New AMD Zen 6 leak reveals massive 50% 3D V-Cache and 50% core count increase

Thanks to numerous reports that have surfaced over the past months, we have a good idea about AMD’s planned upgrades for the Zen 6 CPU architecture. CPU core count increase, bump in the L3 cache size, and boosting clock speeds appear to be the key areas AMD is focusing on to deliver a meaningful performance bump over Zen 5.

On the topic of increasing the CPU core count and L3 cache sizes, we now have more confirmation about AMD’s plans.

According to information shared by HXL on X, AMD is increasing the per-CCD core count to 12 for Zen 6 CPUs. This is a 50% increase over the current Zen 5 Ryzen 9000 CPUs that use 8-core CCDs. So, the 16-core flagship Ryzen 9 9950X employs two 8-core CCDs. Going by this, the Zen 6 flagship CPU could have as many as 24 total cores and a whopping 48 threads.

Additionally, AMD could be developing 32-core CCDs for use in the AMD Epyc server CPUs. To fit 32 cores on a single CCD, the cores themselves need to be considerably smaller than the client Zen 6 CPUs. So, it is likely 32x Zen 6c cores per CCD instead of the full-fat Zen 6 CPU cores.

AMD Zen 6 L3 and 3D V-Cache sizes

As we’ve reported previously, Zen 6 CPUs are also getting more L3 cache than Zen 5 CPUs. HXL reports around 48 MB L3 cache per CCD for the client “Olympic Ridge” Zen 6 SKUs and a massive 128 MB L3 cache per CCD for server chips.

For reference, the Ryzen 9 9950X has 32 MB of L3 cache per CCD for a total of 64 MB.

So, the increased L3 cache could mean 96 MB total for the dual-CCD Ryzen 9 Zen 6 flagship chip. While this is a big deal for general consumers, a per-CCD L3 cache of 48 MB is also a pretty big deal for gamers.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the fastest gaming CPU currently on the market, has one CCD with 8 cores, 16 threads, and 32 MB of L3 cache. A single 64 MB 3D V-Cache stack placed underneath the CCD brings the total L3 cache to 96 MB. If Zen 6 indeed brings 48 MB L3 cache per CCD, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s successor will enjoy 112 MB of total L3 cache if AMD keeps the same 3D V-Cache amount.

This is where things get interesting, as Kepler_L2 replies to HXL’s post that AMD is also increasing the total 3D V-Cache from 64 to 96 MB. Combined with 48 MB of L3 cache for a Zen 6 CCD, a future Ryzen 7 X3D CPU could boast 12 cores and a gigantic 144 MB of L3 cache.

Suffice it to say, if AMD does release a Zen 6 X3D chip with 144 MB of cache, 12 cores, and increased clock speeds compared to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Team Red could retain the gaming crown for another generation. But this is only speculation based on rumored information. So, what form the final Zen 6 CPUs take remains unconfirmed.

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