When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works .
I made a huge mistake.It is U5 6+12+4 125W, NOT 6+8+4.So is the U9 6+12+4 65W.Sorry sorry sorry. July 3, 2026
The leaker accidentally tweeted out the wrong specs at first, so we've only embedded their correction post. According to the leak, each chip features a 22-core config comprising 6 P-Cores, 12 E-Cores, and 4 LP-E cores on a single tile. That would access to up to 144MB of bLLC. The rumor indicates one unlocked SKU with a 125W TDP and a locked SKU with a 65W TDP; there are seemingly no other differences between the two.
Dual-tile variants of Nova Lake-S could push the cache count up to 288MB, but those will likely be reserved for truly high-end SKUs. The Blue Team still offering a competitive midrange option with a lot of cache to help with gaming performance would be a welcome development. As a reminder, Nova Lake will likely use the Coyote Cove architecture for its P-cores and the Arctic Wolf architecture for its E-cores, according to leaks and rumors.
Previously, we covered how the alleged 42-core Nova Lake-S silicon could actually have 44 cores, combining 2x 8P+12E tiles, perhaps freeing up 6P+12E tiles that could be used for cheaper bLLC-equipped chips. At the time, we predicted that a Core Ultra 7 SKU with 22 cores could be the recipient of this silicon, but now this leak points toward it being used for Core Ultra 5 SKUs instead. Of course, the prospect of bLLC being limited to unlocked K-series models seems to have withered away at this point.
Nova Lake-S is shaping up to be a vast and expansive family for Intel with several SKUs that might not even make it to market by the time it launches as the Core Ultra 400 series next year. It remains to be seen how the company will name all these different models. So far, rumors indicate a CES 2027 announcement is imminent for Intel's next-gen family, but the ongoing component crisis could throw things off.
Intel's upcoming 42-core Nova Lake SKU allegedly upgraded to 44 cores
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/intel-reportedly-adding-two-new-22-core-skus-with-game-boosting-cache-to-nova-lake-s-lineup-125w-unlocked-and-65w-locked-part-rumored-to-be-part-of-single-tile-core-ultra-5-tier#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/subscription
- Joyride Through July With 12 Games Coming to GeForce NOW
- HP OmniBook Ultra 14 review: Potent Snapdragon performance, great endurance, premium pricing
- The Ultimate Summer Sale Pairing: Steam Sale Meets GeForce NOW Discounts
- Meta reportedly plans to rent out its AI compute, sending AI stocks tumbling — 'Meta Compute' would put company in direct competition with AWS
- Palantir CEO Alex Karp claims AI companies are stealing customers' data while charging them for unproductive tokens — says 'livid' businesses 'are paying for to
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.