AMD Confirms Ryzen 7 5800X3D With 3D V-Cache Coming Spring 2022, Next-Gen Zen 4 Ryzen ‘Raphael’ CPUs Coming To Socket AM5 In 2H 2022

AMD is going to launch not only but two new Ryzen CPUs for the Desktop segment, their Zen 3 'Vermeer-X' and Zen 4 'Raphael', in 2022.

AMD will have two brand new desktop processors for the consumer segment this year. To kick off things, AMD will release the first chip utilizing its brand new cache stacking technology, 3D V-Cache and that will be followed by a brand new CPU lineup featuring the Zen 4 core architecture on the next-generation AM5 platform.

The first Ryzen update will come in Spring 2022 with the launch of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, an 8 core and 16 thread chip based on the Zen 3 core architecture. The CPU will feature a single 3D V-Cache stack that incorporates 64 MB of L3 cache and sits on top of the TSV's already featured on existing Zen 3 CCD's. The cache will add upon the existing 32 MB of L3 cache for a total of 96 MB per CCD. The first outing will include 1 3D V-Cache stack per chiplet so we are looking at a total of 192 MB cache on the top Ryzen SKU. However, AMD states that the V-Cache stack can go up to 8-hi which means a single CCD can technically offer up to 512 MB of L3 cache in addition to the 32 MB cache per Zen 3 CCD (though this is reserved for the future generation of Zen CPUs).

AMD has thinned out the Zen 3 CCD and the V-Cache so they have the same Z-height as the current Zen 3 processors rather than varying heights between the cores and the IOD. Since the V-Cach sits on top of the CCD L3 cache, it doesn't affect the heat output of the core and has minimal power up ticks.

In terms of specifications, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D will offer 8 cores and 16 threads. It will rock a base clock of 3.4 GHz and a boost clock of 4.5 GHz which is a slight decrease over the 4.7 GHz of the Non-3D Ryzen 7 5800X. The CPU will carry 32 MB of L3 cache on die and 64 MB of cache off-die within the vertical stacks. The CPU will retain its 105W TDP and is expected to be the only Ryzen 3D V-Cache chip launching in Spring 2022 for the AM4 platform.

AMD Ryzen 'Zen 3D' Desktop CPU Expected Features:

AMD has promised up to 15% performance improvement in gaming versus their current lineup and having the new CPU compatible on the existing AM4 platform means that users running older chips can upgrade without any hassle of upgrading their whole platform.

Whether or not AMD's Vermeer-X would be a success is a matter of timing as the chip will launch just a few quarters prior to the launch of AMD's next main upgrade to the Ryzen platform and this is a big one. Enter Raphael, the next-generation of Ryzen Desktop CPUs featuring the Zen 4 core architecture which utilizes the brand new 5nm process technology and is supported by an all-new AM5 platform.

AMD even showcased a working prototype of its Ryzen 7000 series Zen 4 CPU running at 5 GHz across all cores in Halo Infinite.

AMD Ryzen 7000  'Zen 4' Desktop CPU Expected Features:

The next-generation Zen 4 based Ryzen Desktop CPUs will be codenamed Raphael and will replace the Zen 3 based Ryzen 5000 Desktop CPUs that are codenamed, Vermeer. From the information we currently have, Raphael CPUs will be based on the 5nm Zen 4 core architecture & will feature 6nm I/O dies in a chiplet design. AMD has hinted at upping the core counts of its next-gen mainstream desktop CPUs so we can expect a slight bump from the current max of 16 cores and 32 threads.

The brand new Zen 4 architecture is rumored to deliver up to 25% IPC gain over Zen 3 and hit clock speeds of around 5 GHz. AMD's upcoming Ryzen 3D V-Cache chips based on the Zen 3 architecture will be featuring stacked chiplets so that design is expected to be carried over to AMD's Zen 4 line of chips too.

As for TDP requirements, the AMD AM5 CPU platform will feature six different segments starting with the flagship 170W CPU class which is recommended for Liquid coolers (280mm or higher). It looks like this will be an aggressively clocked chip with higher voltages and with CPU overclocking support. This segment is followed by 120W TDP CPUs which are recommended to utilize a high-performance air-cooler. Interestingly, the 45-105W variants are listed as SR1/SR2a/SR4 thermal segments which means they would require standard heatsink solutions when running in a stock configuration so not much else is required to keep them cool.

As the images reveal, the AMD Ryzen Raphael Desktop CPUs will feature a perfect square shape (45x45mm) but will house a very chonky integrated heat spreader or IHS. The particular reasoning behind it being so dense is unknown but it could be to balance out the thermal load across multiple chiplets or some entirely another purpose. The sides are similar to the IHS featured on the Intel Core-X line of HEDT CPUs.

As for the platform itself, the AM5 motherboards will feature the LGA1718 socket which is going to last quite some time. The platform will feature DDR5-5200 memory, 28 PCIe lanes, more NVMe 4.0 & USB 3.2 I/O, and may also ship with native USB 4.0 support. There will be at least two 600-series chipsets for AM5 initially, the X670 flagship and B650 mainstream. The X670 chipset motherboards are expected to feature both PCIe Gen 5 and DDR5 memory support but due to an increase in size, it is reported that ITX boards will only feature B650 chipsets.

The Raphael Ryzen Desktop CPUs are also expected to feature RDNA 2 onboard graphics which means that just like Intel's mainstream desktop lineup, AMD's mainstream lineup will also feature iGPU graphics support. In regards to how many GPU cores there will be on the new chips, rumors say anywhere from 2-4 (128-256 cores). This will be lesser than the RDNA 2 CU count featured on the soon-to-be-released Ryzen 6000 APUs 'Rembrandt' but enough to keep Intel's Iris Xe iGPUs at bay.

The Zen 4 based Raphael Ryzen CPUs aren't expected till late 2022 so there's still a lot of time left in the launch. The lineup will compete against Intel's Raptor Lake 13th Gen Desktop CPU lineup.