Early images of the AMD Threadripper Pro 5000 WX have been posted online, with one glaring omission.
While the packaging is clean, sophisticated and par for the course when it comes to a next-generation workstation CPU, those who follow AMD closely will immediately notice a key missing element: the Ryzen branding is no longer on the box.
Granted, these images are not official, but rather found by @momomo_us (opens in new tab). However, the account has a strong track record, leading us to believe the images may well be legitimate.
No Ryzen?
As we previously reported, AMD has highlighted various use cases for the new Threadripper Pro 5000 WX-Series, ranging from video editing to CAD, software development and more.
From early reports, it looks as though the Threadripper Pro 5000 WX will significantly outpace the previous king of workstation processors, the Xeon W-3375. This is made (theoretically) possible by almost twice the number of cores, twice the number of PCle lanes, 500Mhz greater boost frequency and five times the cache capacity.
An interesting point is that “Ryzen” is still present in the official product name, so what’s going on here? With this jump in abilities and power, could it be that AMD is foreshadowing a new age of processing? Perhaps a new line?
Or is the company trying to appeal to a new demographic by way of dropping the Ryzen branding? Or could it be the firm is simply looking for a more sleek and minimalist box, since it’s targeting creatives and design professionals?
One possibility is that the choice to drop the Ryzen branding is a way to make the Threadripper branding more prominent, potentially signalling a change in the direction of the line-up.
TechRadar Pro has asked AMD for comment. And we’ll be sure to keep an eye on future developments.
