Just when you thought AMD was done with releasing older-gen CPUs, there's now work the company may be gearing up to release a Ryzen 7 7700X3D. According to hardware leaker chi11edog, who has a pretty good track record, this is set to be a lower-binned version of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. That means we could be seeing a new AM5 CPU hit the market at a time when DDR5 pricing is heading up with the next intergalactic mission to Mars, using silicon deemed not good enough for another X3D chip.

What this does mean, if true and we see such a SKU hit the market, is that AMD is preparing to continue mounting pressure on Intel with yet more gaming-focused options at the lower end. It could provide an upgrade path for those with an existing 7000-series chip from AMD without 3D V-Cache, providing a more affordable way to improve performance without spending a small mortgage on a new discrete GPU. What will make or break this CPU is pricing, but AMD has been pretty good with its old-but-new CPU launches.

Taking aim at budget-conscious gamers

With yet another 7000-series AMD Ryzen X3D CPU

AMD launching the Ryzen 7 7700X3D would round off the 7000 series of chips with not four but six SKUs with 3D V-Cache. That's an impressive number of models and prices, targeting just about everyone who has an AM5 motherboard but doesn't wish to take the jump up to a more modern 9000 CPU. Compared to the existing Ryzen 7 7800X3D, the 7700X3D would have the same eight-core configuration with a slightly reduced boost speed of 4.5 GHz, and that's about it. According to the report, covered by Tom's Hardware, it'll have the same cache and TDP.

Here's how the Ryzen 7 7700X3D would be positioned in the 7000 X3D series, if the specification leak is accurate.

That clock speed reduction isn't huge, but X3D chips are locked, meaning you can't increase the clock speed using the default motherboard BIOS. It is possible to improve things with PBO and undervolting the chip slightly, but even then, you'll be playing with fire since these will be stripped 7800X3D chips. Though it's believed this mysterious X3D CPU would have the same TDP as its sibling, I'd wager we'd see a few degrees off the usual load readings from gaming.

Exciting times ahead

Though the price of PC parts is borderline ridiculous at this point, it's positive to see AMD continue to look at existing consumers locked onto the AM5 platform with older CPUs. By releasing lower-binned SKUs like the 7700X3D, it provides more points of entry for those who don't have an X3D CPU without either spending too much or sacrificing a little more than they could if such a chip were already available. For reference, the 7800X3D launched in 2023 for $449. It can be picked up today for less than $380.

If I were a betting individual, I'd hazard a guess we'd be looking at the $300-350 range, should the 7700X3D come to be. Aside from these specifications and the SKU, we don't yet know anything else about the CPU, so it may not launch, be limited in supply, or even be restricted to prebuilt systems with OEM partners. Still, it's an interesting development for the AMD Ryzen 7000 series, to be sure.