[SOLVED] AMD ThreadRipper - Motherboard compatibility comparison

bohemianguitarguy

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Jan 28, 2022
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I'm researching a new workstation build and have decided to go with a AMD ThreadRipper based system. I'm looking at either the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24-Core, 48-Thread or AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX 16-core, 32-thread. My question is will either of these processors be compatible with the following two motherboards?

ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha TRX40 Gaming AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadripper sTRX4 EATX Motherboard with 16 Infineon Power Stages, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6
or
ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI sWRX8 AMD WRX80 SATA 6Gb/s Extended ATX AMD Motherboard

Will the CPU fan I'm considering should fit over the CPU for both boards?

Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3, Premium-Grade CPU Cooler for AMD sTRX4/TR4/SP3 (140mm, Brown)

It looks like all the above parts are compatible, but wanted to get any feedback of anyone that may have experience with these boards?

Would a boot drive be a good choice to add to the system? What are the benefits boot drives? The cost is $900 for the one listed below, which I'm questioning if there is a good cost/benefit.
Intel Optane SSD 900P Series (480GB AIC PCIe X4 3D XPoint)

Or, would a single WD_BLACK 2TB SN850 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280, 3D NAND, Up to 7,000 MB/s - WDS200T1X0E?
 
Solution
I'm researching a new workstation build and have decided to go with a AMD ThreadRipper based system. I'm looking at either the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24-Core, 48-Thread or AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX 16-core, 32-thread. My question is will either of these processors be compatible with the following two motherboards?

ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha TRX40 Gaming AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadripper sTRX4 EATX Motherboard with 16 Infineon Power Stages, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6
or
ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI sWRX8 AMD WRX80 SATA 6Gb/s Extended ATX AMD Motherboard

Will the CPU fan I'm considering should fit over the CPU for both boards?

Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3, Premium-Grade CPU Cooler for AMD sTRX4/TR4/SP3 (140mm, Brown)

It...

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
I'm researching a new workstation build and have decided to go with a AMD ThreadRipper based system. I'm looking at either the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24-Core, 48-Thread or AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX 16-core, 32-thread. My question is will either of these processors be compatible with the following two motherboards?

ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha TRX40 Gaming AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadripper sTRX4 EATX Motherboard with 16 Infineon Power Stages, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6
or
ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI sWRX8 AMD WRX80 SATA 6Gb/s Extended ATX AMD Motherboard

Will the CPU fan I'm considering should fit over the CPU for both boards?

Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3, Premium-Grade CPU Cooler for AMD sTRX4/TR4/SP3 (140mm, Brown)

It looks like all the above parts are compatible, but wanted to get any feedback of anyone that may have experience with these boards?

Would a boot drive be a good choice to add to the system? What are the benefits boot drives? The cost is $900 for the one listed below, which I'm questioning if there is a good cost/benefit.
Intel Optane SSD 900P Series (480GB AIC PCIe X4 3D XPoint)

Or, would a single WD_BLACK 2TB SN850 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280, 3D NAND, Up to 7,000 MB/s - WDS200T1X0E?
AMD's website is where your questions are answered ...
The 3960X is an TRX40 socket CPU -- So the ROG Zenith could work for this CPU only -- https://www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-threadripper-3960x
The 3955WX is a WRX80 socket CPU -- The Pro WS could work for this CPU only -- https://www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-threadripper-pro-3955wx
The 3960X is a 4 channel memory controller so multiples of 4 DIMMs for maximum performance
The 3955WX is an 8 channel memory controller so multiples of 8 DIMMs for maximum performance
 
Solution