AMD's next-gen 9000X3D CPU with V-Cache and game-tastic features has been spotted on the Asus motherboard website

AMD's Ryzen 9000 series launch has not been very impressive, especially to gamers. There is little reason to choose one of the AMD chips, from the Ryzen 5 to the Ryzen 9, when the Ryzen 7000 series performs comparably well and costs much less. PC gamers are likely to be waiting on Ryzen 9000 series X3D chips, while many will be looking forward to price drops for 9000-series CPUs.

We've suspected that the 9000X3D chips could be released in 2024. It looks like we were right, as Asus just mentioned these processors (via momomo_us) on its 800-series mother board webpage. VideoCardz notes that while the URL of the page mentions "9000-X3D", the meta data also mentions 3D-stacked processors.

This can be seen by inspecting the source code of the page. The meta element on the page states that "X870 boards are designed to maximize AMD Ryzen 9000 series X3D CPUs." This could be a sign that the 9000X3D will launch soon, given that we expect to see the 800-series motherboards in a month or two.

AMD's X3D CPUs are great for gaming, as they stack extra cache onto one of the CPU chipsets to improve gaming performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D has been chosen as our current top gaming CPU. X3D chips are usually slower in terms of clock speed, which makes them less suitable for productivity. However, they are the best when it comes gaming.

The current-gen Ryzen 9 X3D lineup includes the 7950X3D and 7900X3D. We can be fairly certain that we will get a 9900X3D, since the AMD Ryzen9 9950X is already available. We're also hopeful that we'll get a new 9800X3D. There is no 7800X for the 7800X3D so the absence of a 7800X shouldn't matter.

We'd also look at a Ryzen 9 9800X3D for gaming, as a 9950X3D and 9900X3D are likely to be very expensive at launch. Pricing is our main complaint about AMD Zen 5 chips right now.

In June, AMD said that it was "working actively" on "really cool differentiators" in order to make the 3D V-Cache of X3D chips "even more better." We don't yet know what this means. Perhaps a 32 MB cache instead of a 64 MB one for lower-end CPUs or thinner cache dies that allow for higher clock speed?

If there are real improvements to 3D V cache tech, then we could be in store for a treat when it comes to these next-gen processors. It could be more than just slightly faster CPUs with the same tech.

Intel Arrow Lake is just around the corner. There's also a rumoured boost in TDP for the 9600X and the 9700X after launch. And now, with the 9000X3D launch looming, the second half 2024 may make up for a CPU market that has been somewhat disappointing of late.