AMD and companions affirm Ryzen CPU with twin 3D V-Cache chiplets is coming however players are unlikely to see the profit

AMD has teased the launched of a brand new Ryzen processor with two chiplets, every of which can embrace a wholesome dollop of 3D V-Cache.

As reported by ComputerBase, AMD informed journalists to “keep tuned” concerning the launch of such a chip. If this wasn’t convincing sufficient, Alienware China has introduced a brand new Space-51 gaming PC with the brand new chip, which it notes because the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2. Moreover, system builder Systronix has additionally listed a workstation with the chip.

All of which not solely suggests the chip is ready to launch, it is taking place someday quickly, and it most likely ought to have been included in AMD’s CES 2026 bulletins. Its absence is somewhat unusual, as AMD needed to lean fairly closely on the Ryzen 7 9850X3D and new Ryzen AI Max chips to (barely) carry the present for players. Although this is not the primary time AMD has pulled a product announcement from CES on the final second; anybody bear in mind the lacking RX 9000-series GPUs of final yr?

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Till now, solely a single chiplet on a dual-chiplet processor (9900X3D and 9950X3D) has extra added cache through the chip-stacking expertise. Via software program, AMD goals to maintain recreation threads to a single chiplet (CCD), to scale back latency from travelling from one CCD to a different through Infinity Material. So, a 9950X3D might have 16 cores, however video games ideally solely run on eight—the cores within the CCD with the 3D V-Cache.

AMD is aware of this higher than anybody. Therefore why, even way back to this time final yr, AMD stated that, whereas it may make a chip with 3D V-Cache on each chiplets, there would not be a lot profit for players.

“Such a processor would merely be too costly and video games wouldn’t profit from a second CCD with 3D V-Cache to the identical extent because the step from 32 to 96 MB L3 cache for one CCD,” AMD stated to HardwareLuxx on the time.

That is to not say there isn’t any profit in some circumstances, although the performance-per-dollar could be terrible as the additional cache is bound to inflate the associated fee for the already near-$700 Ryzen 9 9950X3D. Avid gamers would probably profit extra from a 12-core CCD design, like that rumoured for Zen 6—although this has been rumoured for some time now and never but materialised.

Different purposes may make good use of these 16 cores, nevertheless, and there are different purposes that profit from having a lot of L3 cache near the cores. That is why AMD does supply server-grade chips with 3D V-Cache, such because the AMD Epyc 9684X with a whopping 1152 MB of L3 cache onboard. This chip prices $14,756—offering you purchase 1000 or extra to obtain the, ahem, low cost.

So, is the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 even going to be billed as a gaming product when it arrives? From the look of that Systronix system above, it would discover extra use in workstations aiming to supply a lot of L3 cache for a fraction of the price of an Epyc chip. Although I am certain it will promote to some players in search of one of the best of one of the best, even when it is in identify solely with little or no precise profit.

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