AMD is set to launch a trio of Ryzen 7000 processors with 3D V-Cache technology including a powerful 16-core spin, and those chips are just around the corner according to a new rumor.
In fact, new 8-core, 12-core, and 16-core 3D V-Cache CPUs will launch at CES, according to Quasarzone, as @harukaze5719 explains on Twitter. Of course, we have to take this with the usual skepticism that should be applied to hardware rumors, and it’s not clear if this will just be an initial reveal next month, or if the processors will actually go on sale in January 2023 (we’ll come back to that).
They shared 3 Zen 4 3D exclusive info 1) Three Ryzen 7000X3D model confirmed. 16/12/8C. But about the 8C, the model name is not specified either 7700X3D or 7800X3D2) Unlike Zen 3 3D, the clock speed will be the same or at least close to it. 3) It is expected on January 23rd. So CES.1 / nDecember 2, 2022
This is supposed to be the Ryzen 9 7950X3D (16-core) as well as the 7900X3D (12-core), but it’s unclear if the eight-core chip will appear as the 7800X3D or 7700X3D. There will be no six-core X3D processor according to the spill shared here.
Quasarzone also insists that unlike the current 5800X3D, where clock speeds have been dialed back, these Ryzen 7000 3D V-Cache clocks will be the same as their vanilla counterparts — or at least very close to the same. Which seems like maybe some models will stick to the same frequencies, others may go down a bit – presumably we’re talking about 100MHz, rather than the 400MHz slowdown imposed on the base clock of the 5800 x 3D.
Analysis: Faster CPUs incoming, but not a more affordable option?
There are two interesting things here, one being that an earlier rumor from a well-known leaker insisted that things could go very differently. That speculation shared by ECSM a few weeks ago claimed that there would be six-core and eight-core X3D processors, but nothing else.
So this new rumor not only teases the idea of a six-core chip, but also floats the possibility of a pair of high-end X3D models, including a flagship 16-core version. And it’s only superficially exciting stuff to see what kind of performance gamers might get from it (the 5800X3D chip has a reputation as being a great chip for gaming, of course—and the same is to be expected from 7000 series variants).
Then again, the Ryzen 7950X3D is bound to be expensive, and so on the affordability front, the focus on larger chips and the apparent lack of a six-core option for 3D V-Cache are somewhat disappointing. However, that doesn’t mean that AMD couldn’t eventually produce other X3D models like the 7600X3D.
If Quasarzone is right with all of this, then one of the most impressive possibilities is how early AMD is pushing these updated CPUs. The aforementioned word from the grapevine was looking at April at the earliest for the Zen 4 X3D chips to debut — and in fact it may still be the case that even if we get a reveal at CES, the processors may not be on sale until after a while.
However, the suggestion here definitely seems to be a January launch, or at least the X3D versions are very close to showing up. And in all honesty, that’s what AMD needs in terms of needing to boost Zen 4’s ratings as soon as possible to compete with Intel’s Raptor Lake.
It’s worth noting that given the very different angles these two latest rumors took, we’ll likely be a little more cautious about all of this speculation for now. At least we don’t have long to wait for CES to see what AMD will reveal there.
