AMD’s latest high-end desktop chip, the Ryzen Threadripper 9980X, has officially hit the market—though it comes with a price tag to match its power. Available now from Tech-America for $5,198, the 9980X is aimed squarely at professionals and power users who need serious multi-core performance.
But while that price is steep, early benchmark results suggest this chip offers strong value in the right hands—especially for workloads that thrive on raw CPU power.
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Zen 5 Power with 64 Cores and 128 Threads
Built on AMD’s Zen 5 architecture, the 9980X packs 64 cores and 128 threads, clocking in at a base speed of 3.2GHz and boosting up to 5.4GHz. Those specs make it ideal for heavy-duty tasks like:
- 3D rendering
- Scientific simulation
- High-end video production
- Multithreaded software builds
Benchmark Breakdown: Topping PassMark Charts
In PassMark’s multi-threaded test, the 9980X delivered a massive 147,481 points, earning it the top spot on the desktop CPU performance chart.
To put that in perspective, it even beats the 96-core Threadripper PRO 7995WX, which scored 145,572 points—despite having more cores. That edge is likely thanks to the 9980X’s higher base clock and overall efficiency in workloads that scale well with clock speed.
🧠 Cache specs:
- 64MB of L2 cache
- 256MB of L3 cache
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What About Single-Thread Performance?
In single-thread tests, the 9980X scores 4,594, which is solid but not class-leading. Apple’s M3 Ultra and Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K perform better in this area, which makes sense—this chip isn’t built for day-to-day desktop browsing or gaming. It’s a workstation-class processor built for parallel processing, not peak single-core speed.
Compared to the Previous Gen
When stacked against its predecessor, the Threadripper 7980X, the 9980X shows an 8% performance bump. That might not sound massive, but it’s enough to cement its lead in the multi-core space.
Full reviews are still incoming, but early data makes it clear: the Threadripper 9980X is a beast. It’s overkill for most users, but for pros in content creation, simulation, and scientific computing, this chip is shaping up to be one of the best investments for high-efficiency workflows—if you’ve got the budget.
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