AMD's game-tastic next-gen 9000X3D V-Cache CPU spotted on Asus motherboard website

The AMD Ryzen 9000-series launch has been a little underwhelming thus far, especially for gamers. From the to the , there seems little reason to opt for one of the new AMD chips when the Ryzen 7000-series performs comparatively well and for much cheaper. While many will be waiting for price drops on 9000-series processors, PC gamers will probably be waiting for Ryzen 9000-series X3D chips.

We've suspected for some time that there could be a and it looks like this could be right because Asus has just mentioned the as-yet unannounced processors on its (via ). While it mentions [[link]] "9000-X3D" in the webpage URL, that the website also mentions the 3D-stacked CPUs in its meta data.

You can see this by inspecting the page's source code. A meta element on the page says that "X870 motherboards are designed to get the most out of AMD Ryzen 9000 series X3D processors." Given that we're expecting 800-series motherboards to launch in the coming month or two, this could signal we won't have long to wait for an 9000X3D launch.

AMD's X3D processors are fantastic for gaming because they stack extra cache on top of one of the CPU chiplets, which greatly improves gaming performance. That's why the is our current pick for the . X3D chips usually sacrifice a little in the clock speed department, making them not quite as good for productivity, but when it comes to gaming they take the cake.

The [[link]] current-gen X3D line-up includes the , 7900X3D, and 7800X3D. Given that the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and are already out, we can be pretty sure we'll get a 9950X3D and 9900X3D. We can also be pretty hopeful about getting a 9800X3D—there's no 7800X to the 7800X3D, either, so the lack of a 9800X should matter not.

A Ryzen 9 9800X3D would probably be the one we'd look towards for gaming, too, given a 9950X3D or 9900X3D will likely be very expensive, especially at launch—pricing is our main complaint against chips at the moment.

Back in June, we heard that to make the 3D V-Cache on X3D chips "even better." We still don't know exactly what this means—perhaps 32 MB rather than a 64 MB cache for lower-end CPUs, or thinner cache dies to allow for higher clock speeds? 

Whatever the case, if there really are improvements to the 3D V-Cache tech then we could be in for a treat with these next-gen CPUs. It might mean [[link]] more than just the same tech on slightly faster CPUs.

With CPUs just around the corner, a rumoured , and now a seemingly looming 9000X3D launch, it's looking like the second half of 2024 could make up for what's been a somewhat underwhelming CPU market of late.