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

Intel's next-gen desktop family, Nova Lake, is expected to take a generational leap in terms of performance, and a big part of that is the rumored introduction of bLLC (Big Last Level Cache). It would be the company's answer to AMD's X3D chips, but implemented even more aggressively, from what we can tell so far. Now, a new leak from Jaykihn says Intel has added two new Core Ultra 5 SKUs with bLLC to the lineup, both featuring 22 cores in total.

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.

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