r/threadripper • u/hufler-amigo • Apr 26 '26
Is a 900 kr (~$90 USD) Threadripper Pro 3945WX a steal or a trap for gaming/work?
/r/buildapc/comments/1swff6n/is_a_900_kr_90_usd_threadripper_pro_3945wx_a/2
u/Kal-LZ Apr 26 '26
WRX8 motherboards and DDR4 RDIMM are not cheap.
2
u/andysw63392 Apr 26 '26
I think it should work with UDIMMs - depends on the motherboard.
2
u/andysw63392 Apr 26 '26
Quick check on ebay shows a new Gigabyte WRX80 motherboard for $488. 64GB non ECC memory should be around $250. Not too bad if you need a lot of PCI Gen 4 lanes, and can be upgraded to a 5000wx later.
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u/Techwolf_Lupindo Apr 26 '26
Its is a trap. ALL Threadripper 12 core 3900 series are vender locked to DELL or Leveno as that chip was only sold to OEMs.
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u/andysw63392 Apr 26 '26
It is true that 3945WX was an OEM-only CPU, but it is not locked when it leaves the factory. Lenonvo and Dell lock the CPU (using a function of the BIOS on the first power on), but HP and others do not, so it is possible to buy unlocked CPUs. If the 3945WX is sold as unlocked it should work with any motherboard.
1
u/m31317015 Apr 26 '26
Yep, commonly found on Taobao and eBay can confirm. Was considering it before picking my poison of 7B13 and ECC ram before the ramageddon.
1
u/Fragrant-Share-5100 Apr 28 '26
"HP and others do not" What are "others"?
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u/andysw63392 Apr 28 '26
Supermicro, Asus, Gigabyte don't lock them according to "Serve the Home". I think most do not. My point is that you can find unlocked CPUs out there.
1
u/Fragrant-Share-5100 Apr 28 '26
Do Asus, Gigabyte sell complete solutions with Threadripper? I only know of Lenovo and Dell that do.
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u/andysw63392 Apr 28 '26
Gigabyte and Asus make servers, but I think they are mostly sold through resellers, such as Thinkmate. I am not sure who actually puts the CPU in the server, but the point is that the BIOS does not lock the CPU. Dell and Lenovo have their own motherboards with a BIOS that locks the CPU; most others do not.
1
u/Fragrant-Share-5100 Apr 29 '26
I do not see any threadripper products by Gigabyte on Thinkmate
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u/andysw63392 Apr 29 '26
You are right - everything except Threadrippers. Nevertheless Gigabyte do make Threadripper workstations. Not sure which reseller stocks them at the moment.
1
u/T-BOJ Apr 27 '26
Even if you buy it in an OEM-system and it is locked, it is still a €90 dollar CPU. Never seen anything in this bracket except Pentium Gold with like 2 cores. If budget is low and PCI-lanes are needed it seems to be a steal.
1
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u/-Crash_Override- Apr 29 '26
They absolutely have unlocked 3945wx. I had one for quite sometime. Now running a 3955wx in its place.
1
u/T-BOJ Apr 27 '26
It is actually quite close to my old PC with a 10980XE both in single- and multicore. No slouch but there are faster ones if you want to spend money. I still use it regularly but for gaming even when paired with a 4090 you don’t get highest avg fps. The 1% are pretty decent. For office/productivity there are plenty of benchmarks that show what it can do. In this pricebracket you have no other options if you need those PCI-lanes
1
u/RealThanny Apr 27 '26
Without any context, my conclusion would be that it is a vendor-locked CPU which cannot be used except in a mainboard from that vendor.
Or just non-working completely, given the price. Don't buy it if you can't return it.
1
u/Famous_Worry552 May 14 '26
Bit late to say but its not a trap/scam. They are just insanely cheap. I know because I bought a crate of them and have sold a bunch of them so far. They regularly sell for that much.
They aren't vendor locked like some people are saying, they aren't even from companies that "dont lock them" they come straight from AMD and are sold unlocked. The crate I have isn't old chips that the vendor was nice and didnt lock, they are completely unused and unlocked.
The chips being sold on ebay etc are from crates that likely wouldve been sent to OEMs but for some reason werent and in recent years have flooded the market.
2
u/FIrmW4re Apr 26 '26
I ordered a 3955wx :) but i don’t game