Frightening Intel Nova Lake PL2 power limit leaks for dual-compute-tile Core Ultra 400 desktop CPUs

We recently reported that the flagship Intel Nova Lake desktop CPU with 52 cores can consume more than 700 W under full load. The figure is absolutely mind-boggling when we consider that the Intel Nova Lake is not specifically targeted towards the HEDT segment. We also explained that the PL2 power limit of Nova Lake Core Ultra 400 CPUs would be lower but still significant.

Kopite7kimi claims that even a 400 W PL2 is “just a conservative lower limit”, as Nova Lake CPUs with dual compute tiles will require more than 400 W under full load. This is quite a big jump compared to the Core Ultra 9 285K. 

According to Intel’s official spec, the Core Ultra 9 285K has a PL2 of 250 W. The CPU can obviously consume much more under extreme loads, as we’ve shown in our review. In other words, Intel Nova Lake desktop CPUs will have a more than 60% higher PL2 than the 24-core Intel Arrow Lake flagship.

Here, we have to mention that Nova Lake-S chips are bringing a big core count increase over Arrow Lake. The flagship Core Ultra 400 chip, for instance, is expected to feature a mammoth 52 cores. Naturally, feeding this many cores at the same time requires some serious energy. So, the 400+ W PL2 makes some sense.

However, this 400+ W PL2 doesn’t make sense for the average consumer who just wants a power-efficient CPU that isn’t slow. Look at the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, for instance. It is the best gaming CPU and is also one of the most power-efficient. The same is true for the Core Ultra 9 285K. While the chip regressed in gaming, it is still an impressively fast performer in multi-core tasks, while being up to 64% more power efficient than the Core i9-14900K in multi-core workloads.

So, if Intel can ensure that mainstream Nova Lake-S Core Ultra 5 desktop CPUs with 18, 24, and 28 cores stay within reasonable power envelopes and perform well, the 400+ W PL2 for the 48/52-core parts can be overlooked.

Buy the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K | Core Ultra 5 245KF on Amazon