Image: IDG
Ask a smattering of PC gamers combing through the aisles of a Micro Center for the best PC parts whether they’re building an AMD or Intel-based desktop, and most of them will say the former. That’s because AMD’s Ryzen X3D chips absolutely slap for gaming with 3D V-cache. But a new rumor indicates that Intel is working on an equivalent tech for its new chips, hoping to claw back some gamer cred.
The scuttlebutt is that there are two new Nova Lake processors slated for the upcoming LGA1954 socket. Techspot quotes a Twitter leaker claiming that said chips will use 125 watts of power, with eight performance cores and a mix of four Low-Power Efficiency cores and either 12 or 16 standard efficiency cores. None of that is particularly noteworthy, but it’s the inclusion of bLLC, Big Last Level Cache, that’s turning heads.
This extra pool of low-latency L3 cache could perform the same function as AMD’s 3D V-cache feature, which dramatically boosts highly demanding tasks including gaming and media creation. AMD has been lighting up the CPU sales charts since it introduced the feature with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D back in 2022. It’s since become the go-to pick for PC gaming on the desktop, expanding it into X3D variant CPU models in the Ryzen 7000 and 9000 series, and back-porting the 3D V-cache feature into several 5000 series chips (on the apparently immortal AM4 socket) to offer it to budget gamers.
We should stress that, at least at the time of writing, this is only a rumor. Nova Lake is set to arrive in 2026, so even if Intel is cooking up these chips with an eye towards better competition with AMD’s gaming-focused models, there’s no guarantee that they’ll arrive in the same state. Techspot also notes that Intel representatives denied plans to compete directly with AMD’s 3D V-Cache chips as recently as November of last year.
Even so, bLLC is a feature of Intel’s newest server CPUs, so clearly the tech is good enough for at least some finished products. And considering how much of a beating Intel is taking in the larger market, a little appeal to the consumer side of things couldn’t hurt.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he’s the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop “battlestation” in his off hours. Michael’s previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he’s covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he’s always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.