New hardware on the horizon

It has been possible to pre-order AMD’s high-end desktop solutions for a few days now.  For workflows that can tax eight or more cores, Ryzen Threadripper appears to provide a considerable amount of value for the hard-earned dollar.  Installing and cooling a 180W TDP processor based on a platform and physical socket that is larger than usual comes with its own set of challenges.  While AMD is including hardware in the package that enables utilization of well-regarded closed loop coolers, the solution used in the MSI video of a Threadripper CPU install doesn’t appear to be something that’s readily available.  Noctua just announced a line of coolers that are specifically designed for this platform.  Thanks to the cryptocurrency boom, obtaining a high performance graphics card near the suggested retail price has become a pipe dream.  The recent release of information related to the new Radeon RX Vega line of GPUs presents additional questions.  The staggered delay between the availability of the twelve and sixteen core variants of Ryzen Threadripper (August 10th), X399-based motherboards (August 10th), the Vega RX GPUs (August 14th), and the eight core Threadripper (August 31st) creates unnecessary challenges when building a new system around this platform.  Ordering the motherboard and either a twelve or sixteen core Threadripper CPU in advance of the Vega launch would logically pair with a GeForce GTX 1070 or better at a considerable price premium.  Four days after that purchase, buyer’s regret may settle in if and only if Vega lives up to the expectations of trading blows with GTX 1080-class GPUs.  The bundled discount incentives discussed during AMD’s presentation will not deter miners from cornering the market on Vega based on its computational capabilities for the price.  A sell-through of initial Vega inventory will create a gap for those that may hold out for the eight core Threadripper.  It will be an exciting month to watch as all of these component officially launch and are pitted against the best that the market has to offer right now.