AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX workstation CPU has 96 cores and 192 threadsIt is set to go on sale with an expected priced of around $13,000 Zen 5-based Threadripper offers 26% gain over predecessor but costs 30% more The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX could be the most expensive desktop CPU ever listed at retail, with a rumored price of $13,000.This price point is more than double that of AMD’s own EPYC 9655, a 96-core data center chip which can be found for just over $6,100.Built on the Zen 5 architecture and using a 4nm process, the 9995WX targets workstation professionals who need extreme performance in AI, media, design and engineering workflows.30% price hikeThe chip features 96 cores, 192 threads, and a base clock of 2.5 GHz, boosting up to 5.4 GHz. It supports up to 144 usable PCIe lanes and 8-channel DDR5 ECC RAM running at 6400 MT/s.There’s also 128MB of L3 cache. While the specs are aimed at users with heavy workloads, the high cost puts it in a niche category. No cooler is included and a dedicated graphics card is required.The 9995WX is part of the new Threadripper 9000 series, with AMD skipping the 8000 line entirely.It offers a generational improvement over the Zen 4-based 7995WX, including a reported 26% performance gain.Even so, the price increase over the previous generation is steep, sitting at 30% higher than the 7995WX.While this could be justified for some niche professionals, it narrows the market to those with extremely specialized needs.Preorders are expected to open on July 23, with listings appearing on B&H Photo Video and other retailers.Although AMD has not confirmed final pricing, Videocardz notes patterns across multiple stores point to a consistent number near $13,000.The rest of the lineup includes 24-core to 64-core models, with price hikes ranging from 4% to 17% over previous generations.Intel currently lacks a direct workstation-class competitor in this category, and with AMD pushing core counts and prices even higher, the gap remains wide.This latest Threadripper generation extends AMD’s lead in ultra-high-end desktop processors, at least for now.(Image credit: B&H)You may also like16-Core AMD EPYC 4005 CPU is almost 3X faster than AMD's first server flagshipRare AMD CPU powers this just-announced NAS offeringAMD just launched its 96-core Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9995WX CPU