AMD Threadripper Pro 5965WX Review: Many-Core Zen 3 Monster
AMD Threadripper Pro 5965WX: 3D Rendering, Audio and Video Encoding
In our custom LAME XP MP3 encoding test, we convert 16, large uncompressed WAV files to the MP3 format, which is a popular use case for many end users, to provide portability and storage of their digital audio content. The LAME engine is an open-source MP3 audio encoder that is used widely in a multitude of third party applications.
LAME XP Audio Encoding
In this test, we created 16-copies of our own 223MB WAV file (an 11 minute Grateful Dead jam) and converted it to the MP3 format using the multi-thread capable LAME XP tool. Processing times are recorded below, listed in minutes:seconds. Shorter times equate to better performance.
One again we see the Threadripper Pro 5965WX finishing near the top of the chart. This particular test will utilize up to 16 threads, so the 5965WX isn't being fully loaded here, but performance is still the best among the Ryzen systems. The Core i9 12900K still finishes on top, though.
Blackmagic RAW Video Encoding Speed
The Blackmagic RAW Speed Test is a CPU and GPU benchmarking tool that tests full-resolution Blackmagic RAW video decode performance. The tool can be used to evaluate the performance at various resolutions and bitrates on the CPU or using OpenCL on a GPU. We're reporting two results here, both using 8K resolution, but at differing bitrates and compression levels.
Taxing content creation workloads is where the Threadripper Pro 5965WX really shines. With both workloads, the Threadripper Pro 5965WX finishes right on top of the 3975WX, despite the former's 8-core deficit, and both finish right at the top of the chart. With the more demanding, less compressed (and hence higher-quality) 8: 3:1 workload, the Threadripper Pro 5965WX's massive processing resources and memory bandwidth allow it to crush the mainstream desktop processors and current non-Pro Threadripper.
Cinebench R23 Rendering Benchmark
Cinebench rendering performance test based on Cinema 4D from Maxon. Cinema 4D is a 3D rendering and animation tool suite used by animation houses and producers like Sony Animation and many others. It's very demanding of system processor resources and can utilize any number of threads, which make is an excellent gauge of computational throughput. This is a multi-threaded, multi-processor aware benchmark that renders and animates 3D scenes and tracks the length of the entire process. The rate at which each test system was able to render the entire scene is represented in the graphs below.
Our Cinebench results also highlight the Threadripper Pro 5965WX's strengths. Most obvious is the the 5965X's massive lead over any mainstream processors in the multi-threaded test. But also note the Threadripper Pro 5965WX's high lead over the Threadripper 3960X, which has the same number of cores. The Threadripper Pro 5965WX's lead over the 3960X is a direct result of the newer Zen 3 architecture, and the processor's higher clocks and increased memory bandwidth. Once again, we see the 24-core Threadripper Pro 5965WX nearly catch the 32-core 3975WX in the multi-threaded test, with the 5965WX clearly leading in the single-threaded test.
POV-Ray CPU Ray Tracing Benchmark
POV-Ray, or the Persistence of Vision Ray-Tracer, is an open source tool for creating realistically lit images. We tested with POV-Ray's standard 'one-CPU' and 'all-CPU' benchmarking tools on all of our test machines and recorded the scores reported for each. Results are measured in pixels-per-second throughput; higher scores equate to better performance.
POV-Ray's results somewhat mirror Cinbench above. The Threadripper Pro 5965WX clearly outruns the standard Threadripper 3960X and nearly catches the Threadripper Pro 3975WX in the multi-threaded test, but clearly wins with a single thread. And the Threadripper Pro 5965WX smokes all of the mainstream desktop processors.
Y-Cruncher Multi-Threaded Pi Calculator
Y-Cruncher is a multi-core-capable tool that calculates the value of pi to a specified number of digits. In this case, we ran the tool on all threads and had the application calculate the value of pi to 1 billion digits. The values below are the time required to perform the calculation expressed in seconds. As a result, lower values indicate better performance.
Y-Cruncher shows the Threadripper Pro 5965WX and 3975WX performing similarly, with clear wins over the rest of the processors. Once again, the Threadripper Pro 5965WX's newer architecture, increased memory bandwidth, and higher clocks allow to significantly outpace the Threadripper 3960X and nearly double the performance of the Core i9-12900K.
Y-Cruncher shows the Threadripper Pro 5965WX and 3975WX performing similarly, with clear wins over the rest of the processors. Once again, the Threadripper Pro 5965WX's newer architecture, increased memory bandwidth, and higher clocks allow to significantly outpace the Threadripper 3960X and nearly double the performance of the Core i9-12900K.
STARS Euler3d Multi-Threaded CFD Benchmark
STARS Euler3d is a computational fluid dynamics benchmark which uses a CFD grid that contains 1.23 million tetrahedral elements and 223 thousand nodes. The benchmark executable advances a mach 0.50 Advisory Group for Aerospace Research, or AGARD, flow solution for an aeroelastic test wing. The benchmark score is reported as a CFD cycle frequency in Hertz.
All of the Threadripper Pro 5965WX's advantages over the standard Threadripper 3960X allowed it to pull ahead again here, but this benchmark doesn't utilize AMD's hardware optimally As such, Alder Lake finishes on top.
This benchmark is multi-threaded, but is also dependent on platform bandwidth, and cache and memory latency, so the final results are not determined by compute performance alone. Cache sizes / speed and memory bandwidth all affect performance here...
All of the Threadripper Pro 5965WX's advantages over the standard Threadripper 3960X allowed it to pull ahead again here, but this benchmark doesn't utilize AMD's hardware optimally As such, Alder Lake finishes on top.
