Core Ultra 400: Up to 52 cores, confusing classes and Thunderbolt 5
Intel's next desktop processor generation, Nova Lake-S, is said to feature a Core Ultra 7 with more CPU cores than a 9.
Intel's current series of desktop CPUs, Core Ultra 200, will soon get a successor.
(Image: Mark Mantel / heise medien)
A preliminary list shows the first 12 alleged core configurations from Intel's next generation of desktop processors, Nova Lake-S. The as-yet-unnamed top model is expected to receive 52 CPU cores: 16 Performance-cores, 32 Efficient-cores, and four Low-Power Efficient-cores. Also included: a huge “Big Last Level Cache” (bLLC) of presumably 288 MByte.
The configurations are said to range down to a six-core model, which combines only two Performance-cores with four Low-Power Efficient-cores. The list shown by Videocardz is said to have been recently shared by Intel with partners.
According to the list, Intel divides the desktop processors from the Nova Lake family into four power classes with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 175, 125, 65, and 35 watts. The classification into Core Ultra 9, 7, 5, and 3 is said to apply within each TDP class, and the cache size is also said to influence the classification.
(Image:Â Videocardz)
Confusing core configurations
According to current plans, this leads to confusion: a Core Ultra 5 with a TDP of up to 125 watts could have 22 cores, while a more economical Core Ultra 7 only has 16. At the same time, a 22-core model could appear as a Core Ultra 9, namely as a 65-watt model with 144 MByte bLLC.
Nova Lake processors with more than 28 cores use two Compute Dies instead of one to double the Performance-cores, Efficient-cores, and cache. Here, Intel might introduce a classification above Core Ultra 9. In the case of the Panther Lake notebook processor series, for example, there is the Core Ultra X9 with a powerful graphics unit.
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Thunderbolt 5 on board
All models are said to integrate the logic for Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 5. This should also lead to more motherboards with corresponding features appearing. The memory controllers are always said to be designed for DDR5-8000 RAM in dual-channel mode. All CPUs also feature a current AI accelerator (Neural Processing Unit, NPU). Nova Lake-S requires new boards with the LGA-1954 CPU socket. Intel plans to introduce the processors at the end of 2026.
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