AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D chip teardown reveals shiny blue 3D V-cache stack under Zen 5 CCD

AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D has been taken apart to reveal the next-generation 3D V-cache stack that sits beneath the Zen 5 CCD.

Chip teardown reveals 2nd generation 3D V-Cache stack on AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU

Update (11/07/2024) – It looks like the shiny blue part of the cube is the Zen 5 CCD itself, while the gold part is the 3D V-cache stack.

pic.twitter.com/qI4hMX6G8a

— Huang514613 (@94G8LA) November 7, 2024

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D launches today, but one brave soul has completely dismantled its chip to reveal the secrets of the 3D V-Cache. User “万扯淡” on the social media platform Weibo posted a video introducing the Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, but that’s not all. He goes one step further and tears apart the entire CCD to see what's underneath.

While removing the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU with a special tool is pretty easy, it looks like the person didn't have access to such a tool and instead resorted to a heat gun to melt the solder away from under the IHS then take it apart. Removing the chip we can see the CCD and IO chip, the only two chiplets used in this particular SKU. We previously posted a Delid photo of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which looks remarkably similar to the expected 9700X.

Since one cannot see the 3D V-cache stack or CCD without removing the protective shield over the chip, the user took a screw to rip open the CCD, initially revealing the Zen 5 CCD layers. The CCD was further punctured to reveal the shiny blue 3D V-cache stack, this time lying beneath the CCD. The user compared it to an already disassembled 7800X3D that has the shiny gold 3D V-cache stack over the CCD.

With this new 3D V-cache stacking approach, AMD has improved the thermal headroom of its Zen 5 X3D CPUs, enabling higher clock speeds and full overclocking capabilities. There's a reason why the Ryzen 7 9800X3D performs better than the 9700X, even though the former runs at lower clock speeds. Now there are reports that AMD may be exploring more advanced X3D packaging techniques. Time will tell if we will see these in action.

Nonetheless, 3D V-Cache has been a game-changer since its introduction with the 5800X3D, and the 9800X3D continues to live up to its name as the world's fastest gaming chip.