According to the latest leak, Intel's 28-core Nova Lake CPU could reach a staggering 296W PL1.
Intel's upcoming Nova Lake-S desktop lineup appears to be one of the most aggressive ones, with power limits higher than previously expected. According to the user "Golden Pig Upgrade" (via Weibo), the Nova Lake-S CPU with a configuration of 8+16+4 will reportedly feature a PL1 (Power Limit 1) limit of 296W .
This makes it potentially one of the most power-hungry mainstream desktop CPUs Intel has produced. The leaked configuration has been confirmed by previous reports, which state that the configuration will include 8 Cove P-Cores, 16 Arctic Wolf E-Cores, and 4 LP-E cores, which will result in a total of 28 CPU cores. We know from previous reports that this is going to be used for a single-compute-tile Nova Lake-S processor, which can be paired with Intel's new bLLC, or Big Last-Level Cache.
However, what makes it an interesting CPU is its 296W PL1 figure, as we have previously seen that the leaked specifications have placed this 28-core bLLC model at a 125W TDP , while the higher-end enthusiast models are expected to reach 175W. A 296W PL1 represents a substantial increase over the nominal thermal design rating, although PL1 and TDP are not interchangeable specifications.
This 8+16+4 core CPU will supposedly carry 144 MB of bLLC alongside the cache provided by the CPU cores. The Intel bLLC technology is designed to compete with AMD's 3D V-Cache technology, and from previous leaks, we know of as many as four major bLLC configurations with up to 52 cores and 288 MB of cache, according to reports from early 2026.
Intel Nova Lake-S Desktop CPU Die Configurations:
| Die Config | Variant | Core Config | LPE Cores | Cache | CPU PCIe Lanes | GPU Cores |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8C | Single Compute Tile | 4P+0E | 4LPE | Standard | 24 Gen5 | 2 Xe3 |
| 16C | Single Compute Tile | 4P+8E | 4LPE | Standard | 24 Gen5 | 2 Xe3 |
| 28C | Single Compute Tile | 8P+16E | 4LPE | Standard | 24 Gen5 | 2 Xe3 |
| 28C | Single Compute Tile | 8P+16E | 4LPE | bLLC "Big LLC" | 24 Gen5 | 2 Xe3 |
| 52C | Dual Compute Tile | 2x 8P+16E | 4LPE | bLLC "Big LLC" | 24 Gen5 | 2 Xe3 |
Keep in mind that some Nova Lake S chips can reach as high as 474W when it comes to PL2, but those are much larger dual-tile processors, and with such a high PL1 limit for a single-tile CPUs, cooling can be a challenge. That said, Intel appears to be willing to trade substantially higher power consumption for performance. With such a configuration, the 28-core bLLC-equipped Nova Lake-S CPU could become one of the most powerful enthusiast-grade processor for gaming and productivity.
News Source: Weibo
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