A 32-core AMD Ryzen gaming CPU with "tons of V-cache" is reportedly in the works

A new AMD Ryzen gaming CPU could not only feature 32 cores in the future, but also come in an X3D variant with a massive amount of 3D V-cache, according to the latest leaks. AMD's desktop CPUs have topped out at 16 cores for several generations now, but the company is reportedly looking to double this number in a future lineup of processors when it launches the AMD Zen 7 architecture.

Previous AMD Zen 7 leaks have pointed to the company introducing a new 3D Core, which shifts all of the L3 cache (not 3D V-cache) of the CPU to another whole chiplet layer that sits above the CPU cores. However, this latest leak states that the 3D Core tech is unlikely to be used in AMD's best gaming CPU designs of the future, but is intended to be used in the company's Epyc chips for servers and workstations. However, it looks as though Zen 7 is going to bring a huge increase in the number of cores found in top-end gaming CPUs.

This latest rumor comes from YouTube tech leaker Moore's Law is Dead (MLID), so take it with  a grain of salt for the moment. You can see the full video below, where Tom from MLID also clearly states that this is an early rumor about tech that's at least two-to-three years away, and that AMD may well change its mind in the future.

MLID says that the source of this leak is one of his "best AMD sources that was willing to be quoted," and the source spills a number of juicy details about what could be in the future AMD Ryzen CPUs. "I do think it's likely Zen 7 will go up to 32 cores," says the source, adding that the CPUs will use the future AM6 socket, meaning they will require a motherboard upgrade. The source also adds that there is "tons of V-cache included!" on the new CPUs, implying that AMD may be putting more than 64MB in its 3D V-cache layers in the future.

According to the source, the 32 cores will be made up of "dual 16-core chiplets," implying that CPUs with just one chiplet, such as current Ryzen 7 CPUs, will have 16 cores in the future. Commenting on the 3D Core cache system that appeared in a previous leak, the source says that "there will likely be a standard version of Zen 7 for consumers that still has L3 cache on the core chiplets," adding that the "3D variant has NO L3 on the core chiplets."

The source is also quoted as saying that "I am not sure you'll get those fancy 3D chiplets on desktop with Zen 7," but does say that the "Classic" (non-3D Core) version of Zen 7 is likely to have "higher voltages and clock speeds than the 3D Core variant," meaning the instructions per clock (IPC) is "supposed to be comparable" between the two types of CPU.

Of course, this is all just word from the rumor mill at the moment, but it will be interesting to see where desktop core counts go in the future, especially given that most games still don't use more than eight cores right now, let alone 16 or 32. In the meantime, check out my AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review to see why this eight-core chip with 3D V-cache is the best CPU for gaming right now.

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