Intel’s upcoming 28-core Nova Lake processor outperformed the Core Ultra 9 285K and Ryzen 9 9950X3D in recent single-thread benchmark tests. A PassMark entry showed the chip reached 5,210 points. These unverified results from September suggest strong performance, though experts said these pre-release samples may not reflect final retail speeds.

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Highly anticipated: What appears to be another leak of Intel's upcoming Nova Lake-S desktop processors has hit the internet. A PassMark benchmark lists results for a 28-core chip, and its single-thread score is higher than that of the Core Ultra 9 285K and Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

A VideoCardz reader found the entries through PerformanceTest 11.1's Manage Baselines feature. Listed as "Intel 0000," the processors appear in submissions dating back to September.

The fastest 28-core result reaches 5,210 points in the single-thread test, with another scoring 5,191. For comparison, the individual baselines selected by VideoCardz scored 5,059 for the Core Ultra 9 285K, 4,805 for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, and 4,635 for the Core i9-14900KF. That gives the Nova Lake-S sample leads of around 3%, 8.4%, and 12.4%, respectively. The publication selected comparison systems whose overall CPU Mark results were close to the processors' published averages.

The overall CPU Mark result is less impressive: 61,509 points against 67,274 for the 285K and 72,066 for the 9950X3D. It still beats the 14900KF's 58,074, though. Separately, the eight-core entries score between 9,004 and 23,478 points, a wide spread that could reflect differences in test conditions or development configurations.

The highest Memory Mark score shown is 2,523.4, around 25% below the selected 285K system's 3,349.6. These are system-level results, so the gap can't be attributed to the processor alone.

The screenshot lists approximately 16GB of RAM, a reported CPU speed of roughly 3.3GHz, and turbo readings near 4.8GHz for both 28-core entries.

The eight-core entries, listed as using an embedded platform, top out at 5,085 single-thread points. The fastest result narrowly exceeds the Core Ultra 9 285K baseline of 5,059, a lead of about 0.5%.

It's important to remember that these are unverified results from unidentified pre-release samples. Unknown test conditions and unfinished hardware or firmware mean they may not reflect retail performance.

Earlier this month, a lineup leak listed a Core Ultra 9 4970K BFC with eight performance cores, 16 efficiency cores, and four low-power efficiency cores. The leak listed a 125W TDP and integrated graphics with 32 execution units. BFC appears to identify the large-cache models - the acronym likely took inspiration from the iconic Doom weapon.

The standard 4950K reportedly retains that 28-core configuration without the big cache. Its original table omitted the four LP-E cores, which leaker Jaykihn said also feature in standard models. The benchmark entries don't identify a retail model or establish whether the tested chip carries the additional cache.

Further down the leaked stack, the 65W Core Ultra 9 4900 BFC combines 6P+12E+4LP-E cores, while the 125W Core Ultra 7 4870K BFC uses 8P+12E+4LP-E. Both list 32-EU graphics. The 125W Core Ultra 5 4650K and 4650KF list 6P+12E cores before adding the reported LP-E quartet; the KF drops integrated graphics.

The family is expected to require LGA 1954 motherboards and 900-series chipsets, while larger configurations with up to 52 cores are tipped to arrive later.