Intel Core Ultra 9 4950K leaked as Nova Lake-S flagship with 28 cores

Intel's next-gen desktop flagship was apparently leaked, and along with it, we get a few unexpected changes.

A CPU-Z screenshot shared by leaker LC Tech Leaks points to a chip called the Core Ultra 9 4950K, reportedly an early engineering sample of Intel's Nova Lake-S lineup. If the name holds up, Intel appears to be ditching its three-digit Core Ultra naming and moving to four digits instead, something Intel-focused leaker Gotou_3rd says is confirmed, although the exact model number isn't final yet.

The chip itself sounds like a monster on paper. It's listed with 28 cores, split into 8 performance cores and 20 efficiency cores, running on an unreleased Z990 motherboard. The leaked benchmark shows a single-thread score near 1,000 and multi-thread near 20,000 in CPU-Z, numbers that would put it ahead of every current desktop CPU on the charts, including AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

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Of course, these are early engineering sample numbers, so clock speeds, power limits, and final silicon could all still change before launch. Leaked CPU-Z scores also don't tell us much about real-world gaming or productivity performance, so it's probably too early to get excited about beating AMD's X3D chips just yet.

Interestingly, this 28-core configuration reportedly isn't even the top of the Nova Lake-S stack. Intel is said to be planning a 52-core variant with two compute tiles for later in the cycle, likely arriving after the initial 28-core models hit shelves.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Question #1

How do the leaked CPU-Z single-thread and multi-thread scores for the 4950K compare to current desktop CPUs like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D?

The leaked CPU-Z shows the Core Ultra 9 4950K posting a single-thread score near 1,000 and a multi-thread score near 20,000. Those numbers would place it ahead of every current desktop CPU on the charts, explicitly including AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D. These are early engineering sample numbers, so clock speeds, power limits, and final silicon could still change before launch.

Answered

Question #2

Which motherboard socket and chipset is Nova Lake-S reportedly using for the 28-core engineering sample?

The 28-core engineering sample is reportedly running on a Z990 chipset motherboard and uses Intel's new LGA 1954 socket. These details come from the Nova Lake-S leak described in the article.

Answered

Question #3

Are the 28-core Nova Lake-S models expected to be the top SKUs, or is Intel planning larger variants?

The 28-core Nova Lake-S models are not expected to be the top SKUs. Intel is said to be planning a larger 52-core variant with two compute tiles that would arrive later in the cycle after the initial 28-core models hit shelves.

Answered

Question #4

Why should readers be cautious about the leaked CPU-Z benchmark numbers for the engineering sample?

Be cautious because the screenshot is from an early engineering sample, and clock speeds, power limits, and final silicon can still change before launch. Leaked CPU-Z scores also do not indicate real-world gaming or productivity performance, and Intel has not confirmed these details.

Answered

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Nova Lake-S is expected to launch on Intel's new LGA 1954 socket alongside the Z990 chipset, with a release window pointing to early 2027. Intel hasn't confirmed any of these details officially, so it's worth treating the naming scheme and specs as unconfirmed until we see something more concrete.