Xeon E5-1603 v3 vs Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

Primary details

Comparing Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon E5-1603 v3 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	65	1689
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	16.23	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	AMD Ryzen Threadripper	no data
Power efficiency	13.42	1.89
Architecture codename	Matisse (2019−2020)	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)
Release date	7 November 2019 (5 years ago)	8 September 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,999	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon E5-1603 v3 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores	32 (Dotriaconta-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	64	4
Base clock speed	3.7 GHz	2.8 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.5 GHz	2.8 GHz
Bus rate	8 × 16 GT/s	0 GT/s
Multiplier	37	no data
L1 cache	2 MB	64K (per core)
L2 cache	16 MB	256K (per core)
L3 cache	128 MB	10 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	7 nm, 12 nm	22 nm
Die size	no data	356 mm2
Maximum core temperature	no data	67 °C
Number of transistors	23540 Million	2,600 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-
VID voltage range	no data	0.65–1.3V

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon E5-1603 v3 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration	1 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	TR4	FCLGA2011-3
Power consumption (TDP)	280 Watt	140 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon E5-1603 v3. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	no data	Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	no data	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	no data	-
Idle States	no data	+
Thermal Monitoring	-	+
Flex Memory Access	no data	-
Demand Based Switching	no data	+
PAE	no data	46 Bit
Precision Boost 2	+	no data

Security technologies

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon E5-1603 v3 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	no data	+
EDB	no data	+
Secure Key	no data	+
Identity Protection	-	+
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon E5-1603 v3 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	-
VT-d	no data	+
VT-x	no data	+
EPT	no data	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon E5-1603 v3. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4 Eight-channel	DDR4-1333, DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866
Maximum memory size	256 GB	768 GB
Max memory channels	4	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	102.403 GB/s	59 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon E5-1603 v3.

PCIe version	no data	3.0
PCI Express lanes	no data	40

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	39.70	2.79
Recency	7 November 2019	8 September 2014
Physical cores	32	4
Threads	64	4
Chip lithography	7 nm	22 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	280 Watt	140 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon E5-1603 v3, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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