Have you read anything about the new AMD Threadripper 2990WX? It has 32 processing cores. That’s right, 32 cores in a non-server setting. I… want… one. Will I buy one? Well, not yet. Here’s why:
In my production rig, ROI (Return on Investment) is a major factor, and I can’t yet justify the cost.
This 32-core monster (get it from Amazon) may clock in at 4.2Ghz, but it also clocks in a US$1,799.00. Even though the most bogged down part of my workflow is audio and video processing, encoding, and transcoding, I still cant justify the cost. I mean, after all, this price tag is just for the processor, so I’d need to replace my motherboard, memory, and even my power supply as this highest-end Threadripper pulls 250 watts. Oh, and the proccessor doesn’t come with any cooling, but that’s find because water cooling is a must with a beast such as this. Even my 8-core FX-8350 overheats with even the best fan-only coolers.
I’ll wait to see what happens to the price over time, but I don’t get the sense that it will be dropping any significant amount any time soon. Until then, I can dream.
