AMD itself leaked the first reveal of its Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPU on its own French support page, which was picked up by X user Olrak29 on Sunday. By Monday, AMD removed the listing, but not before chip experts could take a look at the alleged specifications of the new chip refresh. This is another 8-core, 16-thread CPU for the AM5 socket. Like the 9800X3D, it runs at a top 120W TDP (thermal design power) and has 96MB of L3 cache (L3 is the largest version of memory storage on a single processor). Overall, rumors suggest that the chip will have the same specifications as before unless you look at the clock speeds. The new CPU can run up to 5.6GHz, which is 400MHz more than the 9800X3D.
AMD’s second-generation 3D V-Cache has proven time and again that it works better for gaming than anything coming from Intel. The technology creates a special stacked cache for the CPU, allowing it to have more, faster and more efficient memory, which proves especially important for gaming-related tasks. Compared to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the 9850X3D will seem like a barebones refresh. One constant factor is cost. The suggested retail price of the 9800X3D is $480, which isn’t cheap by any means.
That’s why I’m less excited about another expensive CPU than I would be if we had a confirmed lower-end AMD processor bearing the X3D moniker. Exactly a year ago, the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, built for the older AM4 socket with lower clock speeds, proved to be a great alternative to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. It offered quality gaming for hundreds of dollars less. Previous leaks of the speculated 9700X3D turned out to be bupkiss.
There have been several minor rumors from semi-reliable leakers, such as chi11edDog, that the X supports newer CPUs, such as the 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D2. Why the sequel naming convention? Because it will have a so-called “Dual 3D-V Cache” which will be equivalent to 192MB of L3 cache. This compares to just 128MB of L3 cache on the regular 9950X3D. It will also have a power draw of 200W, compared to 170W for the smaller CPU. The 9950X3D already costs $700, so I don’t even want to think about what the upgraded version might have.
We expect AMD to share more details in the coming months. While Qualcomm and Intel have shared information on their upcoming laptop-class chips—the Snapdragon X2 and Panther Lake, respectively—AMD has kept quiet. We may get more news during CES 2026, but AMD may spread the news throughout 2026. PC RAM prices have increased to such an extent that the price of once affordable memory sticks has quadrupled or quintupled. It would be nice to have at least one component that doesn’t force PC gamers to sell a leg or two just for an upgrade.
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