There are two new AMD Ryzen 9000X3D gaming CPUs with 3D V-cache coming very soon, according to the latest leak. If this rumor is correct, then we’ll only be waiting two more months before the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D are released. However, it looks as though there’s a big catch, which would make the cheaper 9800X3D the better CPU for gaming, as with the 7800X3D before it.
That’s because the Ryzen 7 9800X3D specs lend themselves to reliable gaming performance, with all eight of its cores getting access to the big slice of 64MB 3D V-cache. As we found in our 9800X3D review, this AMD tech really bumps up the CPU’s performance in games, as does its 5.2GHz boost clock, which is faster than the 5GHz of the 7800X3D.
However, according to this latest leak, both the new X3D chips will have just one 3D V-cache chip under one of the chiplets. As AMD’s CPUs have up to eight cores per chiplet, that means that some of these cores won’t have direct access to the extra cache, causing latency issues if a game uses a core on the chiplet without the cache.
In fact, if the Ryzen 9 9900X3D has the same configuration as the Ryzen 9 7900X3D before it, with 12 cores spread across two chiplets with six cores each, then only six cores will have direct access to the extra cache.
This latest leak comes from tech leaker Joang Anh Phu, who has form for AMD X3D rumors, including being right about the 9800X3D price costing $30 more than the 7800X3D, a week before the 9800X3D price was officially revealed. This time, Joang Anh Phu has stated that there will be new 12-core and 16-core X3D CPUs launching in “late Jan,” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Assuming that AMD adopts the same naming strategy as its previous releases, this would mean the 12-core chip is the Ryzen 9 9900X3D, and the 16-core CPU is the Ryzen 9 9950X3D.
Perhaps more importantly, however, another X user then asked “The only question is, full 3dvcache, or only half like last time,” referring to the previous X3D chips only having 3D V-cache on one chiplet. “Same as last gen”, replies Joang Anh Phu, meaning these new X3D chips will potentially suffer from the same issues as their Zen 4 predecessors.
If this rumor is true, that’s a big disappointment. AMD has solved the main thermal issues with 3D V-cache with the 9800X3D, by moving the 3D V-cache to under the core chiplet die rather than on top of it, and we were hoping this move would enable AMD to put 3D V-cache under both the core chiplet dies in the new CPUs. After all, a 16-core CPU with 128MB of 3D V-cache wouldn’t just be amazing in games, but it would also be incredible for multi-threading work, giving AMD a chip that could do it all.
This is all still at the rumor stage, though, with no official announcement from AMD, so take it with a grain of salt right now. If you’re looking to buy a new processor in the meantime, check out our guide to the best gaming CPU, where we take you through all our favorite options to suit a range of budgets.