Intel Nova Lake Desktop CPUs Set to Boost Single-Thread Performance by Over 10% and Multi-Threaded Performance by 60%, Enhancing Gaming Leadership

Recent reports suggest exciting performance benchmarks for Intel’s upcoming Nova Lake CPUs, indicating impressive single-thread performance (ST) improvements exceeding 10% and multi-thread performance (MT) enhancements reaching up to 60%.

Performance Projections for Intel’s Nova Lake CPUs: A Leap in Single and Multi-Threaded Performance

An intriguing internal Intel marketing slide has circulated online, highlighting the anticipated performance of Intel’s Nova Lake-S desktop CPU lineup. While there’s a level of credibility to this leak, it’s important for readers to approach these figures with caution, as they are still estimations from Intel that could vary significantly by the final release.

The image shared by @G_melo_ding outlines that Intel is targeting over a 10% increase in single-thread performance and upwards of 60% in multi-thread performance with the new Nova Lake-S CPUs. Notably, it’s crucial to differentiate that the 10% metric pertains solely to single-thread performance rather than instructions per cycle (IPC).The Nova Lake-S processors will incorporate cutting-edge Coyote Cove P-Cores alongside Arctic Wolf E-Cores, signifying a major architectural evolution expected to yield notable performance gains.

Intel Nova Lake-S Desktop CPUs — Image Source: @G_melo_ding

However, the comparison basis for the Nova Lake-S CPUs—whether against Arrow Lake-S or Raptor Lake-S—remains ambiguous. Previously, Arrow Lake-S CPUs reported an 8% improvement in single-thread performance and a 15% boost in multi-core performance compared to their Raptor Lake counterpart. The anticipated single-core enhancements appear consistent with the performance gains of the Arrow Lake-S, while the multi-core boosts may align as well given that Nova Lake-S will support up to 52 cores compared to the 24 cores of Arrow Lake-S’s top models.

Nova Lake-S ST/MT Improvement vs. Arrow Lake-S: >10% / >60%
Arrow Lake-S ST/MT Improvement vs. Raptor Lake-S: +8% / +15%

Intel branding these new chips as the “Ultimate Performance and Efficiency”package with “Leadership Gaming Performance”suggests they may challenge AMD’s Ryzen processors. However, by the time Nova Lake-S CPUs launch, they will also face competition from next-generation Ryzen products built on the Zen 6 architecture.

Additionally, the introduction of a new Low-Power Island, incorporating four LP-E cores based on the Arctic Wolf architecture, is noteworthy. User Meng has provided insights—albeit somewhat misinterpreted—indicating that there will be significant bLLC (big Last Level Cache) variants, with Core Ultra 9 featuring up to 180 MB of LLC and Core Ultra 7 CPUs providing up to 144 MB of LLC. For context, AMD’s Ryzen 9 CPUs currently offer up to 128 MB of L3 cache, while Ryzen 7 models can reach 96 MB. Here’s a comparative overview:

Core Ultra 9 with bLLC: Up to 180 MB
Ryzen 9 with 3D V-Cache: Up to 128 MB
Core Ultra 7 with bLLC: Up to 144 MB
Ryzen 7 with 3D V-Cache: Up to 96 MB

Prior reports indicated that Intel’s bLLC Nova Lake-S configurations will include 8+16 and 8+12 designs, integrating four additional LP-E cores, with thermal design power (TDP) ratings set at 125W. The flagship comparison reveals the Core Ultra 9 expected to feature a formidable total of 52 cores—comprising 16 P-Cores, 32 E-Cores, and an extra 4 LP-E cores.

In contrast, the current top-performing WeU, the Core Ultra 9 285K, includes 8 P-Cores and 16 E-Cores, totaling 24 cores without any additional LP-E cores. This comparison highlights a substantial increase—2.16 times more cores and threads than previous models, with double the count of both P- and E-cores. The new chip is anticipated to operate at a maximum TDP of 150W.

Comparative Analysis: Nova Lake-S vs. Arrow Lake-S

Parameter	Nova Lake-S	Arrow Lake-S
Maximum Core Count	52	24
Maximum Thread Count	52	24
Maximum P-Core	16	8
Maximum E-Core	32	16
Maximum LP-E Cores	4	0
Memory Speed (DDR5 1DPC 1R)	8000 MT/s	6400 MT/s
Maximum PCIe 5.0 Lanes	36	24
Maximum PCIe 4.0 Lanes	16	4
Socket Type	LGA 1954	LGA 1851
Maximum TDP	150W	125W
Expected Launch Date	2026	2H 2024

Intel’s Nova Lake-S CPUs are projected to be released in 2026, utilizing the latest Intel LGA 1954 socket technology. This means we have some time before witnessing these innovative processors in action. However, prior to this launch, a refresh of the Arrow Lake-S lineup might be expected, though significant enhancements would be surprising since these will predominantly share architecture with existing models, featuring only minor updates.

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