Recent details about Intel’s upcoming Nova Lake lineup have emerged, shedding light on the rumored core counts for different CPU variants.
Intel’s Nova Lake-S Desktop CPUs: A Promising Successor to Arrow Lake-S with Enhanced Core Specifications
Intel’s Arrow Lake series didn’t quite hit the mark, leaving enthusiasts wanting more. As the performance of the ARL-S variants didn’t meet expectations, many are now looking at Nova Lake with renewed hope. Although Intel has been tight-lipped about Nova Lake, a fresh leak from a Redditor known as @Exist50, pointed out by HXL, has unveiled some intriguing specifications for the Nova Lake-S, HX, U, and H lineups.
Nova Lake Configuration Rumors
NVL-SK: 28+16
NVL-HX: 18+16
NVL-S/NVL-H: 4+8
NVL-U: 4+0
— HXL (@9550pro) January 31, 2025
The buzz surrounding Intel’s future CPUs suggests that the maximum core setup could feature 2*8 P-Cores along with 16 E-Cores. This represents a significant leap over Arrow Lake-S’s flagship CPU, the Core Ultra 9 285K. Moreover, Nova Lake-H is set to make its debut in the mobile market. Here’s how Nova Lake’s core configuration plays out:
- NVL-SK: 2*8+16
- NVL-HX: 1*8+16
- NVL-S/NVL-H: 4+8
- NVL-U: 4+0
The data indicates that Intel’s Nova Lake-S could potentially offer up to 16 P-Cores and 32 E-Cores. Intel seems to be aiming for a dual compute tile design, boosting core numbers to take on AMD’s forthcoming Zen 6 processors, which are anticipated to elevate core configurations to an impressive 32 cores per CCD.
The Nova Lake-S Desktop CPUs are poised to be the true successors to the Arrow Lake-S series and expected to be part of the "Core Ultra 400" range. In contrast, the "Core Ultra 300" will utilize Panther Lake CPU architecture, but these won’t be hitting mainstream desktop platforms. With Coyote Core P-Cores and Arctic Wolf E-Cores likely in the mix, that’s about the sum of current details, but with the anticipated launch next year, more specifics are bound to surface soon.
Comparison of Intel Desktop CPU Generations:
| Intel CPU Family | Processor Process | Processor Architecture | Graphics Architecture | Processors Cores/Threads (Max) | Platform | Memory Support | PCIe Support | Launch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alder Lake (12th Gen) | Intel 7 | Golden Cove (P-Core) Gracemont (E-Core) | HD 700 Series | 16/24 | LGA 1700/1800 | DDR5 / DDR4 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2021 |
| Raptor Lake (13th Gen) | Intel 7 | Raptor Cove (P-Core) Gracemont (E-Core) | HD 700 Series | 24/32 | LGA 1700/1800 | DDR5 / DDR4 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2022 |
| Raptor Lake Refresh (14th Gen) | Intel 7 | Raptor Cove (P-Core) Gracemont (E-Core) | HD 700 Series | 24/32 | LGA 1700/1800 | DDR5 / DDR4 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2023 |
| Arrow Lake (Core Ultra 200) | TSMC N3B | Lion Cove (P-Core) Skymont (E-Core) | Xe1 (Alchemist) | 24/24 | LGA 1851 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2024 |
| Arrow Lake Refresh (Canceled) | TSMC N3B? | Lion Cove (P-Core) Skymont (E-Core) | Xe1 (Alchemist) | TBD | LGA 1851 | DDR5 | PCIe Gen 5.0 | 2025 |
| Nova Lake (Core Ultra 400?) | TBA | Coyote Cove (P-Core) Arctic Wolf (E-Core) | TBA | TBA | TBA | DDR5? | PCIe Gen 6.0? | 2026 |
| Razer Lake (Core Ultra 500?) | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | 2027 |
Now, with Nova Lake on the horizon, the anticipation builds as we await more in-depth details that promise to redefine desktop performance once again.
