AMD’s X3D processors, outfitted with extra V-cache that can boost performance for 3D games, are all the rage with system builders. In fact, the existence of these souped-up chips might be part of the reason that sales for the initial Ryzen 9000 CPUs are less than spectacular.
Well, here’s good news for gamers who are waiting for the X3D versions: Asus says they’re coming… thanks to a bit of a leak.
Frequent Twitter leaker @momomo_us (via PCGamer) dug into the support pages for the latest Asus motherboards. Though there’s no mention of 9000-series processors with X3D V-cache on the public-facing page for X870 and X870E mobos, the URL for the page specifically mentions “9000-X3D”.
Sure, “X3D” alone isn’t much to go on — an AM5 socket supports the newest Ryzen 9000 processors as well as the older 7000 series, which includes variants like the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. But “9000-X3D” definitely implies that X3D chips are in the pipe.
Metadata beneath the site’s public-facing front, spotted by VideoCardz.com, mentions the new chips by name: “Asus AMD X870E & 870 motherboards are designed to get the most out of AMD Ryzen 9000 series X3D processors and are ready for Advanced AI PCs.”
When will we see them? That’s the more interesting question. The Ryzen 7000 series kicked off the current AM5 socket with the first CPUs launching in September of 2022, then the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and 7900X3D followed in February of 2023. That seems to imply that Ryzen 9000X3D chips won’t be hitting store shelves before 2025.
But speculators think they might be coming a lot sooner than that. AMD knows the X3D variants are a hit with gamers, who are the primary audience for sales of high-end desktop components at retail. In fact, they’ve gone back to the original Ryzen 7 5800X3D well twice, with the latest being the 5700X3D released in February of this year. Gamers can’t get enough of that V-cache special sauce, even at performance levels well below the flagship Ryzen 7 and 9 categories.
So, combined with slumping sales of the newest Radeon graphics cards and a tepid response for the standard Ryzen 9000 CPUs, AMD might be looking to get those X3D versions of the chips on shelves as soon as possible. Asus’ little URL slip-up could be an indication that it’s prepping a marketing push for just that… or it could be a simple mistake that means nothing, and we’ll have to wait until next year proper.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but I haven’t seen any concrete evidence of an accelerated release for new X3D processors. Speaking as someone who’s running a 7800X3D right now, with an AM5 socket that should be compatible with a newer version, I’d love to be mistaken.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.