AMD officially launches mobile X3D gaming chip exclusively in just one laptop 'for the foreseeable future'
AMD has just officially announced the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D—the first laptop processor to sport the company's excellent 3D V-Cache technology. And it's potentially one of the most exciting mobile gaming chips AMD has ever released, because it uses a hefty extra dollop of L3 cache to boost the frame rates of the majority of games.
I say potentially only because it's limiting the 3D V-Cache tech to its highest spec Zen 4 laptop chip, and then limiting that solo chip to an exclusivity deal with Asus alone. For one device, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 X3D.
«This will be available in one laptop,» AMD's Donny Woligroski tells us. «So, this will be exclusively available, for the foreseeable future, in the Asus ROG Strix Scar 17.»
After getting leaked earlier in the week, the machine will be launching on August 22nd this year, so a wee summer treat around Gamescom, then.
Architecture: AMD Zen 4Cores: 16Threads: 32Boost clock: 5.4GHzL2 cache: 16MBL3 cache: 128MBTDP: 55 — 75WGPU: AMD Radeon 610M
The chip is more or less identical to the Ryzen 9 7945HX laptop processor, but has the full 64MB of L3 cache bonded on top of one of its eight-core chiplets. It has the same TDP, and the same peak 5.4GHz clock speed (though likely that's only achievable on the chiplet not sporting the extra L3 hat).
I'm a big fan of that processor, and indeed the original Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 machine it launched in. Actually, I'm a bit sad it's not been used in more laptops.
But why is adding some extra cache to that already impressive chip important, and why would you want it in your gaming CPU? The basic answer is that this is how every manufacturer is squeezing some extra performance out of its hardware in an age where it's getting harder and harder to
Read more on pcgamer.com
