AMD shows off a prototype of the Ryzen 9 5950X3D
During the Ryzen 5000 era, AMD launched only one Ryzen 7 5800X3D, employing 3D V-Cache technology. Despite the introduction of three variants in the Ryzen 7000 era, only one CCD is equipped with a 3D V-Cache. In actuality, AMD does possess 12-core and 16-core samples equipped with dual 3D V-Cache CCDs, though they considered these unnecessary in the consumer market.
Gamers Nexus visited AMD’s testing and engineering labs in Austin, Texas, conducting an in-depth conversation with AMD’s Amit Mehra and Bill Alverson, revealing numerous stories behind the Zen architecture.
The appearance of AMD’s 3D V-Cache technology on the desktop resulted from an inadvertent circumstance. The technology was initially designed exclusively for servers, with only the EPYC server processors intended for 3D V-Cache implementation. However, during a prototype creation for 3D V-Cache EPYC, seven extra CCDs with 3D V-Cache were produced. As this was insufficient to create an EPYC processor, these CCDs were examined for their potential in the consumer desktop market.
AMD Ryzen 5000 Engineering Samples with 3D V-Cache, Source: GamersNexus
AMD utilized these CCDs to create 8-core, 12-core, and 16-core samples, eventually discovering the 3D V-Cache’s capability to provide an impressive gaming performance, leading to the birth of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D.
AMD showcased the 16-core called Ryzen 9 5950X3D and 12-core Zen 3 X3D processor samples to them, both featuring 3D V-Cache on two CCDs and boasting 192MB of L3 cache. However, the reason AMD didn’t launch these processors remained undisclosed. They did, however, mention the downside of having 3D V-Cache on two CCDs; the necessity of using the IF bus for inter-CCD communication would significantly increase kernel latency, offsetting the low kernel latency advantage brought by 3D V-Cache.
Therefore, AMD initially didn’t consider launching any Ryzen X3D processors with more than 8 cores. Nevertheless, related research undoubtedly continued, culminating in the launch of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D this year.
