Which CPU to use on a server: AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX or AMD EPYC 9274F?

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Threadripper PRO 7965WX Server or AMD EPYC 9274F server

Prospective and current customers often ask us which CPU they should choose for their AMD dedicated servers. Which is more productive? Our response is that it depends on the intended use. For example, is a processor needed that has fewer cores and higher base and turbo clock speeds, or one that has more cores and lower clock speeds?

What are the best use case scenarios and implications for workloads on servers equipped with AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX and AMD EPYC 9274F processors and NVMe drives?

AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX-Based Dedicated Server

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX is a desktop and workstation processor. It has 24 cores and 48 threads that work at a base speed of 4.20 GHz and a turbo speed of up to ~5.30 GHz.

There are at least three (3) important things to know about the use of Threadripper PRO 7965WX on a dedicated server (bare metal server) with NVMe drives:
1. It offers massive I/O: up to ~148 PCIe lanes depending on platform, and supports for high-end workstation platforms.
2. The Ryzen Threadripper supports large memory bandwidth, for example eight-channel DDR5 on sTR5/WRX90 platforms, and ECC memory typical of PRO line.
NVMe storage will allow very high throughput & low latency I/O — good for data-intensive workloads.

A dedicated server with an AMD Threadripper PRO 7965WX processor can be used for the following:
- A high-end workstation for creative professionals
- Edge computing/workstation with multiple GPU slots and high-throughput I/O
- A virtualized infrastructure host for virtual machines (VMs) or containers
- A high-performance database or analytics server
- A machine learning/AI inference server (CPU side) or a hybrid GPU/CPU node
- Media streaming/transcoding server (high concurrency)
- Video production
- 4K/8K editing and rendering
- 3D modeling, simulation, and VFX server
- A software compilation and build server/CI pipeline
- Software development and multi-tenant service hosting.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX-powered dedicated server with NVMe storage works well as an infrastructure hosting solution and for GPU servers and various AI-powered workloads. The Threadripper PRO 7965WX processor supports all general-purpose cloud hosting use cases. It excels at high-performance workloads, such as machine learning inference, GPU-plus-CPU platforms, and virtualization hosts.

NVMe disks are ideal for dedicated servers used as edge nodes or for high I/O workloads. PCIe/IO capability enables the creation of custom servers with multiple NVMe drives, GPU cards, and high-bandwidth network connections, including 10 Gbps, 25 Gbps, and 100 Gbps. Review and customize an AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX dedicated server configuration.

AMD EPYC 9274F-Based Dedicated Server

The AMD EPYC 9274F is a processor designed for servers. It has 24 cores and 48 threads. It has a base clock speed of 4.05 GHz, an "All-Core Boost Speed" of 4.10 GHz, and a "Max Boost Clock" of up to 4.30 GHz. The "All-Core Boost Speed" feature of AMD EPYC processors is the average frequency of all processor cores running in performance mode with a low workload activity. The actual achievable all-core boost varies based on hardware, software, workloads, and other conditions. The "Max Boost" feature is the maximum frequency that any single core on an AMD EPYC™ processor can achieve under normal operating conditions for server systems.

An AMD EPYC 9274F-based dedicated server is great to be used for the following:
- As a node part of a high-performance cloud computing infrastructure system or a hyperconverged host used to power many smaller virtual environments (VEs or VMs) or containers with high IOPS workloads.
- As a Database server or host to host analytical workloads.
- As a platform to host real-time data ingestion / high-throughput logging/telemetry. The EPYC’s memory combined with high I/O capacity support large working sets and buffer zones.
- As an Edge or micro-data-center compute node for AI/ML inference, CDN caching, or distributed hosting due to the EPYC CPU's enterprise serviceability.
- As a high-performance file server and object storage server that hosts NVMe-based operational storage tiers.
- As a heavy-duty staging/testing server or as a build/CI server for large codebases or microservices serving parallel builds, linking, caching, and retrieving artifacts happens quickly.
- As a container-dense hosting infrastructure node or a system for AI/ML workloads.
- As a virtual GPU host, where the GPUs handle the heavy compute tasks, while the CPU deals with the orchestration, data transfer, storage, and PCIe lanes. A server with EPYC 9274F plus NVMe drives could serve as a host node for multiple GPUs, or for hybrid CPU+GPU compute systems.

Differences Between the AMD EPYC 9274F and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

The EPYC 9274F is a server-grade processor designed for one- or two-socket servers. It has a high memory channel count, large memory capacity, advanced I/O capabilities, and other enterprise-level features that ensure server platform reliability. For example, the specifications state that the EPYC supports 12 memory channels on many server platforms.

In contrast, the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX is a workstation/high-end desktop processor with a sTR5 socket and workstation platform. It is aimed at professional creators and workstations rather than data center servers. According to the specifications: It has 24 cores and 48 threads, a boost speed of up to 5.3 GHz, and 128 MB of cache.

The memory channel count and platform features differ. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO supports eight memory channels as part of a workstation platform. AMD EPYC may support 12 or more memory channels and have a higher capacity in server configurations. For example, CPU Monkey shows that the EPYC 9274F has 12 memory channels, while the Threadripper has eight.

Regarding cache size, the EPYC 9274F has 256 MB of L3 cache, while the Threadripper PRO 7965WX has 128 MB.

The AMD EPYC 9274F CPU-based servers have greater platfrom expandability and data-centre features and supports server‐oriented features such as multi-socket and enterprise reliability. The Ryzen Threadripper PRO is limited to one socket workstation boards.

In terms of multithreaded general computing, the Ryzen Threadripper PRO offers higher boost clocks and better performance for single-threaded applications and professional software. However, an AMD EPYC 9274F CPU-based server excels at server-specific workloads and scaling due to its larger cache size and greater memory channel count.

AMD EPYC 9274F CPU-based server is the better choice if you need:
- An enterprise-grade server platform capable of dual-socket usage with a large memory capacity, high memory bandwidth, numerous PCIe lanes, and the ability to handle heavy I/O and storage workloads.
- A dedicated server for multi-tenant hosting, heavy virtualization, container hosting, or storage services, where the server chassis, ECC memory, server cooling, and overall system redundancy support 24/7 operation rather than workstation use.
- An infraastructure solutuion where the workloads involve large memory pools (multi-terabytes), many simultaneous threads/contexts, high concurrency, and enterprise management/monitoring. The EPYC processors and the EPYC 9274F in particular, advantages are very clear here.
- A cluster or a cloud computing system to scale out, use in a rack environment.
- A server with redundant power supplies, remote management.
- A system with multiple NVMe drives, that is expected to benefit from NVMe caching tier, where the I/O demands and concurrency are high.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX CPU-based server is the better choice if you need:
- A cloud workstation for one user performing heavy 3D rendering, simulations, video editing, or AI model development where higher boost clocks are more important than multi-tenant robustness.
- A cloud-hosted workstation where the computer chassis and other server features, such as multiple hot-swap drives and a BMC, are unnecessary.
- A cloud-hosted computing system that provides the highest possible boost clock and single-thread performance.

Choose an AMD EPYC 9274F dedicated server if you need infrastructure to host multiple applications and clients that require heavy I/O, large memory, and high concurrency.

For heavy computing tasks, choose a workstation with an AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX processor.