AMD Ryzen 16-Core ThreadRipper CPUs & Whitehaven To Release 4094 Pin Socket Next Month

Information regarding AMD's unannounced enthusiast-grade Ryzen processors is coming to light. AMD is reportedly prepping a monstrous Ryzen chip with 16 physical cores and 32 threads. The latest rumor is that the AMD Ryzen 16-Core ThreadRipper processor will be compatible with a modified version of AMD's SP3 server socket for its forthcoming Naples processor lineup.

AMD Ryzen 16-Core ThreadRipper CPUs will be compatible with a modified version of AMD's SP3 server socket, which is designed for its upcoming Naples server parts. The Threadripper SP3r2 socket shares the similar physical specifications and pin count of SP3 with some differences in maximum thermal design power and some minor technicalities in PCB implementation. The difference between the two is that SP3 sockets will be available in dual socket server boards, while the SP3r2 socket will only be available on single socket boards, as reported by Bits And Chips.

Naples is what AMD will be using to penetrate the data center market that has been profitable for Intel. Those processors will slip into a socket with 4,094 pins. Likewise, AMD's consumer-oriented enthusiasts' processors which are based on Ryzen will also feature a socket with 4,094 pins dubbed SP3r2. But while it will have the same physical specifications and pin count as SP3, they will differ in maximum thermal design power.

The AMD Ryzen 16-Core ThreadRipper is an apt designation. And AMD Whitehaven refers to the platform, which will support quad-channel DDR4 memory. It will also have more PCI-Express lanes to play with that comes in handy when utilizing multiple graphics cards and/or those newfangled M.2 NVMe solid state drives which tap into the PCIe bus, as reported by Hot Hardware.

With a 16 core part in the high-end desktop, the Zen architecture is reportedly on its way to displacing Intel's Extreme edition processors from the performance throne. AMD Ryzen 16-Core ThreadRipper may be the first CPU family from AMD to win the ultimate performance crown since the aptly named "hammer" architecture & Athlon 64 parts hammered Intel's Extreme Editions nearly 14 years ago.