Rumored Intel Nova Lake CPUs May Feature Up to 16 P-Cores and 32 E-Cores with Double the Capacity

Intel’s upcoming Nova Lake series has finally been unveiled, shedding light on the anticipated core counts across its various CPU models.

As we look toward the future, Intel’s Nova Lake-S range promises to be the successor to the somewhat underwhelming Arrow Lake-S models. The Arrow Lake variants didn’t really hit the mark in terms of performance, so there’s a lot riding on the release of Nova Lake. While Intel has been pretty quiet about the specifics, a new update from Reddit user @Exist50 (shared via HXL) has surfaced, giving us a tantalizing glimpse into the potential specs of the Nova Lake-S, HX, U, and H models. And let me tell you, they definitely have our attention.

To give you a quick breakdown, Intel’s next CPU lineup may boast a top-tier configuration of 2*8 P-Cores and 16 E-Cores. This is a significant step up from the flagship Core Ultra 9 285K of the Arrow Lake-S. Along with this powerhouse, the Nova Lake-H lineup is expected to make waves in the mobile sector. Here’s how the configurations stack up across the board:

– NVL-SK: 2*8+16
– NVL-HX: 1*8+16
– NVL-S/NVL-H: 4+8
– NVL-U: 4+0

Looking into the details, Nova Lake-S seems poised to deliver up to 16 P-Cores and 32 E-Cores. The likely use of a dual compute tile aims to beef up core counts in anticipation of AMD’s upcoming Zen 6 line, which is rumored to feature up to 32 cores per CCD.

Marking its territory as a true successor to the Arrow Lake-S lineup, Nova Lake-S is expected to fall under the “Core Ultra 400” series—a shift from the anticipated Panther Lake-centered “Core Ultra 300” series that isn’t expected to be widely available on mainstream desktops. While further details remain under wraps, we know these chips will supposedly utilize Coyote Core P-Cores and Arctic Wolf E-Cores. With a planned launch for next year, stay tuned for more updates on the Nova Lake developments.

Now, let’s take a look at how Intel’s desktop CPU generations compare with what we’ve got coming next:

| 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 | DDR5? | PCIe Gen 6.0? | 2026 |
| Razer Lake (Core Ultra 500?) | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | 2027? |

As Intel strides into the next era of CPUs, the anticipation builds for what Nova Lake will bring to the table. With its planned innovations and enhanced performance, it’s certainly an exciting time in the realm of desktop processors.