AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D And 9900X3D 3D V-Cache And Launch Details Come Into View

If you're building a gaming PC from the ground up, chances are, you have AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor on your radar. At the time of this writing, it remains the one and only consumer Zen 5 processor with a heaping pile of 3D V-Cache. It won't be the last, however, and if a recent leak is to be believed, there will be at least two more additions coming in a matter of weeks.

They include the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D, both of which are slated for a January 2025 launch, according to Hoang Anh Phu (@AnhPhuH). According to a post on X/Twitter, it will be a late January launch, so it's possible that there will be an initial reveal at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) followed by a retail launch in the weeks that follow.

The leaker also posted some basic specifications. Coming as no surprise, it's said the Ryzen 9 9950X3D will feature 16 cores while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D will have 12 cores. These are the same core makeups as the Ryzen 9 7590X3D, which we labeled a no-compromise gaming and creator chip in our review,  and Ryzen 9 7900X3D.

Also like those previous generation Zen 4 parts, the leaker claims the upcoming Zen 5 models will each feature 3D V-Cache on only one of the two core complex dies (CCDs). Assuming that's true, it should amount to an extra 64MB of L3 cache per chip.

That's not really surprising, though AMD is using second-generation 3D V-Cache for this round. Part of that entails a design change that sees the 3D V-Cache relocated to below the processor, which puts the CCDs closer to the cooling solution. By going this route, AMD is able to enable overclocking on its 3D V-Cache chips, something that was not possible on previous generation models.

Beyond the core counts and 3D V-Cache details, not much else is known, and specifically what the clock speeds and pricing will look like. CES begins on January 7 and runs through January 10, so we should find out soon enough.