Today we're going to perform some AMD TRX40 motherboard VRM thermal testing using the powerful 64-cadre Threadripper 3990X. This is a follow upwardly to a exam I performed terminal year using the 32-cadre 3970X. Back then we compared viii extreme motherboards designed to support third-gen Threadripper. We wanted to see how these boards handled the CPU when overclocked to four.two GHz using 1.3v. At the terminate, nosotros were satisfied to meet all boards running cool and making an effortless pass of the torture examination.

Installed within a big ATX case with reasonably low air-period and a 21C ambient temperature, the worst motherboard of the pack saw its VRM peak to but 60C, while the best, MSI'southward Creator, peaked at merely 49C. Coming in 2nd was Asus' ROG Zenith Two Farthermost, running 2C hotter than the MSI, followed past Gigabyte'south Aorus Xtreme, running another 3 degrees hotter.

Despite coming second by what we consider a negligible margin -- nosotros'll emphasize that we were not looking for an outright winner -- whether the lath peaks at 49C of 51C doesn't matter, both are very satisfactory results. That didn't sit well with Asus nonetheless, so they went dorsum and fabricated a few quick upgrades. The previously used Infineon TDA21472 70A power stages were swapped for Infineon'south TDA21490 90A. That seems like a solid plan to create the ultimate Threadripper power delivery organization.

Everything else remains the same, including the PWM controller and, of course, the VRM configuration itself. Asus believes this will translate into offering the coolest running TRX40 motherboard in the market, then we've armed ourselves for a complete top downwards retest with the 64-core 3990X. Let'due south now discuss the examination configuration and so leap into the results.

Test Config and Benchmarks

To apply load to the system nosotros're using a real-globe Blender workload which runs for an hour, after which point we record the meridian VRM temperature. The CPU of choice is naturally the Threadripper 3990X and for testing nosotros have two configurations: a completely stock configuration with zip but XMP loaded, and a second OC configuration which sees the 3990X overclocked to 3.8 GHz using 1.3v. We could have run at iv GHz but we didn't think much would modify, so to ensure stability beyond all boards nosotros opted for 3.8 GHz.

For those wondering, the typical power draw from the wall was around 450 watts when stock, while the overclock configuration was sucking down around 850 watts (!).

All testing takes place in a 21C room within a DeepCool New Ark 90SE chassis. The reason nosotros used this instance was elementary, it was the only i we had on hand that could business firm the Aorus Xtreme and it only just squeezes in there. The fan configuration in this case is a little unusual as the front fans aren't front mounted, simply rather side mounted. So in the front/side nosotros take three 140mm fans and in the rear a single 140mm exhaust fan. This is a fairly typical fan setup for a full tower instance, though we're withal going to telephone call information technology low air-flow for the VRM equally nosotros don't have a fan directly pumping air over the VRM heatsinks.

To tape the temperatures we used a digital thermometer with Thousand-Type thermocouples and for this test we're measuring the PCB temperature behind the power stages and reporting the highest temperature from the 8 probes.

Here'southward how the Alpha and a few other loftier-cease TRX40 motherboards handle the stock 3990X. Pretty easily done, actually. The ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha is very impressive, peaking at just 50C and that meant it was 5C cooler than the previous gnaw, the MSI Creator.

In this test it was also 5C cooler than the original Zenith 2 Farthermost. An impressive result, but if you're only not after the very all-time VRM operation, then there are plenty of other capable boards worth considering.

Please note for the Asus boards we changed the 'voltage monitor' setting in the BIOS from die sense to socket sense. Asus at present uses the "Die Sense" method instead of "Socket Sense" for increased accurateness, as readouts using Socket Sense are generally higher. However, socket sense is what anybody else uses, so for an apples to apples comparison when manually setting voltage, socket sense was used.

With the TR 3990X system sucking roughly 850 watts from the wall, things started to go hot, and in one instance throttle...

