Ryzen, EPYC, Threadripper or Xeon server: which one your business needs

The short answer

If the server is for an office or a small business (files, backups, the domain, the business software and a few virtual machines), choose Ryzen. If you are going to virtualise a lot with contained power draw, EPYC. If you need compute, rendering or AI with very fast cores and several graphics cards, Threadripper. And if your software is certified for Intel, Xeon. If a Threadripper is not enough, the Threadripper PRO adds eight memory channels and room for three graphics cards; and for high-capacity virtualisation and memory-intensive workloads, with twelve channels and up to 1.5 TB, the EPYC 9005.

All of them can be ordered as a tower or a 4U rack server, with ECC memory, RAID drives, 10 GbE networking and remote management to power them on and enter the BIOS from a distance.

Ryzen: the affordable base for offices and small businesses

Ryzen 9000 processors have 6 to 16 cores, very high clock speeds and low power draw. In an office, the server spends most of its time waiting: sharing files, receiving backups or authenticating users barely loads it. A Ryzen gives it everything it needs and uses little power running all year round.

It supports unbuffered ECC memory, which is what we recommend if it stores important data. With 12 or 16 cores it easily runs Proxmox or Hyper-V with the business software, email and a few remote desktops. Its limits are the memory channels (two) and the PCIe lanes: for dozens of virtual machines or several large graphics cards, another platform is better.

Our Ryzen Server is configured on its page: processor, memory, drives, graphics, form factor and networking.

EPYC 8004: balanced performance and power draw, for virtualisation

EPYC 8004 processors are server chips designed to run around the clock: 16 to 64 cores drawing between 100 and 200 W. They have six channels of registered ECC memory, so they handle many virtual machines at once without running out of memory or bandwidth.

The board has built-in IPMI: you can power it on, see the screen and update it remotely even if the operating system does not boot. It is the platform for leaving VMware and consolidating several old servers into one, or for services that cannot stop.

On the EPYC Server, choose six memory modules to fill all six channels.

Threadripper: fast cores and several graphics cards

Threadripper combines many cores (24 to 64) with clock speeds above 5 GHz and plenty of PCIe 5.0 lanes. That is what work that really loads the processor needs: simulation, finite element analysis, compiling, rendering or training AI models.

Its PCIe lanes fit three RTX PRO graphics cards, and 10 GbE networking comes on the board. It draws more power than an EPYC with the same number of cores, so it does not pay off for a server that spends the day waiting.

The Threadripper Server starts at 24 cores and goes up to 96 with the PRO 9995WX.

Xeon: when the software asks for Intel

Some software, especially business systems, databases and technical applications, is only supported by its vendor on Intel. In that case there is nothing to discuss: Xeon. The Xeon W processors we build with have 8 to 24 cores, AVX-512, 64 PCIe 5.0 lanes and eight registered ECC memory slots.

If your software does not require it, compare first: with the same number of cores, an EPYC or a Threadripper usually gives more for the same price. The Xeon Server takes up to 1 TB of memory.

Threadripper PRO: eight memory channels and three graphics cards

Threadripper PRO chips use the same socket as Threadripper, but with eight memory channels and 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes. The WRX90 board we build with has seven PCIe 5.0 x16 slots: three dual-slot RTX PRO graphics cards fit, and memory goes up to 1 TB with eight modules.

It is the platform for AI with several models loaded at once, for simulation meshes that do not fit in a workstation and for network rendering. It goes from 16 to 96 cores.

The Threadripper PRO Server starts at 16 cores and 64 GB on four channels; with eight modules all eight are filled.

EPYC 9005: high-capacity virtualisation

EPYC 9005 is AMD’s current server generation: 16 to 96 cores in our configuration, twelve channels of registered ECC memory up to 1.5 TB and 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes. The Supermicro H13SSL-N board has three x16 slots and two x8, with built-in IPMI like the EPYC 8004.

It is the platform for consolidating dozens of virtual machines, for in-memory databases or for AI with three graphics cards when memory bandwidth matters. The 64- and 96-core models come with liquid cooling and tower only.

The EPYC 9005 Server starts with 16 cores and 64 GB; with twelve modules all twelve channels are filled.

ECC memory: registered or unbuffered

ECC memory detects and corrects single-bit errors on the fly. In a server that never switches off and holds the company’s data, it is the difference between a silent failure and nothing at all. Ryzen uses unbuffered ECC (UDIMM); EPYC, Threadripper and Xeon use registered ECC (RDIMM), which allows larger modules and more capacity.

Allow about 4-8 GB per virtual machine and leave room to grow. And fill the channels: with one module per channel, memory runs at full speed.

How to choose in three questions

1. Does your software require Intel? If so, Xeon.
2. How many virtual machines and how much memory? Up to 128 GB and a few virtual machines, Ryzen; more, EPYC.
3. Will you really load the processor or the graphics card? Compute, rendering or AI with two or three graphics cards, Threadripper.
4. Still not enough? Eight memory channels and three graphics cards, Threadripper PRO; twelve channels and up to 1.5 TB, EPYC 9005.