I think the prices of the 3000/5000 series Threadripper stuff came down enough that it might be worth upgrading one of my older TR systems. I settled on TR 5000.
I mostly just need lanes + slots, cores not so much. The 5945WX is fine, but I saw some mobo+cpu combos with 5955WX. I figured I would likely get a combo that actually would work together and arrive together, so that might be a good route.
I’m not sure about the motherboard. My requirements are:
PCIe Gen4
256GB DDR4 Unbuffered ECC memory (re-use from previous system)
Nice to have:
bifurification to at least x4x4x4x4 is a strong preference
built-in U.2 connectivity (i have a x16 to 4 u.2 breakout adapter thingy so no big deal)
Asrock WRX80D8-2T i got an offer for €690, could buy 5945WX separately for ~500
Right now I mostly want to run 3-4 graphics cards for AI evaluation under Proxmox. I also have a Seasonic 1600W Titanium.
I’m in Europe, so most likely my order would be coming from Asia, not dealing with US. I once got a faulty Threadripper from there so I hope I can rely on seller reputation.
TRX50 boards can be had for around 600€ too, although 9960X will run you 1100€ and you’d need DDR5, which is craaaaaazy expensive now.
I personally have a 5955WX + WRX80 Creator R2.0 + 8x32GB 3200MT/s CL22 ECC and I was contemplating to “upgrading” to 9950x + 4x64GB but with the RAM prices now that idea is on hold. (got a WTS thread here cough but yeah, on hold!)
If memory bandwidth is relevant to your workload, you should know that the low-core models have less CCDs and thus less memory bandwidth.
I checked out the Creator, I didn’t like that there are two slots that were made x8, instead of the single x8 on other boards. Also it only has one U.2 connection whereas others have 3.
The Gigabyte MC62-G40 is still a contender, but the L1T review of it mentioned that it doesn’t have a separate aux power for the PCIe slots and running multiple video cards, which I plan to do, will not work. Since I looked at a lot of WRX80 boards, they all look very similar to each other, and in a different board’s manual one of the 8pin connectors was labeled at PCIe power. Not sure how I could find out more. Also in another thread someone said their board died, and since I’d be getting these off ebay as pre-owned, it’s a bit risky.
The Gigabyte WRX80 SU8 IPMI is the main contender right now. This one does say in the manual that one of the 8pin aux is ATX 12V GPU power connector. I’m hopeful it means what I think it means.
The ASRock WRX80D8-2T is interesting because all the x16 slots look like full x16 as per the spec page and manual. But those OcuLink connectors I never seen used for storage an I’d rather not buy cables for it. And I have no use for 12 SATA ports.
The Gigabyte officially only supports 3000WX series. There’s a BIOS that does support it, but it’s not the latest - they decided to yank the support for the CPU for some unknown reason(?)
Also their latest bios is from 2023… Asrock has had two updates recently in 2025. They’ve also sent me custom BIOSes with CPPC/Power Supply Idle Control when I asked for them.
The server boards probably don’t have as beefy VRM (heatsinks) or they expect high airflow, compared to desktop/workstation boards.
I ended up ordering the ASRock WRX80 Creator, by the simple virtue of it being available new locally and cheaper than used Chinese eBay stuff I’d have to wait weeks for and eventually pay even more at the border.
Be careful when buying the CPU, I have just got all the parts for a 5000pro system and after a full weekend of troubleshooting the various second hand parts, I think I have an OEM locked processor.
I got 256gb ECC before the prices got too crazy and the asrock creator board + noctua cooler only cost me £350, got various nvme and 3.5"s for decent prices as well so I can’t not get a new processor now
Actually I got both the motherboard and the cpu brand new. For some reason the 5955WX got a significant price drop at a local store. And as you say, who knows what people are selling used and claimed as unlocked, and not even that much cheaper than the deal I found. With this I’m guaranteed a new product and with warranty.
I managed to get a 5955wx refurb at a decent price that is coming tomorrow, that way I can be positive if it is indeed my CPU or perhaps my bargain motherboard. The CPU came from cex and the motherboard was b listed on a reputable web store in the UK so my hopes on the CPU are not high
If it is the CPU then perhaps I could return this test unit and purchase yours if it’s still available and at a better price
The creator is a nice board it’s good you will have warranty , I think if I keep my eyes out I can pick up one of these random discounts on 3000/5000 parts then just sell the current CPU on eBay ( the non locked backup that is)
£640 for 5955wx from box as a refurb unit with a year warranty, the 5995wx cost me about £1200 - should not be too difficult to get that returned to cex hopefully
