For creators and power users, few CPUs come close to the performance offered by the AMD Ryzen Threadripper line. The new AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 series—most notably the 9980X and 9970X—brings the power of Zen 5 to workstation builds with impressive results. As it has in the past, AMD is staking its claim in the high-end desktop market, targeting creators, engineers and professionals whose workflows demand serious processing muscle.
Now, don’t get me wrong—the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X and its slightly less powerful sibling, the 9970X, are far from mainstream parts. These chips are purpose-built for those working with massive data sets, complex video editing pipelines, detailed 3D scenes or multiple virtual machines and containers running at once.
And while having the biggest and most powerful hardware can be appealing, this is one case where, if you’re just gaming and not handling creative workloads, you’re better off with the AMD Ryzen 9 9800X3D. It delivers much more value for gamers, pushing high frame rates. That said, for those who truly need the horsepower Threadripper offers, there’s a lot to appreciate in this new line. It’s expensive, but for the right user, the performance is worth it.
Built on AMD’s advanced Zen 5 microarchitecture and running with a 350W TDP, the AMD Threadripper 9980X CPU houses 64 physical cores and 128 threads, placing it firmly in workstation territory. Fabricated using TSMC’s refined 4-nanometre process, this processor runs at a base frequency of 3.2 GHz, with a maximum boost clock of up to 5.4 GHz. That range highlights the flexibility and headroom available for demanding workloads. A massive 256 MB of L3 cache helps feed all those cores at high speed, minimizing bottlenecks in data-heavy applications.
The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9970X, on the other hand, is slightly less powerful but still a serious CPU. It features 32 cores and 64 threads, is built on the same Zen 5 architecture, and uses the sTR5 socket—allowing compatibility with quad-channel DDR5-6400 memory and up to 92 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. It has a base clock of 3.4 GHz and can boost up to 5.3 GHz, with a sizable 128 MB of L3 cache.
While it includes fewer cores and threads than the 9980X, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9970X CPU still offers far more power than the average person needs in a basic PC. That’s reflected in the price: the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X costs a staggering $4,999, while the 9970X comes in at an eye-watering $2,499. These are clearly aimed at professionals who need this level of performance—and for that, they deliver. But we’ll get into that shortly.
This is the first Threadripper series based on Zen 5, and the new architecture brings several refinements over previous AMD designs. It incorporates more advanced branch prediction, expanded instruction issue width, and larger buffers that keep all 64 cores fed and active—even under the strain of real-world workloads. At least, that’s the claim from AMD’s marketing—and without spoiling the rest of the review, they’re pretty much on the mark.
The improved instructions per clock (IPC) delivered by Zen 5 result in noticeable gains across creative, engineering and scientific tasks. That said, while gaming performance is serviceable, it’s far from the generational leap you might expect with so many threads thrown into the mix.
This generation of Threadripper also brings notable improvements to the memory architecture. Support for quad-channel DDR5-6400 memory opens up bandwidth that was previously available only in server-class hardware and allows for up to 2 TB of RAM—ideal for the most demanding projects. For users working with large assets or multitasking across heavy software suites, this platform removes bottlenecks and enables smooth, responsive performance at scale.
One of the most exciting enhancements comes in PCIe connectivity. With the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 series delivering up to 80 lanes of PCIe 5.0, it supports nearly limitless expansion—multi-GPU workstations, ultra-fast NVMe storage arrays and a wide range of professional accelerator cards can all operate without compromise. At least, that’s the promise. That’s why we’re testing the range—to help potential buyers decide if the price of entry is worth it. And for creative professionals, there’s a lot to like with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 Series. So let’s dive in.
“And for creative professionals, there’s a lot to like with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 Series.”
Unlike with the previous AMD Zen 5 CPU, we had to build a brand-new test rig to take full advantage of the sTR5 socket required for Threadripper. For testing, we used an ASUS Pro TRX50-SAGE WiFi motherboard, paired with 128 GB of DDR5 RAM from G.Skill, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founder’s Edition, a 1 TB NVMe SSD and a 360 mm AIO cooler from SilverStone, provided by AMD.
The cooler proved more than capable of handling the 350-watt TDP of the two chips we tested. Everything was housed in the Fractal Design North XL case and powered by an NZXT 1,500-watt PSU. It’s worth noting that while the board does support dual power supplies, all tests were conducted using a single PSU setup.
Since the Threadripper series is built for high-end content creation, research, AI and other demanding workloads, we made workstation benchmarks the primary focus of this review. (Don’t worry—we cover gaming later too.) The core count and thread density of the 9980X and 9970X are the main draw here, especially for workflows that demand extreme throughput—like video editing, 3D rendering and scientific simulation—where every thread helps compress timelines and expand creative freedom.
Benchmarks conducted in leading content creation software—such as Blender, DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro—consistently highlight the 9980X’s ability to sustain high output during extended workflows, delivering performance well beyond what a typical consumer CPU can offer. That’s what makes a processor capable of handling up to 128 threads so exciting.
In Blender’s Cycles rendering engine, for example, the chip achieves render times that were previously out of reach for desktop systems—rivalling or even surpassing older server-class CPUs. Video professionals working with UHD footage also report immediate gains in encoding and effects processing, helping reduce project cycle times and allowing for more creative iteration.
