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 Ryzen 5 9600X to the Ryzen 9 9950X, 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 2024 release for 9000X3D chips and it looks like this could be right because Asus has just mentioned the as-yet unannounced processors on its 800-series motherboard webpage (via momomo_us). While it mentions "9000-X3D" in the webpage URL, VideoCardz points out 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 AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is our current pick for the best gaming CPU. 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 current-gen X3D line-up includes the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, 7900X3D, and 7800X3D. Given that the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X 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 AMD Zen 5 chips at the moment.

Back in June, we heard that AMD was "working actively on really cool differentiators" 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 more than just the same tech on slightly faster CPUs.

With Intel Arrow Lake CPUs just around the corner, a rumoured 9600X and 9700X post-launch TDP boost, 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.