Leaked AMD Ryzen 5 X3D gaming CPU will dominate the market — and it could launch this year

I come bearing good news for PC builders who hate spending big money; signs are pointing to AMD launching a new Ryzen 5 9600X3D processor this year.

The information comes from X user MelodicWarrior, who found the 9600X3D chip listed in AMD's latest "SI Driver for Radeon" update notes.

AMD really didn't try to hide the 9600X3D at all. The link to the update notes has the CPU clearly listed alongside Zen 5 X3D chips already on the market, including the 9950X3D, 9900X3D, and 9800X3D.

This could be a soft leak to begin building anticipation among PC enthusiasts, but it's more likely a lapse in documentation information.

MelodicWarrior follows up the initial leak post with speculation about a potential release date for the new Ryzen 5 9600X3D. With AMD's previous scheduling in mind, the new chip could arrive for DIY builders sometime toward the end of Q3 or the start of Q4.

As is always the case with these types of leaks, the information isn't concrete, especially the speculated launch date. There's also no indication of whether or not this chip will see a global release or if it will be available to anyone but system integrators.

But the fact that AMD has listed the chip for the first time in official documentation should be great news for system builders who don't want to spend big bucks on the Ryzen 7 9800X3D or its more powerful Ryzen 9 X3D siblings.

What is 'X3D' and why does it matter for PC gamers?

AMD's proprietary 3D V-Cache technology is only found in its X3D-class processors for desktop and laptop PCs. What makes them so coveted by PC gamers is their additional L3 cache that's stacked vertically on the CPU die.

This design allows for the chip to access cached data much faster than usual, and the larger cache size allows it to load up on more bytes. While 3D V-Cache isn't likely going to make a splash for general computing, it's particularly potent when gaming.

This leak, which is the first time the 9600X3D has been spotted, has no specific info regarding core counts and clock speeds, but some assumptions can be made based on how AMD has handled the split between X3D and non-X3D chips so far available from the Zen 5 era.

Using the Ryzen 9 9950X and 9950X3D chips (which we've tested and reviewed favorably) as an example, there's not a huge difference in specs beyond the inclusion of AMD's boosted 3D V-Cache.

Using the above model as an example, we can look at the standard Ryzen 5 9600X and make assumptions as to what the Ryzen 5 9600X3D with 3D V-Cache will look like: the same 6 cores, 12 threads, 3.9GHz base clock, and 5.4GHz boost clock, all running at a 65W default TDP.

AMD's X3D chips are always more expensive compared to their standard siblings, but considering the Ryzen 5 9600X is currently selling for about $178 at Amazon — it launched at a $279 MSRP — we could get a 9600X3D chip for $350 or less.

The cheapest way to currently buy one of AMD's latest Zen 5 X3D chips is via the awesome Ryzen 7 9800X3D, but it's currently selling for about $472.

That's certainly not cheap, and I know that many PC gamers are turning to the older X3D stock, including the Zen 4 Ryzen 7 7800X3D at about $359 and the Zen 3 Ryzen 7 5700X3D at about $251, to fill the gap.

That's a testament to how long these chips remain relevant, especially in the PC gaming world.

I wouldn't be surprised to see AMD officially acknowledge the leaked Ryzen 5 9600X3D CPU in the coming months, and those who are considering a system upgrade should probably wait to see what AMD's next X3D CPU has to offer.