A new AMD Ryzen specs rumor has just appeared online that could spell some very exciting news for gamers. If it's true, then there's the potential for a new 12-core X3D chip that's even faster than the acclaimed AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, and a 24-core AMD Ryzen gaming U that can basically do everything.
But isn't there already a 12-core best gaming U, the eight-core 9800X3D is the better option as all eight of its cores have direct access to that big slab of cache.
There have been various rumors about AMD's forthcoming Zen 6 Us over the last few days, with a lot of focus on the company's Epyc chips for servers and workstations. However, one particular rumor caught my eye, which is this post from regular tech leaker 9550pro on X (formerly Twitter). The post lists two types of core chiplet device (CCD), which refers to the chips that contain the U cores in AMD's processors. In a follow-up reply, 9550pro also confirmed that the post refers to AMD's Zen 6 architecture.
The post lists a 32-core CCD with 128MB of L3 cache, which I would expect to be used solely for AMD's Epyc chips, but the first one is a 12-core CCD with 48MB of L3 cache, and that looks like a solid contender for desktop PCs. With 48MB of L3 cache, it basically has 4MB per core, which is the same core cache structure as AMD's current chips.
This post appears to just be based on applying simple maths to the Zen 6 Epyc leaks that recently appeared in a (now deleted) post on Chinese forum Baiu, which was screenshotted in another post by 9550pro. The photo reportedly showed that a future 256-core Zen 6 Epyc U would be based on Zen 6c cores over eight CCDs, while a 96-core Epyc chip would use full-fat Zen 6 U cores, and it's this chiplet that had the potential for use in a desktop gaming U.
With 12 cores on a single CCD, AMD could potentially add an extra slice of 3D V-cache under that single 12-core chiplet, and make an all-out 12-core gaming U where all the cores can directly access the extra cache. You could also pair up two of them to make a 24-core desktop U where 12 cores have 3D V-cache, and the other 12 cores can be clocked to high heaven for multi-threaded software – this really could be the chip that can do it all.
Of course, most games don't take advantage of more than eight cores right now, so don't worry that you'll need to upgrade your Ryzen 7 9800X3D in the near future. However, this U would ensure that, in the very few cases where a game can use more than eight cores, you can be sure that those cores will have access to a massive extra helping of cache.
As always with tech gossip stories, bear in mind that this is all based on rumor and speculation, and AMD hasn't officially announced any firm details about Zen 6 specs yet. However, it looks as though there's some potentially exciting news for gamers coming from AMD in the future.
In the meantime, make sure you read my AMD Ryzen 7 best gaming motherboard, as well as my full tutorial on how to install a U, to make sure you're armed with all the knowledge you need.
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