AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

I am writing this review not to tell you how impressed I am by the fact that one can actually have 64 cores / 128 threads in one CPU die twice as cheap as the competition and do it gracefully, not overheating or anything like that (well, excuse my Kaby Lake that started overheating after running full load for a couple of days). I am writing to point out that one does not need to try to overclock the new generation AMD CPU's because modern motherboards compete by *safely* overclocking modern CPU's in their default mode, even in the energy saving 'ECO' mode that is!After installing my Ryzen Threadripper (3990x) I was certainly cautious whether the AIO cooling solution provided by the dedicated Corsair MasterLiquid ML360R special edition for 3990x would be adequate for this powerful CPU running at full load 24/7. So I was running test after test with different load patterns (16/32/64/96/128 threads) as well as different fan settings, with the aim of finding an elusive "sweet spot" for the 'just right cooling at minimal noise' from the fans.Eventually I also tried to overclock the CPU moderately (up to 3.6 GHz) and see how the CPU die temperature and the noise from all the fans (6 in total) would interplay. I should say, I was pretty much amazed at the result! It appeared that at default ECO settings the BIOS (i.e. the motherboard) acted like both a very efficient overclocking wizard (behind the scene; many people would not notice even) but also as a shield for the CPU not to overheat while still providing just the correct level of power for any particular load. To my big surprise(!), if I wanted to overclock manually by setting the CPU frequency precisely, I would definitely go into a dangerous regime of uncontrolled (over-) heating, albeit masked by the time it would require to manifest, depending on the frequency I opted for - the higher the frequency the shorter the time.Long story made short, If you try to overclock such a powerful CPU, beware that the BIOS will (unduly!) maintain precisely the preset frequency that you chose in the BIOS settings, no matter what - that is, irrespective of the actual load, i.e. in the idle state too! This is an easy way to unduly overheat and, by doing so, ware out the CPU beyond its actual capacity (like a battery that is never given a chance to properly recharge in full). On the contrary, if you leave it to the BIOS (motherboard) to decide on the overclocking regime depending on the actual load (by opting for the default settings), you will (a) prolong the CPU life (while staying under warranty!), (b) will be using exactly the power needed for the load at the time, (c) save some quid/dollar on your electricity bill as the wattage spent will be exactly proportional to the load your CPU (and PC) is using (i.e. the over- or under- clocking done by the motherboard). As an extra bonus, your ears (and perhaps the climate in your family) will be healthier! :)That's all I wanted share, based on my extensive tests for over two weeks of running this CPU under different loads and cooling. About the cooling regime, by the way, if you don't definitely overclock beyond what is necessary for your tasks (well, games for some), you will find that no special regime is required, just auto-tune your fans and maybe you will be able even to reduce the primary CPU (Corsair in my case) fans to run at lower speeds most of the time, unless the CPU die T goes over 70 C.

pro: knowing any bottlenecks in system are not the CPU.Cons: Finding that almost no software, not Windows, nothing, is. capable of using the CPU past about 4 percent, because most software is HIDEOUSLY under-threaded. Pathetic to watch 1 or 2 cores do all the work while 30 or 31 others do, evidently, NOTHING.withb64 gigs of 3600MHz RAM, correctly installed in the four A channels, and a blistering fast Samsung Evo SSD, liquid cooling and twontop-line video cards, I now realize that the software is woefully, pathetically, criminally under-threaded.When you have a computer like this, the whole WORLD is the bottleneck, the black hole of speed. The low point. Your computer is a shining ray of laser light on a hill, and you look down and see all the world is lying in darkness.On the plus side, 6922 score on the Valley benchmark, at Max HD, which was, of course, GPU limited. The CPU sure wasn't breaking a sweat. I replaced the three fans on the liquid cooler with Noctua redux's and added three more to evacuate the case.As I said this CPU proves the rest of the world is the problem. It's like having a supercharged Hemi engine that has to breathe through a hole the size of a drinking strae., the hole being the lazily-developed software, that like much of the world, isciasting on last millennium's sales figures, and failing to invest the money to STAY CURRENT. Note :this includes the Big Two CAD/CAM programs.

This threadripper has completely chaned my workflow. I do renders for architects and interior designers. I work with 3DS Max, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Corona renderer, V-Ray, etc., and I could never use a computer which doesn't have the power of a threadripper again. It's sped up my workflow massively and I get renders out of my computer quickly.

The CPU arrived in a cardboard box, not original packaging. Clearly it has been used as you can see scratches across the metal plate. For the price of a new 3970x I bought a used and damaged product. Very disappointed.

this thing is a beast, i use it for work in vfx and not only games, and it easily wins benchmarks against crazy setups.one minor thing that was annoying, was having one or two features in some plugins im using not working properly, as they do on my intel machine, but those are very specific and minor things, and value for money wise this one is hands down a winner.

I have been looking for a computer that can handle me streaming naughty videos while being able to open paint-ms and pretend to write notes about the videosWith 64gb ram & M.2 SSd I have just enough computing power to get me to the moon and back.I haven't actually managed to bottleneck my cpu yet, the highest I've reached so far is 20% while ram usage was at max.

Game changer for multi processing tasks. My config's Geekbench and Cinebench benchmark tests show (multi) CPU performance identical to 3970x or even some 3990x.

Brilliant! Absolute beast.