A leaked product table for Intel's upcoming Nova Lake desktop processors shows three chips carrying a "BFC" designation, a label that appears to mark models with a larger L3 cache, according to a report from Tom's Hardware. The list was previously rumored and points to a range topped by the flagship Core Ultra 9 4970K BFC. That chip is listed as a 28-core part with 8 P-cores, 16 E-cores and 4 LPE-cores, a 125W TDP and an integrated GPU with 32 Execution Units.
The 32-EU integrated graphics configuration appears across most of the range, with the exception of the Core Ultra 5 4650KF, which has no integrated graphics. Intel moved away from listing EUs in favor of Xe cores years ago, and rumors indicate the company is not preparing a large 12-Xe core Nova Lake model. The 32-EU figure likely works out to 4 Xe cores, since each core contains eight matrix and vector ALUs.
The table omits the heavily rumored 52-core Nova Lake model, but as the launch nears it has become clear that the 52-core part and other possible dual-tile configurations will follow the main wave of chips. Those models would presumably target the HEDT market with their high core counts.
Broadly, the list uses four-number model identifiers that Intel did not use with Arrow Lake chips such as the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus. Three models carry BFC, two of them under the Core Ultra 9 umbrella, and no Core Ultra 5 BFC option appears. The Core Ultra 9 4900 BFC stands out because it matches the 22-core count of the Core Ultra 5 models while adding BFC and dropping to a 65W TDP. Its lack of a K suffix suggests a specialized, low-power gaming chip, possibly for small form factor desktops.
The Core Ultra 5 model is the only one with an F suffix, indicating it lacks integrated graphics. Intel released a Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus with its Arrow Lake refresh but never gave the 270K Plus the same treatment. According to the table, BFC could denote chips with a larger L3 cache, something heavily rumored for Nova Lake as AMD's X3D chips dominate gaming in CPU benchmark hierarchies. This is the first mention of the term BFC, though earlier rumors referred to the extra cache as bLLC.
Intel's Nova Lake chips have been rumored for well over a year, and the launch is approaching. Intel's CEO confirmed earlier this year that Nova Lake would arrive before the end of the year, and signs point to an imminent debut. This week Nova Lake platforms passed compliance at USB and PCIe standard bodies, two Z990 motherboards appeared at Computex earlier this year, and last month a leaked slide said to come from an Intel partner teased the platform's possible design.
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