According to a new NBD shipping manifest leak, Intel is introducing next-gen Nova Lake-HX laptop processors. These laptops are based on a significantly larger package than Arrow Lake-HX, which uses the BGA 2114 socket. Nova Lake-HX is expected to roll out with the new BGA 2540 socket, making it around 20% bigger. This socket is even bigger than BGA 1964, which was used for Raptor Lake-HX. So, a physically larger socket means rooms for more cores and more performance features.
Furthermore, the leaked document shows that Intel is testing the Nove Lake-HX chip by integrating it with a voltage regulator. The use of a voltage regulator for testing purposes relates to managing the power efficiency and stability of the processor. So, the use of a bigger socket and voltage regulator shows that Intel is preparing this platform for higher power demand and extended features. In addition, one of the latest reports indicated that the Nova Lake CPUs can bring up to 52 cores. Conversely, Arrow Lake-HX comes from core Ultra9 285Hx, can boasts 24 cores in total.
Moreover, 36 PCIe 5.0 lanes are expected to be brought up by the Nova Lake, so the HX series should be a big upgrade in this area over Arrow Lake-HX. Nova Lake chips are expected to be released next year, including both desktop and mobile lineups.
The new Nova Lake-HX processor that Intel has made aims to beat AMD, which might make this laptop very swift at gaming and video editing. But laptops are not meant only for speed. Unless Intel manages its heat, battery, and price significantly, it will just be another innovation that will fail to reach its true potential.
Intel’s next-generation Nova Lake-HX high-performance laptop processors have been teased in new shipping manifests, along with the new BGA 2540 socket they will be using. It’s an even bigger socket than BGA 1964, which was used for Raptor Lake-HX, too. The new BGA 2540 socket is also expected to be the same socket used for Intel’s new Panther Lake mobile CPUs.