We also ran the CPU through the full range of CPU and workstation benchmarks, including the SPECworkstation benchmark suite, Cinebench R23, and CPU-Z, offering a more complete view of what the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 series delivers—and how it compares with current AMD and Intel processors.
I’ll be honest: many of the tests we ran are designed for very specific workloads, so not every chart in this review will be meaningful to every reader. That said, we’ve done our best to break them down in a way that helps make sense of the results—and to help determine whether a chart reflects real-world value or is more about bragging rights than practical benefit.
3D artists and VFX studios, too, experience the transformation first-hand. Scene exports that once monopolized a workstation for an entire afternoon now complete in a fraction of the time, freeing creators to focus on refining details instead of managing render queues. In virtual production and visualization, the ability to run simulations, asset baking, and post-processing in parallel empowers teams to push their creative limits without technological limitations holding them back.
For scientific and engineering professionals, AMD’s Threadripper platform is clearly optimized for their needs. Computational fluid dynamics, finite element analysis and massive parallel simulations all perform well across the chip’s 128 threads, delivering high-fidelity results in less time. The balance of core availability and memory bandwidth allows large datasets to be processed quickly, even when multiple tools and processes are running at once.
There’s a lot of value in this level of core count—it means complex workloads can be processed in parallel and completed in a fraction of the time. While most home users won’t take advantage of this, it’s exciting to see what these CPUs are capable of, and how the 9980X and 9970X stack up against off-the-shelf consumer processors. The same holds true for encoding and compression, where high core and thread counts can have a noticeable impact on how quickly tasks are completed.
Even before diving into gaming performance, the benchmarks clearly show that both the AMD Threadripper 9980X and 9970X deliver staggering results—tailor-made for creative professionals who want to get the most out of their PC. For streamers, content creators, 3D artists and audio or video professionals, this platform is built to keep you working, not waiting.
That said, not every application is optimized for parallel processing. Many audio, video and photo tools still don’t fully take advantage of multi-threaded workflows. Fortunately, most of the major programs have made the shift.
Moving over to gaming, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X and 9970X across modern titles reveal a platform that delivers undeniable horsepower, maintaining fluid, stable gameplay in both AAA blockbusters and competitive esports releases, but performance sadly was weaker then you would expect, with both threadripper CPU’s lagging behind some of the top end gaming CPUs like the 9950X3D and the 9800X3D. In scenarios where games are optimized for high core counts or feature scalable engines, frame rates are consistently strong, leveraging the Zen 5 architecture’s efficiency and rapid instruction handling. Sadly, this is few and far between, with most games performing under what you may expect from CPUs this powerful.
Many popular games continue to favour per-core clock speed or are optimized for fewer threads, resulting in performance that, while wholly adequate, does not set new records among contemporary gaming CPUs. The additional complexity of the multi-chiplet layout sometimes leads to minor frame pacing inconsistencies or variations in benchmarks when compared to specialized gaming processors. Still, the Threadripper’s stability remains unwavering, and the system responds instantaneously in multitasking scenarios, running games alongside intensive background processes or streaming workflows without interruption.
For general productivity, web browsing and office work, both the 9980X and 9970X feel effortlessly capable thanks to their abundant resources—though much of their potential goes unused in these lightweight tasks. Software launches and file transfers are impressively fast, but the real benefits show up in heavy multitasking scenarios, such as running virtual machines, exporting large video projects or juggling dozens of browser tabs alongside creative apps. That said, these aren’t CPUs I’d recommend for general use. Given their price and feature set, you’d be better off choosing something far more affordable if this is the kind of workflow you plan to run.
“Both the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X and 9970X offer peace of mind that, whether for leisure or a burst of creative inspiration, there’s always headroom to spare.”
When it comes to thermals, daily use poses little concern thanks to the robust cooling requirements built into the platform. For our testing, we used the SilverStone 360 mm AIO provided by AMD and had no issues with either CPU hitting a thermal ceiling. The system ran quietly and stably during standard workloads, and it showed its full power during prolonged, resource-heavy sessions.
The result is a system that feels both commandingly powerful and solidly controlled—even if its performance ceiling is rarely reached outside of specialized tasks. Both the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X and 9970X offer peace of mind that, whether for leisure or a burst of creative inspiration, there’s always headroom to spare.
What’s even more impressive is that these chips support overclocking, giving users the option to push performance even further for demanding workloads. While we tested the overclocking capabilities during our review, we chose not to push the CPUs beyond stock settings. Instead, we focused on the out-of-the-box experience—since that’s what most buyers will encounter, with only a small subset likely to tweak beyond AMD’s recommended specs.
With all the testing out of the way, it’s clear—just as AMD has shown in the past—that AMD Ryzen Threadripper Series remains one of the most powerful non-server CPUs you can buy. It delivers top-tier performance across a wide range of applications and is built for users who demand the most from their PC. Whether you’re modelling a part for 3D printing, rendering a complex video project or processing large-scale data workflows, both the Threadripper 9980X and 9970X not only deliver—they outperform every other consumer desktop processor currently on the market.
At the end of the day, there’s a lot to like about the latest AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 Series launch. If you’re a creative professional with demanding workloads and a budget to match, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X and 9970X deliver outstanding performance that’s hard to beat. Threadripper was never designed as a consumer-grade CPU—it’s built to deliver serious performance for those who truly need it. AMD’s latest Threadripper chips reaffirm the line’s place at the top of the desktop market, offering raw power, stability and future-ready features for professional users.
