Please note that this post is tagged as a rumor .
Intel Core Ultra 9 4950K leak suggests Nova Lake may use four-digit SKU names
A new leak claims Intel is currently testing a Nova Lake-S processor identified as the Core Ultra 9 4950K . If this name is accurate, Intel may be preparing another change to its desktop processor naming, moving from three-digit model numbers such as 285K to a four-digit format.
The Series 4 part itself is not new information. We previously obtained Intel branding showing Core Ultra Series 4 for Nova Lake, while Panther Lake occupies Series 3 and is primarily a mobile platform. What remained unknown was how Intel would name individual Nova Lake-S processors.
Intel CORE ULTRA 9 4950K. for Z990 boards
single thread score near 1000
multi thread score near 20000
28 cores
8P&20E #intel #lga1954 #techleaks pic.twitter.com/nzrNeN3GCG— LC Tech Leaks (and News) (@laurentschoice) August 19, 2026
4950K may not be the final retail name
There is still reason to be cautious about the Core Ultra 9 4950K identifier. Intel can use temporary or non-final SKU names during internal testing, and Nova Lake-S is apparently still early enough in development that qualification samples have not been distributed. Gotou_3rd says that, according to the current Intel validation dashboard, Nova Lake-S QS samples have not yet been sampled.
but the naming schema is true, number part will be 4-number based. https://t.co/3oo1su7L2S
— Gotou_3rd (@Gotou_kai3) August 19, 2026
Gotou_3rd followed up by saying that the four-digit numbering scheme itself is accurate , even if the specific 4950K model name cannot yet be treated as final. The post was also r eposted by well-known Intel leaker Jaykihn , who has previously shared detailed information about Nova Lake-S configurations, cache and platform plans.
Golden Pig Upgrade, known for various Intel naming updates, has also mentioned the new naming and added that Core Ultra 4000HX will also be used for laptops.
Performance looks good
The leaked CPU-Z result (1000 ST/2000 MT) is also already higher than any desktop processor in the current CPU-Z ranking. For comparison, we limited the database to 32 threads , where the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 scores 17,294 points, followed by the Ryzen 9 9950X3D at 17,005 and Ryzen 9 9950X at 16,935.
Source has already shown Z990 hardware
The original 4950K leak comes from LC Tech Leaks, a source that has previously published actual hardware from Intel’s next desktop platform. LC Tech Leaks provided an early look at Z990 motherboard hardware and later shared details about its power delivery configuration.
Source: LC Tech Leaks
