bought this as a happy accident for my sons Christmas build since I got a X399 AORUS Gigabyte Gaming 7 where either I or 2mazon messed up my cart when I believed I added a X370 and Ryzen 7 1800X combo. Should have stuck with NewEgg - I don't recommend buying computer components for a full build through 2mazon. Although I got a killer deal on a MSI GTX 1070 OC Armor - 300 bucks off best price anywhere else with a Black Friday sale. In any event - well worth the extra cost to go from Ryzen 7 to TR. Epic settings on Overwatch with a Corsair H115i and this GC gets to around 70-100 fps. High settings - 150-180. Might try some O.C. to see what it's capable of. High settings on Rainbow Siege - 140 fps. This chip barely blinks at the latest games and decent graphics card. Proc temps are around 38-40C when fully loaded with default clock and LC. I know Intel usually gets better performance but the price point is almost always higher than I'm willing to pay. I was close to going i7-7700K but saw the Ryzen 7 / i7 comparisons and noticed benchmarks where Ryzen 7 1800X wins hands down price and performance wise, more threads with 1900X and it definitely shows. Now with my happy "accident" - i.e. - closest passmark bench for i7-8700 ($649 at the time of this review) - $449 for this and it beats out this and many other i7s above or at this cost. One of the few times I've seen AMD win both the perf and price wars with the same arch. Impressive...most impressive. Warning Noob tips below: Build went together relatively smoothly once I returned the incorrectly ordered 2mazon parts and ordered the 1900X from NewEgg. First time liquid cooling install for me. Watch out for the TR4 socket pins, Ryzen TR is a flat conductor pad with 4,094 pads, pins in the socket - it's huge. Follow the socket installation instructions to a tee, take your time, and you won't have any issues like I've read about on a couple forums from people being too hasty and damaging things. Couple 2-5min YouTube videos as some research were very helpful. Only complaint was the stock Intel bracket on Corsair i115 - wow was that a pain to get off! Once we got it - easy install after that. If you go liquid, don't use the pre-installed thermal paste, buy some high quality thermal paste, get some alcohol and clean that garbage off - it's 6 bucks to get your chip 10-20deg C cooler from what I've read and experienced now. I put 9 healthy drops on the core so the copper surface on the H115i was completely covered and it's showing. Default Windows 10 OEM disc install CONSTANTLY crashed and hung until latest NVIDIA chipset drivers could be installed - like every 10 minutes. Worst baseline of Windows OEM drivers I've ever seen. Nothing more thrilling than being forced to get the latest Windows updates before you can install the latest NVIDIA and chipset drivers and continuously crash during the download and install of said drivers. Now all the latest drivers after several hours of hard restarts, system seems stable for the last couple days, haven't seen a crash compared to every 10 minute system hang - maybe that's what Windows "10" stands for...glad M$ doesn't build cars. Gigabyte AROUS X399 Gaming 7 NVIDIA GTX 1070 MSI OC Armor GSKILLZ 16 GB 2666 PNY 240GB SSD Corsair CX750 Bronze Edition Corsair H115i Liquid Cooling (I'm cringing a bit at the NewEgg reviews - will update if things go south) Thermaltake F31 PS - This system is quiet - way quieter than I expected.

Pros: Breakneck speeds, tonns of cores, NUMA/UMA, configurable, 64 PCI-e lanes. I do lots of video editing and transcoding which is time consuming and now Im getting work done more than twice as fast. ...and once in a while I like to put on a game. I don't care what any reviewer says about gaming on threadripper - it SCREAMS (and stays nice and cool too).

Cons: Installation is quite a bit more complex than your traditional intel platform. Be extremely careful as there is no socket cover when you install your CPU.

Overall Review: I was surprised when I first had it in my hands, the CPU is huge & heavy. It's really amazing.

Pros: Everything I've thrown at it hasn't even utilized the full capabilities of the processor Super Impressed with this processor The adapter that came with it meshed up with the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Riing RGB 360 with no issues

Cons: I think the packing was a little overkill -- It's cool to unwrap it but then what do you do with the empty box?

Pros: -Picked this up for $689 while it was on sale. That is a whole lot of processor for $689 -Currently using it to host 3 gaming VMs for my WoW guildies during LAN nights -Overclockable. Chip doesn't hit boost frequencies in a VM environment FYI -Kept me from having to buy another expensive intel chip! -Soldered IHS -PCIe lanes for all! -Works wonderfully with my Zenith Extreme board

Cons: -NONE

Pros: - 8 premium cores which overclock well for an 8 core chip - Versatile for both gaming and development. The chip has a ton of power and really excels at whatever you throw at it - Gets you on the x399 platform which allows for full 16*16 sli setups, multiple m.2 SSDs and more in addition to quad channel ram

Cons: - if you plan to use the chip for only gaming it will deliver great overall performance, however, given that most games these days are not optimized for 8 cores and prefer speed (ghz) over core count you might want to consider the mainstream chips such as the Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 5 chips - The x399 platform is powerful but that comes with a premium price tag

Overall Review: Overall the Threadripper 1900x has been a fantastic CPU for gaming, content creation and more. With the ability to run SLI setups in full bandwidth without limitation in addition to using several m.2 drives, I can really see a performance increase when compiling videos and streaming while playing live. I would 100% recommend this CPU.

Pros: On a Zenith extreme: Quad channel, 64 PCIe lanes, 3 M.2 sockets full Gen3 x4, WiGig, 10Gb LAN, 16x 8x 16x 8x PCIe sockets. No AM4 socket gives you these features. Upgrade path: 1920X/ 1950X/ 2920X/ 2950X/ 2970WX and ZEN2 7nm 24 core should work also.

Cons: NONE 6 months plug and play on the original bios.

Overall Review: Runs like a 1700X with the Threadripper I/O. Run G Skill 3200C14 at 3466C14 quad channel with two clicks in the bios. It is plug and play on every Linux Distro I've tried. In the future, the cheapest TR ZEN2 may be 24 cores and out of the budget builders price range. I got all the features of AMD's HEDT TR on a $300 CPU.