Intel Nova Lake: 28-core chip leads in single-thread, lags in multi-thread
The PassMark benchmark database has revealed early traces of upcoming Intel Nova Lake-S processors. A notable 28-core chip has appeared, potentially serving as the foundation for the rumored Core Ultra 9 4970K.
Performance: Single-core gains vs. Multi-thread gaps
The 28-core Nova Lake-S unit recorded a score of 5,210 in single-threaded tests. This result places it ahead of current flagship competitors, specifically the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (5,059) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (4,805).
However, the advantage disappears in multi-threaded workloads. The 28-core chip scored 61,509, falling behind the 67,274 achieved by Intel and the 72,065 from AMD. This performance gap is particularly striking given the high core count of the new architecture.
Early benchmarks and launch window
An 8-core model of Nova Lake-S was also spotted, showing strong single-thread performance (5,085) but significantly lower multi-threaded output (23,478)—less than half the performance of an AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D.
It is important to note that these results likely reflect unoptimized engineering samples rather than final retail performance, as the CPU appeared in the database under the generic designation Genuine Intel(R) 0000. The Intel Nova Lake-S lineup is expected to launch in Q1 2027, starting with the 28-core models.
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