Something to look forward to: Integrated graphics have improved significantly over the past decade, with AMD's Ryzen G-series APUs generally considered the gold standard. They offer high-performance Radeon graphics capable of running video games and multimedia applications without a discrete GPU. Intel has traditionally lagged behind its rival in this segment, but the company is now reportedly working on new processors with powerful integrated graphics that could give AMD a run for its money.
According to well-known tipster Jaykihn, Intel's upcoming Nova Lake-S desktop CPU lineup will include at least one SKU featuring an integrated graphics chip with 12 Xe3P cores. Preliminary information from the tipster suggests the chip will feature 16 CPU cores, including four Coyote Cove performance cores, eight Arctic Wolf efficiency cores, and four additional Arctic Wolf low-power E-cores.
The tipster added that the chip will require two VccGT VRM phases, potentially indicating a gaming-focused SKU with higher power requirements. However, the leaked configuration suggests it will use a single tile without Intel's Big Last Level Cache technology, despite expectations that Nova Lake-S will offer up to 288MB of L3 cache to compete with AMD's X3D lineup.
– Jaykihn (@jaykihn0) April 13, 2026
Earlier rumors suggested that Nova Lake will use a combination of Xe3 and Xe3P graphics, with the former reserved for the iGPU and the latter used for the display engine. On the CPU side, NVL-S is tipped to feature up to 52 cores in dual-tile configurations on the next-generation LGA 1954 socket, which Intel has hinted it will support across multiple CPU generations. This would align with AMD's more consumer-friendly platform policy and mark a departure from Intel's long-criticized "one-and-done" socket cycle.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time rumors have suggested Intel is working on a Ryzen G-series competitor with high-core-count integrated graphics. Nova Lake-AX, which was reportedly scrapped last year, was expected to feature 48 Xe3 graphics cores, 28 CPU cores, and a 256-bit memory bus. It was intended to be Intel's answer to AMD's Strix Halo lineup but ultimately became one of the most notable casualties of Intel's revised client roadmap.
Intel is expected to launch its Nova Lake-S desktop lineup under the Core Ultra Series 4 branding in early 2027. It is said to offer several notable upgrades over Arrow Lake Refresh, including the much-discussed Big Last Level Cache technology, which could improve gaming performance by reducing memory latency and increasing data access speeds. The next-generation chips are also expected to support DDR5-8000 memory and feature a 175W TDP.