Intel Nova Lake-S CPUs Leak: Up to 52 Cores, Major TDP Jump, and Stacked Configurations

Intel’s upcoming Nova Lake-S desktop CPUs have been leaked, and they mark a bold step forward-or at least a chaotic one-in Intel’s high-performance ambitions. The new chips, expected to fall under the “Core Ultra 400” lineup, will feature a maximum of 52 cores, consisting of 16 Performance cores (P-cores), 32 Efficiency cores (E-cores), and 4 Low-Power E-cores (LP-E). That’s over double the core count of the current flagship, the Core Ultra 9 285K.

The CPUs will run on the new LGA 1854 socket and are paired with Intel’s upcoming 900-series motherboards. Notably, the platform includes support for over 10,000 MT/s memory speeds via the upgraded memory controller and CUDIMM technology, targeting elite PC enthusiasts and creators chasing maximum bandwidth.

At the high end, the Core Ultra 9 SKU boasts the full 52-core configuration with a 150W TDP, a massive increase in raw parallelism compared to Arrow Lake. There’s also a 42-core part (14P + 24E + 4 LP-E), which may slot into either the Ultra 7 or 9 tier.

Even mid-range SKUs like the Core Ultra 5 are pushing core counts aggressively, with configurations like 8P + 16E + 4 LP-E cores. Entry-level chips, such as the Core Ultra 3, start at 4P + 4E + 4 LP-E with a modest 65W TDP.

This leak stirred up plenty of reactions online-some in awe of the sheer specs, others skeptical about the practicality of 30+ E-cores. Critics argue that while Intel has increased core counts, the real-world performance may be bottlenecked by OS-level thread scheduling and power balancing issues, especially with so many low-power cores competing for resources.

Whether this aggressive move pays off or ends up as a meme-worthy flop will depend on how well Intel’s thread director and software optimization keep up with the hardware explosion. But one thing’s for sure: the core war is heating up again-and we’re here for it.