Let's start with the Zenith II Extreme Blastoff: what a animal. Despite the massive load, the board peaked at just 82C, an eight caste reduction from the original Zenith Two Extreme. Interestingly, with this huge load Asus would take won anyhow, admitting by but 2 degrees. The passively cooled MSI Creator is still very impressive though and with minimal air-flow still go along temps under 100C.

The Aorus Xtreme as well did well, though we were surprised to find it running 6C hotter than the original Zenith board, but again, both did well and they certainly passed this test, then nosotros wouldn't say the Zenith is a must-have based on these results. Even the Aorus Master passed despite betting a trivial toasty at 103C, you lot'd want to improve air-flow with this board and we wouldn't recommend it for hotter environments... if you're a mad man and plan on overclocking the snot out of the 3990X, that is.

If you are a mad homo, yous'll want to avert the Asrock Taichi. It does a fine job with the 3990X at stock, only overclocked the power draw was just too much and it threw in the towel, periodically throttling the CPU down to 500 MHz for a breather, earlier cranking information technology back up for a few seconds. This process was repeated over and over once more, keeping the hot spot at 97C.

Out of interest, nosotros dropped the load line calibration of the Taichi down to Level iii and this dropped the vcore to just 1.10v and the draw from the wall to 700 watts and here the Taichi managed to avoid throttling. It still peaked at 92C, simply the system was stable, though pushing the voltage up a picayune bit to one.15v introduced throttling again, so the Taichi is correct on the edge here, basically maxing out.

This goes to show that with a little voltage tweaking the overclock can exist optimized, though you won't get to 4 GHz with this setting.

What We Learned

The new Asus ROG Zenith 2 Extreme Alpha is a seriously high-end TRX40 motherboard and certainly the nearly impressive board in terms of VRM thermal operation, which should mean it'southward one, if not the best pick for extreme Threadripper 3990X overclocking.

How many of you are interested in Threadripper overclocking, especially for the 64-core function is difficult to say, but at a judge nosotros'd say we could count the number of readers on one mitt.

Initially Asus had planned to replace the original Zenith Ii Extreme with the upgraded Alpha model but due to the uncertainty caused by the spread of COVID-19, the transition will accept longer than expected and the Alpha is expected to exist in brusk supply. For now both models will co-exist, so if you lot want the Blastoff brand certain that'due south the version y'all're buying. In terms of price, there's not much difference, or upwardly to $50 at most. Right now both boards are listed on Amazon at $850, though the Alpha is out of stock whereas the original model is available for the same cost.

Plain $850 is a heck of a lot of coin for a motherboard, just TRX40 boards are generally quite expensive. If you're already spending $four,000 on a CPU, then $850 for the motherboard shouldn't exist a trouble, especially if you're afterward the best of the best. Boards such as the Asrock Taichi are much cheaper at effectually $500, but as you lot saw when it comes to farthermost 3990X performance, they aren't almost every bit capable as the Alpha.

Nosotros nevertheless experience similar MSI's TRX40 Creator is a jewel at $700, having passed our tests with relative ease. The Asus remains the superior platform for farthermost overclocking, but over again, nosotros doubt many of you are overly interested in extreme workstation overclocking. The 2 don't actually go paw in hand given reliability is paramount to workstation applications.

Looking at all the features on offer, if yous're looking for a cracking TRX40 motherboard nosotros'd choice between the Asus Zenith Ii Extreme Alpha, MSI Creator and Gigabyte Aorus Xtreme.

Shopping Shortcuts:
  • AMD Threadripper 3990X on Amazon
  • AMD Threadripper 3970X on Amazon
  • AMD Threadripper 3960X on Amazon
  • AMD Ryzen nine 3950X on Amazon
  • AMD Ryzen 5 3600 on Amazon
  • Asus ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha on Amazon
  • MSI Creator TRX40 on Amazon
  • Gigabyte TRX40 Aorus Xtreme on Amazon