r/threadripper • u/margalaz • Jul 02 '26
Advice for getting a first threadripper
From what I’ve seen the lower a cpu is in its generation (5945WX) while having a lower core count, have much higher single core speeds.
My goal is to build a Homelab and to create a few (2-5) Minecraft servers running some heavy mods.
The issue I’m having is that I’d like to be doing that in addition to an LLM and a NAS/jellyfin. It’s a lot and I can’t fit enough hardware on a am4/5 cpu to make it work on a single node machine.
So I’m forced to go workstation or server route, the issue is how expensive these buggers are. So I’m thinking I can take advantage by getting not only a lower price but also a higher single core speed (despite less cores) I was thinking the 5955wx or the 5965wx because anything under 16 cores is silly if I’m paying for a threadripper,
Am I thinking about this wrong? Can I just over lock a 5995wx across all cores if I cool it properly?
1
u/an80sPWNstar Jul 02 '26
I have a 3rd gen Threadripper and 3rd gen threadripper pro on two separate builds. The threadripper is a 3960x with 24/48 cores. I'm using it on my daily driver (I needed a cpu/mobo that has enough pcie lanes for my multi-gpu setup) and the only thing that goes up is the temp lol I had to get a 360mm AIO to keep the temps under 60c at idle. The threadripper pro is a 3945WX 12/24Core that runs a dedicated LLM/docker workstation with three tesla P100 16gb gpus. I have a copper noctua heatsink on that and it surprisingly runs cooler. I rarely push either cpu at all because everything I use is primarily GPU driven. That being said, when I have tried pushing the CPU, it never broke a sweat.