Three Ryzen 7000 X3D CPUs are reportedly on the way, no 6-core variant planned

Rumor mill: Customers waiting for Zen 4 X3D processors might receive some good news at CES 2023 in January. The latest rumors suggest AMD wants to remove some of the limitations it placed on Zen 3 3D V-Cache, but these reports almost completely contradict earlier ones.

Sources have told Quazar Zone that AMD plans to unveil at least three X3D Zen 4 CPUs at CES in January. Contrary to earlier reports, they will come in eight, 12-, and 16-core models.

The 12- and 16-core X3D processors could be the Ryzen 9 7900X3D and 7950X3D, respectively. Based on the effects 3D V-Cache had on the Zen 3 CPUs, the two high-end processors might feature 192MB of L3 cache. Meanwhile, the eight-core variant could be either a Ryzen 7 7800X3D or 7700X3D with 96MB of L3 cache, similar to this year's well-reviewed 5800X3D. Furthermore, the upcoming X3D models might ditch the 5800X3D's clock limitations.

AMD's 3D V-Cache, which it unveiled last year, uses a 3D stacking technique to triple a CPU's L3 cache. The method gave the 5800X3D significantly better gaming performance than the 5800X by increasing the L3 cache by 200 percent from 32MB to 96MB.

However, AMD slightly downclocked the X3D variant and locked out overclocking. Users waiting for faster, unrestricted V-Cache processors received disappointing rumors last month that AMD might only release a Ryzen 5 7600X3D and Ryzen 7 7700X3D. They would accompany an entry-level A620 AM5 motherboard that would disable overclocking and limit RAM speeds to DDR5-4800.

Instead, the new reports indicate the Zen 4 X3D CPUs will have roughly the same clocks as the non-X3D models and at least partially relax the overclocking restriction. All Zen 4 3D V-Cache processors will have a 170W TDP - just like the 7900X and 7950X. There won't be a 7600X3D.

The Zen 4 X3Ds will launch sometime after the CES unveiling, but it isn't clear when. Earlier rumors pinned the release around March or April 2023, but that could be up in the air if the rest of the old information is inaccurate. AMD likely hopes V-Cache will strengthen Zen 4's initially weak sales compared to the still-popular Zen 3.

Meanwhile, competitor Intel plans to refresh its 13th-generation Raptor Lake CPUs in Q3 2023 while delaying its 14th-gen Meteor Lake to 2024.