Intel unveils 22‑core Nova Lake CPUs with massive cache for gaming

Intel’s upcoming Nova Lake desktop family is set to launch with two new Core Ultra 5 SKUs featuring 22 cores—six performance P‑cores, twelve efficiency E‑cores and four low‑power LP‑E cores—each equipped with a 144 MB big Last‑Level Cache (bLLC). One SKU will be unlocked with a 125 W TDP, while the other will run at 65 W. The leak also notes that dual‑tile variants could double the cache to 288 MB for higher‑end models.

Further rumors describe a broader Nova Lake lineup, including an 18‑core configuration and a flagship dual‑compute‑tile design reaching up to 52 cores and consuming as much as 474 W (potentially over 700 W in short bursts). These chips will require a new LGA‑1954 socket and the Z990 chipset, supporting DDR5‑8000, PCIe 5.0, Xe‑3 graphics and Thunderbolt 5. Intel’s 18 A process is already in risk production, with plans to move to 14 A by 2028.