Intel’s upcoming Nova Lake CPUs are set to compete head-to-head with AMD’s Ryzen X3D series, which have already proven their worth in gaming performance thanks to their innovative 3D V-Cache. Although Intel’s current gaming performance has lagged behind AMD’s impressive Ryzen 5800X3D, 7800X3D, and 9800X3D, the company is gearing up to launch a formidable response.
Intel’s next-generation chips, slated for release in 2026, will bring significant upgrades in core counts and cache sizes to help them keep pace with the competition.
These new Nova Lake CPUs will feature up to 24 cores on a single compute tile, and the higher-end models will have larger caches, particularly in the Core Ultra 9 and Core Ultra 7 variants. Intel is also set to introduce its own version of AMD’s 3D V-Cache, known as “bLLC” (big LLC), on certain variants to improve gaming and multi-threaded performance.
The Core Ultra 9, for example, will pack a whopping 16 P-Cores and 32 E-Cores, along with 4 LP-E cores for a total of 150W power draw. The Core Ultra 7 will come in slightly lower configurations, with 14 P-Cores and 24 E-Cores, offering 144 MB of LLC. Meanwhile, the Core Ultra 5 will come in various configurations, including one with 8 P-Cores, 12 E-Cores, and 4 LP-E cores, all clocking in at 125W.
Intel’s strategy with these chips is clear: go big on cache and core count to rival AMD’s 3D V-Cache designs, while also offering a more flexible architecture to ensure good gaming performance. However, the real heavy hitters-those boasting up to 48 cores-are expected to arrive a quarter after the initial launch. These higher-core-count chips will not feature the “bLLC” tech and will rely on a single compute tile. The dual-compute tile options are expected to be more challenging to produce, but they’ll likely offer massive performance boosts once they hit the market.
Though the Nova Lake chips are still a while away, the excitement around their potential has already begun to build. With performance targets like over 10% better single-threaded performance and a massive 60% improvement in multi-threaded workloads, Intel is preparing to give AMD a run for its money in the high-performance CPU market.