With all the talk of Intel’s upcoming Arrow Lake processors, I forgot about the X3D 9000 series. But while Intel’s next-gen might be thrilling, the Zen 5 X3D processors are probably the ones we PC gamers should be keeping an eye on. Given the performance of AMD’s previous-generation 3D V-Cache chips, there’s a good chance they’ll be some of the best gaming processors out there.
If the latest rumors are to be believed, we may not have to wait long. A leaker on the Chinese forum Chiphell called zhangzhonghao (By Tom’s Equipment) says AMD Ryzen 7 “9800X3D should be released in late October.”
To be clear, this is just an unconfirmed report from one forum user, so we should take this rumor with a grain of salt. It’s also not the first time we’ve heard of an early release of the 9000-X3D.
Back in June, there was a rumor that the 9000 series X3D chips could be arriving as early as September. Of course, that never happened, but it could lend credence to the idea that the recent X3D chip could hit shelves before 2025. Additionally, in August, Acer mentioned the 9000 series X3D chips in the URL and metadata of one of its websites, which would also suggest an imminent launch.
User Chiphell also claims that early 2025 will see the X3D launches, namely the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D. And we all know that early-year launch plans are often CES launch plans, which seems possible if this information turns out to be true.
Tom’s Hardware points out that launching the 9800X3D before the top-of-the-line X3D chips would be a divergence from how AMD launched its 7000-series X3D chips, which it did the opposite by introducing the 7950X3D and 7900X3D first. However, this time around, the 9600X and 9700X launched before the two top-of-the-line chips, so there’s already a divergence. Given that, at least some bets are already off.
AMD didn’t know at the time how well-received the 7800X3D would be compared to the top-of-the-line X3D chips. It ended up being the best gaming processor because it packed its 3D V-Cache (which is great for gaming) on top of a relatively inexpensive 8-core chip. Given the love for the 7800X3D, AMD could have decided to release the 9800X3D — that’s not a ridiculous thought.
We don’t know what to expect from the X3D chips, other than they should feature a ton of 3D V-Cache on top of the die, which is great for gaming performance. AMD told us at Computex this year that it’s “actively working on some really cool differentiators” to make its 3D V-Cache “even better,” but we have no idea what those differentiators might be.
If the latest rumors are true, we may find out sooner rather than later. Realistically, even if there’s no October release, all signs so far point to a release that’s not too far off.
