Intel Razor Lake-S Desktop CPUs To Tap LGA 1954 In 2028 Extending Nova Lake-S Socket

We're still waiting for Intel to formally introduce its next-generation Nova Lake-S lineup, which is rumored to crash the desktop party with up to 28 cores initially before eventually culminating in a 52-core monster gaming CPU with gobs of Big Last Level Cache (bLLC), but there is already talk of what comes after—Razor Lake-S, which is now tipped for a 2028 release instead of sometime in 2027.

Previously, it was thought there was a chance that Razor Lake-S could make its debut in late 2027. While still possible (nothing has been officially announced or confirmed), it appears Intel is actually targeting a 2028 release, at least according to Jaykihn (@jaykihn0) on X.

@dcominottim @dttprofessor @TamerAm48431889 @kyuu47427 Nothing was said officially, but Razor Lake is currently slated as a 2028 product.

— Jaykihn (@jaykihn0) October 29, 2026

"Nothing was said officially, but Razor Lake is currently slated as a 2028 product," the leaker recently posted.

As to exactly when in 2028, that remains a mystery. Intel is expected to launch Nova Lake-S in early 2027, likely at or around CES in January, though if it slips into a later release window for whatever reason, it could also push Razor Lake further into 2028. We'll have to wait and see.

Barring any last-minute surprises, Nova Lake-S will leave behind Intel's LGA 1851 socket and utilize a new LGA 1954 socket, which was spotted and photographed at Computex earlier this year. And while not official, Intel has already referenced its upcoming LGA 1954 socket in official documentation, as prominent leaker @harukaze5719 on X brought to attention several weeks ago.

Razor Lake-S is widely expected to also utilize the LGA 1954 socket. This would align with Intel's Robert Hallock hinting that the company will slow down socket changes for future chips. While speaking with Club386 back in March, Hallock reiterated that he and his team are "first and foremost, PC builders and enthusiasts" who have all built their own PCs. He also mentioned that Intel is "not ignorant of the feedback" that people have about its products. Historically, one of the chief complaints has been with Intel's socket longevity, especially in light of what AMD has done with its Zen lineups over the years.

"We watch it very closely… some of that feedback we can act on in a six-month time span, a year-long time span, a three-year time span. But we are listening, and that feedback matters quite a lot. It absolutely influences how we think about our products and our roadmap," Hallock said at the time.

As an aside to all this, preparations are already being made for Razor Lake-S. Notably, CPUID's popular CPU-Z utility recently added support for Razor Lake, according to the release notes for version 3.02. Hopefully that is a sign that Razor Lake-S is bound for an earlier release in 2028 rather than in late 2028.