Intel's upcoming Nova Lake-S lineup of desktop CPUs has a lot to live up to, given the rumor mill surrounding the next-gen family. The latest leak in the cycle comes from Videocardz, which is claiming that some high-end motherboards for Nova Lake will feature a two-lever retention mechanism in the LGA 1954 socket. The mechanism will be aptly named "2L-ILM" and live alongside a more conventional single-lever design on cheaper boards.
The reason for including two levers to clamp down on the processor is to achieve better cooling. IHS refers to the integrated heat spreader, the thin sheet of metal that encases the CPU and serves as its lid (that's why it's called delidding when removed). It's responsible for ensuring optimal thermal contact between the die underneath and the heatsink on the other side.
Therefore, it's important that the surface area of the IHS remains as flat and even as possible, or there will be hotspots in contact pressure. In worst-case scenarios, the CPU might physically bend inside the socket, leading to worse thermals. Previously, a few mods have alleviated this issue, such as one where people remove the stock ILM (independent loading mechanism) and replace it with a specialized contact frame.
With Nova Lake-S, Intel is reportedly developing a new ILM with a lever on either side, similar to the LGA 2011 socket. That platform was meant for Xeon server processors, but Intel has already tried two different ILMs in a recent consumer generation: Arrow Lake. The LGA 1851 socket was slightly redesigned to introduce an "RL-ILM" (reduced load) that sat flatter and was found on higher-end motherboards a few months after launch.
Moreover, the company has moved on to a PHM (processor heatsink module) on later Xeon sockets, which has no retention mechanism at all; the heatsink is bolted down to the frame from the factory. With LGA 1954 expected for Nova Lake-S, it will be the first time any Intel consumer chip fits on a dual-levered socket, highlighting just how important this upcoming lineup is for the Blue Team that it's ironing out even the small quirks.
