AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X Pro Audio Benchmarks

We’re commonly asked, “What is the best CPU for Pro Audio Production?”.

At PCAudioLabs, we take the time to benchmark CPUs for performance in the pro audio world, and today we’re turning our attention to AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X Pro Audio Benchmarks.

Keep in mind, these tests are an indication of how a CPU will perform under plugin loads at at various buffer sizes and sample rates. Your results may vary, as there are myriad combinations of workflows and configurations in which you can use a CPU. If you’re looking for the best CPU for audio production, we suggest contacting us to discuss your needs.

DAWbench tests – AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X Pro Audio Benchmarks and test process

DAWbench uses Cubase test sessions to instantiate a number of Reaxcomp Multiband compressors in a 48-track session, 40 tracks of which are sine-wave audio on which we instantiate plugins one by one, all the while keeping an eye on the CPU usage meter in Cubase to see if there is a CPU overload. Currently, DAWbench test sessions instantiate up to 320 Reaxcomp Multiband compressors.

We test at various buffer sizes — lower buffer sizes on our audio interface mean that there is less time for the audio interface to process the digital audio conversion, and therefore, the CPU works harder at lower buffer sizes, which can cause CPU overloads, spikes, and other issues. This allows us to test the CPU’s overall performance under load.

Our test system is a PCAudioLabs Rok Box MC Z Pro Audio PC, built with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X CPU with 64GB of RAM, using a PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL audio interface.

At 44.1kHz and a 16 buffer, the AMD Ryzen Thredripper 3960X CPU instantiated all 320 plugins in the Cubase test session:

We can see that the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X CPU is easily handling this workload, leaving headroom to spare.

This means that for those who are working at a standard sample rate of 44.1kHz, you would be able to instantiate more plugins, and get more work done, when working with the AMD Ryzen 3960X CPU.

At 96kHz and a 32 buffer, we see the same performance:

In this case, instantiating 320 Reaxcomp Multiband compressors at a buffer size of 32.

This is quite impressive, because at a higher sample rate, the likelihood of CPU issues and dropouts is increased, due to the additional sample data which is processed.

DAWbench Virtual Instrument Test – AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X Pro Audio Benchmarks

The DAWbench Virtual Instrument test utilizes Native Instruments Kontakt instances loaded with samples which are played by various MIDI tracks, each instantiating 300 voices of polyphony. The more voices we can instantiate in a session, the better the CPU performance. We unmute tracks one by one in our test session, and watch our CPU performance meter.

At 44.1kHz, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X CPU easily handled 3200 voices of polyphony:

This means that the AMD Threadripper 3960X CPU is an excellent CPU for those looking to work with Virtual Instruments in their DAW.

Of course, your experience may vary, depending on the virtual instruments you use, but using this benchmark, we can expect that we would have a great experience with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X CPU in a virtual instrument workflow.

Cinebench Test – AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X Pro Audio Benchmarks

Cinebench allows us to test rendering times of a CPU for the purposes of video editing and rendering.

The AMD Threadripper 3960X CPU scored an impressive 13666 points on its CPU test pass in Cinebench.

Bottom Line: are the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X Pro Audio Benchmarks impressive?

The answer here is yes, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 44.1kHz pro audio benchmarks  are very impressive. This CPU is a massive performer when it comes to Pro Audio performance, and plugin loads when working with virtual instruments.

Looking for a great Pro Audio PC for the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X CPU?

We have a great lineup of pro audio PCs at PCAudioLabs, and you can customize your PC with AMD CPUs in our Rok Box MC Z and CR Z pro audio PC line of PCs.

If you have questions about how to configure your pro audio PC, please give us a call, we’re standing by, and ready to help!