Deactivating a cluster of E cores in Nova Lake does not take away any L3 cache
Intel prepares its next generation of desktop processors, the Nova Lake, and information about its L3 cache distribution continues to arrive with nuances that change the panorama. As leaked by the well-known Intel hardware leaker Jaykihn, the configurations that arise from deactivating a complete cluster of four efficiency cores (E-core) will retain exactly the same amount of L3 cache as the variant with all active cores.
This means that a Nova Lake with 8 high-performance cores and 12 efficiency cores (8P+12E) will not lose cache memory compared to its older brother with 16 E cores, something that contradicts what previous rumors about this range indicated.
The 8P+12E equals the model with more cores in cache
The figure that attracts the most attention is that of the Nova Lake 8P+12E+4LP-E. Until now it was rumored that this configuration would remain at 33 MB of L3 cache, a logical amount if it is assumed that fewer cores imply less associated memory.
However, Jaykihn’s update raise that figure to 36 MBthe same amount offered by the Nova Lake 8P+16E+4LP-E, the model with twice as many efficiency cores. In practice, Intel would be deactivating cores in a cluster without giving up the cache associated with that part of the chip, something that directly benefits the performance of references with fewer cores.
Nova Lake-HX will follow the same standard in laptops
The leak is not limited to desktop processors. It has been noted that the same criteria will be applied to Nova Lake-HX, Intel’s next high-performance laptop platform.
This opens the door for some HX models with trimmed E clusters to maintain the same cache capacity as higher variants based on the same design, something relevant for gaming laptops and mobile workstations, where each megabyte of cache can make a difference in performance per core.
From 6 MB to 36 MB: this is how the cache is distributed according to cores
The complete list includes seven different configurations.
In the upper part, the 8P+16E+4LP-E It remains at 36 MB, the same figure it now shares with the 8P+12E+4LP-E. 6P+12E+4LP-E It remains at 27 MB, while the 4P+8E+4LP-E retains its 18 MB. Further down, the 4P+4E+4LP-E goes up from the rumored 15 MB to 18 MB, matching the model with twice as many E cores.
They close the list the 4P+0E+4LP-E with 12 MB and the 2P+0E+4LP-E with 6 MB, both without changes with respect to previous information. The pattern is repeated in several references: disabling individual cores within a single cluster does not reduce the cache, something that only happens when an entire cluster is deleted. Of the seven configurations on the list, only two see their cache figure revised upwards (the 8P+12E and the 4P+4E), while the remaining five remain as previously leaked.
A correction that adjusts the numbers up and down
Jaykihn has also taken the opportunity to correct a piece of information that had previously circulated with a different value. As confirmed by the leaker himself, The Nova Lake 6P+12E+4LP-E has 27 MB of L3 cache, not the 30 MB that had been mentioned in previous posts.
This is a minor adjustment within a list of figures that, as the leaker himself acknowledges, is not 100% confirmed. Intel has not officially validated any of these specifications nor confirmed the final list of SKUs that will make up the Nova Lake range. Until the company offers official data, these figures will continue to move at the rate of each new leak from Jaykihn and other common leakers in the sector.
