Leaked specifications for Intel’s upcoming Nova Lake-S desktop CPU lineup suggest a shift in naming conventions and the introduction of a high-performance cache feature. The flagship Core Ultra 9 4970K BFC reportedly features 28 cores, comprising 8 performance cores, 16 efficiency cores, and 4 low-power efficiency cores. The "BFC" suffix is linked to "big last-level cache" (bLLC), which is positioned as Intel’s competitive response to AMD’s 3D V-Cache technology. These chips are expected to utilize the LGA 1851 socket and have already passed USB4 and PCIe 5.0 validation. In the GPU market, NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 continues to see significant price inflation, with some retailers listing units as high as $6,900. To combat the illegal export of these cards to overseas AI data centers, Micro Center has reportedly implemented an "Advanced Computing Product Purchaser Declaration." This policy requires buyers to provide identification and sign a formal agreement promising not to export the hardware. Additionally, NVIDIA has increased the price of its DGX Spark AI workstation to $5,000 while simultaneously halving its memory capacity to 64GB due to global supply constraints. Other notable developments include a retrospective blog post from a former EVGA product manager detailing the company's strained relationship with NVIDIA and a report of a used CPU purchase resulting in an immediate hardware ban in the game *Valorant*.
The leaked Intel Nova Lake-S lineup is led by the Core Ultra 9 4970K BFC, featuring 28 total cores and a 125W TDP. Intel's new 'BFC' suffix likely denotes the inclusion of 'big last-level cache' (bLLC) to improve gaming performance.
Micro Center has introduced a non-export declaration form for RTX 5090 purchases to prevent GPUs from being sent to restricted regions. A former EVGA product manager revealed that the company was forced to sell base-model GPUs at a loss to meet NVIDIA's pricing mandates.
A used Ryzen 5800X3D resulted in a permanent hardware ban for a player in *Valorant* because the previous owner was flagged for cheating. NVIDIA's DGX Spark AI system saw a price increase to $5,000 despite its memory being reduced from 128GB to 64GB.
A custom-built 24-karat gold Kubb fanless PC has been valued at approximately $1.7 million for a private client.
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Worth noting
- The Intel Nova Lake-S specifications and naming conventions are based on unconfirmed leaks and rumors.
- The Micro Center non-export policy is based on a single Reddit report and has not been officially confirmed as a nationwide mandate.
- The EVGA retrospective is a personal account from a former employee and reflects their individual perspective on company history.
- The video includes a paid sponsorship from Thermaltake.