When it comes to PC hardware, the period between Christmas and New Year's Day is historically known as the calm before the storm known as CES, the annual technology event where a storm of announcements blows in. Will the new Threadripper 3980X processor be among them?

The 3980X has been the subject of rumors for at least several months, but so far AMD has not mentioned it. However, MyDrivers analyzed the code in the latest version of CPU-Z (v1.91) and found a reference to the unreleased part. I looked at it myself and confirmed that it is prominently jammed next to the 3990X.

CPU-Z is a common utility that gathers a variety of information about your setup, including processor details such as name, model number, codename, process node, package, and cache level. It is possible that developers have engineering samples of the 3980X in their hands or that AMD has provided information in anticipation of the CPU's release. Or it could be their assumption.

In any case, the 3980X is likely to appear. If so, it will almost certainly be 48 cores and 96 threads. Here's where this falls in AMD's current generation Threadripper hierarchy:

Of these processors, the 3970X and 3960X are already available, both on November 25, 2019. AMD has also announced the 3990X, the world's first 64-core and high-end desktop (HEDT) chips and said they will be available in 2020. My guess is that it will be announced at CES.

The 3980X will fill the only gap in the existing lineup. Of course, like all HEDT processors, it is overkill for a PC used solely for playing games. If one is looking for the best CPU for gaming, a "mainstream" desktop processor is the wiser choice (and in some cases even faster).

Still, the Threadripper lineup serves several purposes. It provides power users and enthusiasts with a high-end solution without stepping into true workstation territory, and it allows AMD to earn its bragging rights.

While we are fairly confident about the 3980X's core and thread count (assuming it exists), price is another matter. The price could be over $2,000 or AMD could reduce the MSRP of the 3970X and 3960X, positioning the 3980X in the $1,999 price range. This may also depend on the timing of AMD's announcement of the 3980X.