Intel's Cache Gambit: Core Ultra 400K with 144MB bLLC and Ryzen AI-Crushing Ultra 9 386H Emerge in Leaks

Intel's Bold Counter-Strike: Rumors of 144MB bLLC Cache and Ryzen AI-Beating Mobile Chips Ignite Speculation

Intel appears to be gearing up for a fierce showdown in the processor arena, aiming to reclaim lost ground from AMD's impressive surge. Whispers from the tech grapevine suggest the company is on the cusp of unveiling a massive analogue to AMD's 3D V-Cache and a mobile powerhouse chip that could leave top-tier Ryzen AI processors in the dust.

Nova Lake-S: A Cache Revolution on the Horizon?

While Intel is still preparing to launch the Arrow Lake refresh under the Core Ultra 200 series, the real excitement seems to be building around their next-generation desktop processors. Though not officially named, industry insiders and publications like VideoCardz speculate that these chips, anticipated nearly a year after the Panther Lake mobile processors, might brandish the 'Core Ultra 400' moniker. The true game-changer in these upcoming Nova Lake-S processors is rumored to be the integrated bLLC (Big Last Level Cache). This development has been long anticipated as Intel's direct riposte to AMD's celebrated 3D V-Cache technology, a feature that has propelled AMD processors, dating back to the Ryzen 5000 series, to gaming dominance and allowed them to outperform significantly more expensive Intel flagships.

For context, while AMD's 3D V-Cache equipped processors max out at 32MB of L3 cache combined with 64MB of X3D cache, the latest intel from sources like Jaykihn points towards an astonishing 144MB of bLLC cache for Intel's 'K' series unlocked processors. This colossal cache size is a strategic move, promising a substantial uplift in performance, particularly in cache-sensitive applications like gaming, where AMD has held a distinct advantage.

Panther Lake: Mobile Performance Reimagined

The buzz doesn't stop at the desktop. Another tantalizing leak pertains to the performance of Panther Lake processors, slated for an earlier debut in early 2026. Benchmark results from Geekbench suggest that the Core Ultra 9 386H model is poised to shatter expectations. This mobile chip reportedly outpaces AMD's top-tier Ryzen AI processors by a staggering 16% in multi-core performance and is more than 50% faster than the upcoming Lunar Lake, even matching the performance of some 24-core Raptor Lake desktop CPUs.

Details emerging from Geekbench 6, shared by Benchleaks, showcase the Ultra 9 386H powering an Acer Predator Helios laptop with 64GB of RAM. This formidable chip boasts a hybrid architecture featuring 16 cores: 4 performance cores (P-cores), 8 efficient cores (E-cores), and 4 low-power efficient cores (LP-E cores). It operates with a base clock of 2.1 GHz and can boost up to 4.9 GHz, with documented L3 cache of 18MB and L2 cache of 8MB. It's worth noting that variants without an 'X' in their name are expected to feature only 4 Xe3 iGPU cores, though Intel's recent Tech Tour 2025 statements suggested a shift away from discrete GPUs in their Panther Lake laptops.

During testing, the processor maintained clock speeds between 4.6 GHz and 4.7 GHz across all cores, with peaks nearing 4.8 GHz. The 9 386H achieved an impressive 2845 in single-core and a remarkable 15,407 in multi-core tests. As highlighted by Wccftech, these figures are truly remarkable. The Panther Lake chip appears to dominate its mobile segment, operating within a 25W TDP with peaks between 65-80W. It demonstrably surpasses the Intel Core i9-14900HX and the Core Ultra 9 285H, while holding its own against the desktop-class Intel Core i5-14600KF, despite a slightly lower clock speed. The reported 16% multi-core performance advantage over the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and over 50% lead against 8-core Lunar Lake processors paints a picture of fierce competition. Even compared to Arrow Lake's Core Ultra 9 285H, which has more P-cores (6 vs 4) and a higher boost clock (5.4 GHz), the 386H shows superior performance. It's quite astounding that this mobile chip can rival a 24-core i9-14900HX and even trade blows with the desktop Ryzen 5 9600X. If these leaks hold true, AMD will need to bring its A-game to counter Intel's next-generation offensive.