AMD 7000 series V-cache CPUs to fight a 13th gen Intel CPU that could hit 6GHz

Next-gen CPUs are coming soon, and probably sooner than expected. The latest rumors point to a September launch of AMD’s Zen 4 processors, while Intel’s 13th generation Raptor Lake competes (opens in new tab) Models will follow towards the end of the year.

The first skirmish between AMD and Intel for gaming supremacy will be interesting enough, but the best SKUs will be held back until after the first wave of launches. We already know that AMD plans to release 3D V-Cache equipped versions of some of its models. These will certainly offer improved gaming performance over non-3D Zen 4 models. Can Intel fight back? There’s a new rumor suggesting that Intel’s best chips could be able to reach up to 6GHz thanks to a mature process and architectural improvements.

The usual itchy Twitter fingerlicks, including @ Greymon55 (opens in new tab) suggests that Raphael-X (7000 series V-cache chips) will come “very quickly” after initial launch. Remember the 5800X3D (opens in new tab) launched nearly 18 months after the 5800X, so perhaps an early 2023 launch is a possibility. I would guess that a 2022 launch is unlikely as that would remain just three months after a September launch. However, there’s a reason AMD might break the emergency glass sooner. Intel’s 13th Gen CPUs could be very competitive.

That leads me to what Intel can bring to the fight. @OneRaichu (opens in new tab) indicates that Intel’s Raptor Lake CPUs can clock very well. There is a possibility that Intel can release a SKU that can clock up to 6 GHz. That would be incredible. The Intel 7 process is now mature and given that we’ve seen the 12900KS clock up to 5.5GHz (opens in new tab)some tweaks from Intel could stretch this to 6GHz for a hypothetical i9 13900KS.

This begs the question. Clocks or cache? cache or clocks? We take a look at what to expect when comparing the Ryzen 7 5800X3D to the Core i9 12900K or KS. The 5800X3D is widely considered to be the faster gaming CPU despite being clocked lower than the regular 5800X. That alone is undeniable proof that many (but not all) games benefit from massive amounts of L3 cache.

But the 12900K and KS are still excellent gaming processors. If Intel can add a few hundred more MHz for a 13900K/KS, plus the expected architectural improvements and cache increases, we could have a very interesting fight ahead.

Of course, the “fastest gaming CPU” is largely a marketing exercise by both companies. Performance is absolutely important, but so is price, power efficiency, features and performance in non-gaming applications. There is also the dependency on the GPU part of the equation. A system running games in 4K with full detail won’t tax the CPU nearly as much as a gamer chasing 360 fps in CS:GO with an RTX 3090. In the latter scenario, the CPU can make a big difference.

Can AMD overclock its X3D CPUs as high as non-X3D CPUs? That would offset losses in non-gaming applications counted against the 5800X3D. Can they overclock? Can stacked 5nm chiplets be kept cool?

What about Intel’s models? Will heat and power consumption concerns hold them back? Will they see higher clock speeds across the range? We love the i5 12400 (opens in new tab) Here at PC Gamer. An affordable 6C/12T i5-13400 that can go up to 5GHz without overclocking could be a very, very good gaming CPU indeed. A few E cores on the lower end i5s or i3s wouldn’t be unwelcome either.

There are many questions to be answered. We’ll try to answer them all and more as soon as we’ve diligently gleaned samples. There are also Nvidia’s RTX 40 GPUs (opens in new tab) and AMD’s RDNA 3 GPUs (opens in new tab) and the next few months are shaping up to be an extremely exciting time for gamers. I can barely wait for it.

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