Armari AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X versus Intel Core i9 7980XE – Shootout!

1. Introduction2. Armari Magnetar S3. AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition versus NVIDIA GeForce Titan X4. Testing Methodology5. Cinebench R156. SPECviewperf 12.17. CPU, OpenCL and CUDA Rendering8. Video Encoding9. Total System Power Consumption and Acoustics10. SSD Performance11. Closing Thoughts12. View All Pages

On the face of it, this head-to-head would appear to be a relatively clear win for the Intel and NVIDIA-based Armari Magnetar S18X-RD850G2 over the all-AMD Armari Magnetar S16T-RW850G2. But look a little more closely and the result is nowhere near as obvious. For a start, you're paying 26 per cent more for the Intel-NVIDIA option. But there's also a surprise in store for Adobe users, with the Media Encoder running noticeably better on AMD hardware, which will also mean the production software Premiere Pro and After Effects should be a little more fluid too.

For 3D content creators, the fact that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan Xp is not validated hardware with the software they are likely to use could be a major problem too. If you want validated graphics hardware, you will need to swap this for a Quadro P5000, which is about £300 more expensive and not as fast, with only two thirds as many CUDA cores. The AMD Radeon Vega Frontier Edition is from the Radeon Pro range, so will be supported for professional applications.

While Intel-NVIDIA wears the overall performance crown, you are paying a significant £1,200 premium for this. In applications where you're getting more than 26 per cent extra CPU rendering performance, this could be worthwhile. But in many cases, such as Maxon Cinema 4D rendering, you're getting much less than that, making the extra expenditure not so worthwhile.

Overall, if money really is no object, the Armari Magnetar S18X-RD850G2 is the ultimate performance workstation. Just swap the graphics for a Quadro if professional software support is a necessity. However, if your budget is a little more of a concern, or you are video editing with Adobe applications, the Armari Magnetar S16T-RW850G2 makes huge economic sense. Bearing the strengths and weaknesses in mind, both these systems are highly recommended, but AMD is definitely back in the picture for professional workstations.

Armari Magnetar S16T-RW850G2:

Pros:

• Huge amounts of CPU power for the money.
• Excellent everyday modelling capability.
• Lots of GPGPU power available.
• Great for video editing with Adobe applications.
• Great value for the performance.

Cons:

• Raw CPU power generally a little behind Intel Core i9 7980XE in most applications.
• Raw GPU power generally behind NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan Xp for modelling or GPGPU.

Price: £4,554.00 inc VAT (Buy from Armari HERE)

Armari Magnetar S18X-RD850G2 Specifications:

Pros:

• Best single-socket CPU power on the market with most applications.
• Best modelling performance with most applications.
• Best GPGPU performance (when configured optimally).

Cons:

• Expensive overall system price – £1,200 more than AMD-AMD option.
• NVIDIA GeForce graphics not validated for professional applications.
• Behind AMD option for video editing with Adobe applications.

Price: £5,754.00 inc VAT (Buy from Armari HERE)

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Kitguru says: Although Intel and NVIDIA still have the overall upper hand in raw performance, AMD offers incredible value and even grabs the performance lead in some areas. AMD is now a recommended professional choice again. Both systems are worthy of our highest awards.

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