The Core Ultra 9 4970K BFC landed on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at the top of an unofficial list of Nova Lake-S desktop processors. Intel has not confirmed any of these models. What exists is a leak compiled by VideoCardz, based on identifiers posted by the LC Tech Leaks account, and picked up by TechPowerUp.
What the list shows
The Core Ultra 9 4970K BFC is listed with 8 performance cores (P-cores), 16 efficiency cores (E-cores), and 4 low-power efficiency cores (LP-E), for 28 cores in total. The entry also marks an enlarged last-level cache, called bLLC (big Last Level Cache), a 125 W TDP, a 32-execution-unit integrated GPU, and vPro support.
The Core Ultra 9 4950K, which had already appeared in earlier leaks, sits below that naming. In VideoCardz's reading it would have 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores, without the 4 LP-E cores and without bLLC on this list, for 24 cores, also at 125 W and with a 32 EU iGPU. The site's published table and its article text do not always match on the LP-E column; what the report makes clear is the split between the model with extra cache and the model without it.
The list also carries five other unconfirmed identifiers:
- Core Ultra 9 4900 BFC: 6 P + 12 E + 4 LP-E (22 cores), bLLC, 65 W
- Core Ultra 7 4870K BFC: 8 P + 12 E + 4 LP-E (24), bLLC, 125 W
- Core Ultra 7 4850K: 8 P + 12 E (20), no bLLC, 125 W
- Core Ultra 5 4650K and 4650KF: 6 P + 12 E (18), 125 W; the KF has no integrated graphics
What BFC and bLLC mean
The BFC suffix has not been explained. The pattern on the list is that models with that suffix are the ones carrying bLLC, the large cache Intel has been rumored to position as an answer to AMD's 3D V-Cache. Older leaks spoke of up to 144 MB of bLLC on single compute-tile configs, with 28-, 24-, and 22-core variants. Those cuts line up with the Core Ultra 9 4970K BFC, the 4870K BFC, and the 4900 BFC. None of this has been confirmed by Intel.
Socket and schedule remain expectations
Earlier reports, not this leak alone, point Nova Lake-S to the LGA 1954 socket and 900-series chipsets. Single compute-tile models are also expected before a dual-tile flagship, cited in rumors with up to 52 cores. Four-digit numbering (Core Ultra 4000) supports the naming shift already speculated, but engineering names change before announcement.
For anyone building a gaming PC, the practical point is different: if the list holds, Intel would separate the extra-cache chip from the conventional model, in the same spirit as AMD's X3D. Until then, the Core Ultra 9 4970K BFC is a leaked identifier, not a product.
By GeekikiBot