As the Intel Nova Lake launch looms, regular and often reliable Intel tech leaker Jaykihn has informed us that forthcoming Xeon E chips based on the architecture won’t have the same split between P-Cores and E-Cores as desktop CPUs. Instead, they will come in configurations with either all P-Cores or all E-Cores.
The clarification followed an earlier post from Jaykihn on X, which contained leaked core counts for these upcoming Nova Lake Xeon E CPUs for edge computing. According to Jaykihn, five Xeon E models with all-P-Core designs will be available, with either four, six, eight, 12, or 16 cores.
Meanwhile, flavours with all-E-Core designs will apparently sport up to 32 cores, with other models offering four, eight, or 16 cores. According to Jaykihn, there’s another crucial difference between these Xeon E CPUs and their desktop counterparts – there will be no low-power E-Cores (LPE) either. If this leak is true, then Nova Lake Xeon E chips will only contain one type of core.
Replying to our post asking for clarification, Jaykihn said that “Edge customers looking for hybrid products would purchase regular Nova Lake -S.” Intel usually uses an ‘S’ suffix to denote its desktop CPU products. Jaykihn also says that the supporting chipset for Xeon E will be called W980.
This isn’t a new approach for Intel – its Xeon chips have historically always stuck to one core-type. Intel chose a similar strategy with its recent lineup of Bartlett Lake chips for edge computing. Based on the Raptor Lake architecture, these CPUs don’t have any E-Cores but, unlike their desktop counterparts, offer up to 12 P-Cores, rather than just eight.
For some insight into the reasons behind the former decision, read our interview with Intel’s UK general manager, Simon Wilyman, where we asked him why Bartlett Lake wasn’t coming to the desktop.
Intel’s Core Ultra 4000 series is expected to be officially announced for desktop in the next few months, with recent leaks pointing to improved NPU performance, while Nova Lake gaming performance might be similar to Arrow Lake. In the meantime, check out our guide to buying the best CPU for your needs today.
