Intel's new Core Ultra 200S series processors will be available in just a few days on October 24, so it's fitting that we're seeing some news from AMD about its own next-gen chips.
In a two-slide presentation, AMD officially announced its upcoming X3D desktop processors based on Zen 5 architecture. AMD and Intel have been long-standing competitors in the Windows laptop arena, but AMD clearly feels confident that it has an edge in gaming, claiming "Next-gen gaming is almost here" in its first slide.
We can't say for sure whether that's the case since the chips haven't been officially launched yet — the release date is November 7 — but we do have some leaks to sustain our interest.
What to expect from AMD's Ryzen X3D desktop CPUs
The first next-gen X3D processor to launch will likely be AMD's 9800X3D chip, which is rumored to feature 8, 12, or 16 cores, a 4.7GHz base clock, a boost clock of 5.2GHz or higher, and a 28% multi-core performance increase over the Ryzen 7 7800X3D for the 8-core variant according to VideoCardz.
Leaked results from an MSI presentation published and since-deleted by HardwareLuxx suggest that performance gains might not be that substantial for the larger 16-core variant. The 16-core 9000X3D processor may only be about 18% faster (multi-core) than the 7000X3D.
Regardless of overall performance boosts, AMD is promising an improved gaming experience with these new chips. Considering our positive gaming experience with AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 in our Asus Zenbook S16 review, we're hopeful the "next-gen gaming" claim is more than just marketing.
Intel's VP of client computing group, Robert Hallock, told The Verge "I think we'll be about five percent back versus X3D parts," speaking about AMD's existing 7800 X3D chip, so it's a safe bet AMD might be the more obvious choice over Intel for gamers building or upgrading a PC in the near future.
While AMD chose to leave off pertinent details on performance and pricing for its upcoming X3D processors, the company did use a slide to launch an early Black Friday promotion that starts on October 20.
Right now, you can pick up a 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 9950X for up to $50 less, and take up to $30 off AMD's 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X, 8-core Ryzen 7 9700X, and 6-core Ryzen 5 9600X.
