The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is said to be the first Zen 5 3D V-Cache processor to hit the market. According to a leaker, AMD's 7800X3D replacement will launch in October.

I had forgotten about the 9000-series X3D processors, with all the recent talk about upcoming Intel Arrow Lake chips. While next-gen Intel may be exciting, Zen 5 X3D chips are arguably what PC gamers should be looking forward to. AMD's 3D V cache chips have performed well in previous generations, so there's a good chance that they'll be among the best CPUs to use for gaming.

According to the latest rumour, we may not have to wait long. According to a leaker on the Chinese forum Chiphell, zhangzhonghao, (via Tom's Hardware), the AMD Ryzen "9800X3D" should be released by the end of October.

This is a forum user's unconfirmed rumour, so we need to be very cautious. It's also not the first time we've heard of an early 9000 X3D release.

In June, there was a rumour that we could have 9000 X3D chip as early as September. This never happened but it could give credence to the notion that a new X3D chips could be on the shelves before 2025. Acer's website metadata and URL from August mentions 9000-series X3D chip, which would also suggest a forthcoming release.

The Chiphell user claims that Ryzen 9 9900X3D, and Ryzen 9 9950X3D will be launched in early 2025. We all know that early launch plans are usually CES launch plans. This information seems to confirm this.

Tom's Hardware notes that the 9800X3D launching ahead of the top-end X3D chip would be a divergence in how AMD launched its 7000-series X3D processors, where it did things the other way around and launched the 7950X3D & 7900X3D earliest. This time, the 9600X, 9700X, and the top-end chips were launched before each other. This means that at least some bets have already been thrown out.

AMD didn't realize how well the 7800X3D would perform compared to X3D chips of higher end. It was the best gaming CPU, because it combines its 3D V-Cache with an 8-core chip that is reasonably priced. AMD could launch a 9800X3D based on the popularity of the 7800X3D. It's not a crazy idea.

We don't really know what to expect from the X3D chip, other than the fact that they will pack a lot of 3D V-Cache onto the dies. This is great for gaming performance. AMD said it was "working actively" on "really cool differentiators", to make its 3D-V-cache "even more superior", but we don't know what these differentiators could be.

If the latest rumour is true, we may find out sooner than later. Even if the release date isn't October, all signs have pointed towards a launch not too far away.