Intel's next-generation "Nova Lake" CPU microarchitecture is shaping up to be quite power-hungry. According to the latest leak, confirmed by well-known Intel leaker Jaykihn, Intel's top-end, overclocking-focused, dual compute die "Nova Lake-S" CPU with 52 cores will feature a PL2 mode with a power level of 474 W. This is an unprecedented number for an Intel consumer desktop platform, typically expected from a high-end desktop (HEDT) design. However, since this is a 52-core design that can be overclocked, it represents the newest high CPU PL2 setting that Intel will be shipping with "Nova Lake-S." Previous rumors suggested that the Intel Z990 platform would be a power-hungry consumer design, but now we understand just how power-hungry it is.

Reportedly, Intel's reference Z990 motherboard design, which it provides to partners like ASUS, MSI, GIGABYTE, ASRock, and others, now includes the possibility of three 8-pin CPU power connectors. This is an intriguing design choice, considering that most enthusiast boards typically ship with two 8-pin EPS CPU connectors. The three 8-pin connectors are mainly intended for the highest-end overclocking designs, rather than being required to run the dual compute die designs. Motherboards equipped with either two or three EPS connectors are still expected to support Intel's upcoming high-end 44-core and 52-core processors on the 175 W platform, meaning that only the overclocking-focused models will feature three connectors for additional overclocking headroom.

According to current information, Intel is introducing a tiled approach to having more compute enabled across "Nova Lake-S" SKUs. Perhaps the most interesting news is the introduction of dual-die processors. These are SKUs with two compute tiles connected to the SoC tile, allowing Intel to achieve extremely high CPU core counts. Since this is essentially the same approach to high core counts as AMD, both compute tiles have equal access to memory and PCIe. A single compute tile SKU can yield a maximum of 28 cores, while a dual-compute SKU will carry up to 52 cores.