Intel “Nova Lake” Core Ultra 9 4950K CPU benchmarks leak
CPU benchmarks leak for Intel’s “Core Ultra 9 4950K” CPU
Performance data for Intel’s next-generation Core Ultra 9 4950K CPU have leaked, an alleged Intel 18A Nova Lake processor. This CPU reportedly uses Intel’s Z990 platform and LGA-1954 socket and features 28 CPU cores. With eight P-cores and 20 E-cores (16 E + 4 LP-E), this CPU should deliver excellent multi-threaded performance.
LC Tech Leaks, who leaked images of Intel’s LGA-1954 socket earlier this year, has shared CPU-Z benchmarks for Intel’s Ultra 9 4950K CPU. Note that this CPU does not follow Intel’s standard CPU naming scheme. After all, Intel’s current desktop flagship is their Ultra 9 285K CPU. This CPU name could be a placeholder for an engineering sample, or a mistake from CPU-Z’s CPU detection. As always, take leaks like this with a pinch of salt.
With an alleged single-threaded score of near 1,000 points and a multi-threaded score of near 20,000 points, the 28-core 4950K is a strong performer. In CPU-Z, an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D has a single-threaded score of 869 points, and an Intel Ultra 9 285K has a single-threaded score of 890. For multi-threaded performance, these CPUs score 17,005 and 18,428, respectively.
If these scores are correct, Intel’s Nova Lake 28-core delivers strong single-threaded and multi-threaded results. Single-threaded performance is around 10% faster than an Ultra 9 285K, and multi-threaded scores are around 8.5% faster. Notable performance gains, but not revolutionary. That said, this is a single benchmark, and architectural enhancements can deliver workload-specific benefits. As always, you can’t judge a CPU on a single benchmark.
Intel CORE ULTRA 9 4950K. for Z990 boards
single thread score near 1000
multi thread score near 20000
28 cores
8P&20E#intel #lga1954 #techleaks pic.twitter.com/nzrNeN3GCG— LC Tech Leaks (and News) (@laurentschoice) August 19, 2026
A strange naming scheme
Note that this “Ultra 9 4950K” CPU is unlikely to be Intel’s fastest Nova Lake series processor. Intel reportedly has Nova Lake CPUs with up to 52 CPU cores in the works. These CPUs will use two compute dies, giving them 16 P-cores, 32 E-cores, and four LP-E cores. If the single compute die Core Ultra 9 4950K has 28 cores, I wonder what Intel will name its higher-core-count dual compute die CPUs. Core Ultra X?
Nova Lake will be an incredibly interesting CPU launch for Intel. After Arrow Lake, Intel has to deliver strong performance numbers to generate interest. For Nova Lake to succeed, Intel will need to deliver significant performance leaps in key workloads. For PC enthusiasts, gaming performance will be critical.
You can join the discussion on Intel’s alleged Core Ultra 9 4950K CPU leak on the OC3D Forums.
