Engineering samples of Intel's next-generation Nova Lake-S desktop processors have been delivered to motherboard manufacturers for internal testing. Recently, a SKU named "Core Ultra 9 4950K" was leaked ahead of schedule, along with CPU-Z benchmark data, showing performance that comprehensively outperforms all current desktop processors.
In terms of specifications, the Core Ultra 9 4950K adopts a 28-core hybrid architecture, consisting of 8 P-cores, 16 E-cores, and 4 LPE cores, using the new LGA1954 socket and paired with the Z990 chipset.
In CPU-Z benchmarks, the 4950K scores nearly 1000 in single-core and close to 20,000 in multi-core tests. For comparison, the Core Ultra 9 285K scores 890 in single-core and 18,428 in multi-core, while the Ryzen 9 9950X3D scores 867 in single-core and 17,005 in multi-core.
Based solely on engineering sample data, the 4950K shows over an 11% improvement in both single-core and multi-core performance compared to the 285K, and over 11.5% and 17.6% improvement respectively compared to the Ryzen 9 9950X3D.
For integrated graphics, Nova Lake will upgrade to the Xe3P architecture, offering 20 to 25% better performance than the previous Xe3 generation.
Furthermore, judging by the naming convention, Intel will revert to four-digit numbering after the three-digit naming scheme used for Arrow Lake (Core Ultra 200 series) and Panther Lake (Core Ultra 300 series).
The main reason for returning to four-digit naming is the significant expansion of the Nova Lake-S product line, which will offer both single-compute and dual-compute unit versions, as well as special versions equipped with 144MB and 288MB bLLC large caches, making the three-digit numbering system insufficient.
Regarding the release schedule, Nova Lake-S is expected to be officially announced at CES 2027 in early 2027, with the initial launch of the 28-core base version without bLLC ultra-large cache in early 2027; versions with 144MB and 288MB bLLC large caches, as well as mid-to-low-end models, will be rolled out in the second half of 2027.
