AMD Ryzen gaming CPUs with a brand-new design are now being tested, says rumor

AMD's newest CPU tech isn't ready for prime time just yet, but that doesn't mean the rumor mill isn't already in full operation. New rumors about next-gen AMD Ryzen gaming CPUs have just been leaked, and while the chipmaker hasn't confirmed the details, they point to an evolution, rather than a full-scale redesign.

No doubt about it, a lot of attention will be focused on how well these AMD chips perform when the company is ready to release its new Zen 6 architecture. The company has dominated our best gaming CPU guide in recent years, thanks in no small part to the ability of its 3D V-cache tech to significantly outperform the Intel competition when it comes to gaming performance.

Yuri Bubliy, aka 1usmus, a hardware programmer and the creator of the Hydra tuning software for Ryzen CPUs, shared some interesting details about next-gen Zen 6 CPUs on Discord, as reported by Wccftech. In a post, Bubliy reports that Zen 6 engineering samples have already been distributed. According to Bubliy, leaked details from those samples suggest that the new chips will have "more cores per CCD" and incorporate a second memory controller, although "details are still scarce" on that front.

Bubliy suggests that the number of memory channels will remain the same, while new Zen 6 chips won't incorporate any new "boost technologies" for clock speeds. Curve Optimizer, a feature on Ryzen CPUs that allows gamers to modify the voltage levels for underclocking, will also reportedly see no additional changes. According to Bubliy, these new Zen 6 CPUs will be an "evolution" in design, rather than a "revolution" over existing Zen 5 chips.

Given the chiplet design, this could point to AMD giving more cores access to its powerful 3D V-cache tech, increasing the amount of L3 cache available to those cores. Current powerhouse gaming CPUs, such as the 12-core AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, split their cores across two CCDs, or chiplets. Only one chiplet on that CPU has direct access to the all-important 3D V-cache, which helps improve gaming performance.

That's why the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with only eight cores, but with all cores able to access the extra L3 cache, is ultimately the better of the two CPUs for gaming, as our AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review explains.

Boosting the number of cores per CCD would allow for better gaming CPUs with more cores that can fully access the 3D V-cache. If it were to use the same half-and-half approach used in chips like the 9900X3D, for instance, that could mean a 24-core CPU with 12 cores able to use the 3D V-cache.

None of this information is confirmed, but we have seen Zen 6 rumors start to trickle out recently. That includes this recent AMD leak, which suggested that future Ryzen CPUs will feature multiple layers of 3D V-cache. That could potentially enable AMD to make a 12-core CPU with a massive 240MB of L3 cache, a change that could have a significant impact on gaming performance, without considering any other changes.

Zen 6 CPUs aren't expected to reach gamers until next year at the earliest, but we'll be eagerly watching to see what AMD cooks up for gamers. Until then, make sure to check out our best gaming PC guide for some solid AMD Ryzen-powered options to keep your gameplay flowing.

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