The next generation architecture following Intel’s Arrow Lake will be Nova Lake, and it has been reported that the new architecture will adopt yet another new socket. The good news, however, is your existing cooler may continue to work once you do upgrade, if this shipping manifest is any indication.
Nova Lake-S: New Socket, Same Dimensions
Per ITHome, recent shipping manifest found in NBD database mentioned the socket for Nova Lake – LGA1954 in this case – followed by the dimensions it’ll use, which is 45 x 37.5mm. This figure matches that of LGA1700 (Intel Core 12th, 13th & 14th Gen) and LGA1851 (Arrow Lake) sockets, both part of Intel’s “Socket V” family.
That’s one checkbox ticked as far as cooler compatibility goes, although other factors needs to be considered, including contact area, pressure mapping, and Z-height; in some cases hotspots (which vary depending on architecture) can affect the cooling performance as well. That said, minor changes on the spec usually can be accommodated with additional mounting kits provided by cooler manufacturers.
It’s also worth keeping in mind we may not see Nova Lake right away, given that Arrow Lake will be refreshed as the under Core Ultra 300 series branding, followed by Nova Lake bearing the Core Ultra 400 naming. At this time, Intel has yet to officially announce Nova Lake, so don’t expect official details to emerge anytime soon.
Pokdepinion: Hopefully cooler compatibility is retained at the very least – the constant switching of sockets isn’t doing anyone favors.
