(Credit: Intel)
Intel's next-generation flagship may be an absolute monster when it comes to power draw. New rumors suggest the top chip with 52 cores could pull as much as 700W all by itself once power limits are removed, VideoCardz reports.
That's not how it would operate day to day, but it could open up enormous overclocking headroom and suggests that even the default power limits will be rather high.
Intel's Panther Lake CPUs launched in early 2026 to surprising acclaim, especially around their new onboard graphics, which all but make entry-level GPUs obsolete. But true next-generation CPUs will launch for mobile and desktop later this year as part of the Nova Lake generation. Known as Core Ultra 400, these CPUs will run a monstrous chip with 16 Performance cores, 32 Efficiency Cores, and 4 Low Power Efficiency cores. It could also have a huge TDP to go with it.
This is leaked information, so grain of salt. However, the leakers in question are among the most reliable sources for pre-release information. Serial leaker kopite7kimi suggested the power draw from a full-load Nova Lake K-series CPU is over 700W. While they confirmed that that was with power limits removed, "you can't expect a low PL2" either.
It will only be possible on the dual-tile configuration used in the very top chip, but it wouldn't be surprising to see high power limits on other chips in the range as well.
(Credit: Intel)The other leaker, Jaykihn, tips a 100° Celsius TJMax temperature, and support for negative CPU temperature reporting, suggesting this CPU is designed with extreme overclocking in mind. It can also be highly configurable, booting with only Low Power cores or only Efficiency cores enabled. That could enable unique overclocking scenarios and make record-breaking OCs for individual core types easier to manage.
The entire Nova Lake generation will use the new LGA-1954 socket and come equipped with an enhanced Xe3(P)LPG GPU and a sixth-generation NPU for enhanced onboard 3D rendering and AI workloads. There are also rumors of a Big Last Level Cache (BLLC) chip attached to Intel's Nova Lake CPUs, potentially serving as an analog to AMD's X3D CPUs. That could be great news for gaming on Nova Lake.
All the signs are there for Nova Lake to be a performance powerhouse. Considering how underwhelming Intel's last couple of generations have been on the desktop front, it will be intriguing to see what Intel comes up with when these CPUs launch sometime in late 2026 or early 2027.