AMD’s monstrous Threadripper 9000 CPUs pack up to 96 (!!!) cores

AMD’s monstrous Threadripper CPU is back at Computex 2025 with both the Threadripper Pro 9000 WX series and the consumer-friendly Threadripper 9000 HEDT—both boasting a Zen 5 performance upgrade within the same socket and 350W thermal envelope.

Every time AMD launches a new Threadripper generation, we have to remind readers that these are really workstation processors in desktop PC clothing, suitable for CAD work, editing applications, and so on. But that won’t stop you from goggling at the specs, yet again.

AMD’s lineup feels familiar: the three-part high-end desktop (HEDT) lineup leads off with the 9980X, which includes the familiar 64 cores and 128 threads. The 3.2GHz base clock is identical to the older Threadripper 7980X, too, but the boost speed has increased from 5.1GHz to 5.4GHz. These are also 4nm parts, while the Threadripper 7000 family was built on an older 5nm process.

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AMD also has six Threadrippers within the Pro 9000 WX series, soaring to a whopping 96 cores and 192 threads.

AMD’s latest Threadrippers (previously code-named Shimada Peak) arrive a bit later than expected. AMD’s Threadripper Pro 5000 series debuted in March 2022, followed by the 7000 series in October 2023. Naturally, the one question AMD isn’t answering right now is the big one: price, though the chips will ship in July. And with tariffs and potential demand, that price could be big indeed.

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AMD’s Threadripper 9000: parts and speeds

Here’s how AMD’s Threadripper 9000 (HEDT) lineup breaks down. All of the chips use the same sTR5 socket as before, with a 350W thermal envelope. That’s a lot of juice.

• Threadripper 9980X: 64 cores/128 threads; 3.2GHz base clock/5.4GHz boost, 256MB L3 cache
• Threadripper 9970X: 32 cores/64 threads; 4.0GHz base clock/5.4GHz boost, 128MB L3 cache
• Threadripper 9960X: 24 cores/48 threads; 4.2GHz base clock/5.4GHz boost, 128MB L3 cache

Initially, AMD is being somewhat secretive about the design of the new Threadripper processors. We might assume these new chips are built the same as the 5000 series: each of what AMD calls a “Core Chiplet Die” housed eight cores and 32MB of cache. But AMD’s 9970X nudges the core count upwards without adjusting the total L3 cache. An AMD representative said that some models include disabled cores; the 32-core parts (like the 9970X) include 6 cores per CCD, and the 32-core models include 8. Each CCD still includes 32MB of cache.

AMD has also advanced the Threadripper platform as a whole. The earlier 7000-series platform supported DDR5-5200 memory; the new chips support up to 8-channel DDR5-6400. AMD didn’t say what chipset these new Threadrippers would be using, either. However, both the 7000 and the new 9000-series Threadrippers use PCIe Gen 5 with the same 128 lanes of I/O.

AMD isn’t yet disclosing any performance information regarding the new Threadrippers, however.

If you want to know which Threadrippers workstation vendors will have access to, it will begin with the Threadripper Pro 9995WX, with 96 cores, 192 threads, a 2.5GHz base clock (up to 5.4GHz) and up to 384MB of level-3 cache.

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We’ve seen new mobile chips debut at Computex, and new desktop parts, too. But this year? Workstations (and AI) might be what you can expect from Asia’s largest tech show this year.