Intel’s upcoming Nova Lake CPUs could boast a drastic performance boost from prior generations thanks to an exponential increase in core count. The most-powerful processor of the bunch will apparently boast 16 Performance cores and 32 Efficient cores, giving Team Blue a potentially monstrous contender.
According to leaker HXL, Intel will design Nova Lake as follows:
- NVL-SK: 2*8+16
- NVL-HX: 1*8+16
- NVL-S/NVL-H: 4+8
- NVL-U: 4+0
The first (NVL-SK), represents unlocked desktop processors packing either 2×8 P-cores plus 16 E-cores, or 2×8 P-cores plus 2×16 E-cores. The way HXL wrote this configuration makes me wonder if Intel is planning a dual chiplet design like AMD’s Ryzen 9 series. This could mean that next-gen Intel Core Ultra 9 CPUs may house double the core count of current flagship, Core Ultra 9 285K.
Given the lukewarm reception of Arrow Lake processors, it’s exciting to think that Intel is ready to push its CPU designs out further with Nova Lake. If the brand can manage to increase core counts without requiring enormous amounts of power to drive them, the company could find itself back on top (or, at the very least, competitive).
On the mobile side (NVL-HX), the leaker talks about a maximum of 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores which is the same as the Arrow Lake’s Core Ultra 200HX series. As mobile SKUs, this P-core configuration is sufficient enough especially when backed by 16 E-cores to reduce power consumption. As for performance, the generational improvements should give them the edge over their predecessors, possibly backed by a newer and faster iGPU.
Lastly, we have more (NVL-S/NVL) mobile chips packing up to 4 P-cores alongside 8 E-cores, targeting mid-range desktops and laptops, respectively, followed by (NVL-U) U series aimed at ultra-thin devices, powered by only 4 P-cores.
While this is great press for Intel, company rivals AMD could also double core counts with its Zen 6 architecture. Team Blue also seemingly has no answer for Team Red’s 3D V-Cache technology, which has catapulted Ryzen 7 9800X3D to the top of practically every gaming leaderboard. Here’s hoping these whispers are the early signs of competition returning back to to the processor space.
