AMD Ryzen 9000X3D CPUs could be delayed to CES 2025, leaving the door open for Intel Arrow Lake

AMD's Ryzen 9000X3D processors won't be with us until early 2025, with a reveal planned for the next-gen 3D V-Cache CPUs at CES 2025 - or that's the latest rumor.

The news comes from HXL, a regular leaker on X, who offers up a very short and simple post as you can see above. The tweet was spotted by Wccftech, which backs up the notion of a CES 2025 launch for Ryzen 9000X3D in the thread on X, and shares in a separate report that AMD has told its motherboard partners that the release timeframe has indeed been pushed back.

Previously, those motherboard vendors had been informed by AMD that Ryzen 9000X3D chips were going to launch later in 2024 (as ASUS recently leaked, in fact), but apparently that isn't the case any longer.

Of course, this 'delay' is merely a canceling out of previous rumors of a 2024 launch, of which there were admittedly a few (including a claim of a September release at one point). Who knows - those earlier rumors could have been wrong, and AMD might have always been shooting for CES 2025, which would be roughly in line with the typical release cadence for X3D following the launch of vanilla Zen 5 processors, after all.

That said, the amount of buzz around the 9000X3D in late 2024 speculation suggests there was something to it, including (purported) updates to motherboard vendors.

As ever with the land of rumors, we may never know the truth, but this is definitely a blow for those hoping to get X3D chips for Zen 5 sooner rather than later.

Fizzling chips

It may also be a blow to AMD's chances in the CPU wars, with Ryzen 9000 landing with something of a fizzle - at least in terms of gaming performance - and Intel's Arrow Lake apparently now ready to hit the shelves in October 2024 (whereas other rumors in the past have suggested a later in 2024 launch).

In short, Ryzen 9000 X3D could have run some serious interference with Arrow Lake if it had launched around the same time, but apparently that's not to be. Again, though, we can't be sure how Arrow Lake's launch will play out, and if it will indeed make an October timeframe for release.

If this unfurls like so, that'd obviously be some good news for Intel - some much needed positivity, in fact - the only potential fly in the ointment being whether consumers have been somewhat put off Core CPUs in general, given those rather nasty instability problems with Team Blue's current and last-gen chips.