ASRock has confirmed that its LGA 1700 motherboards, including high-end Z790 models, will not support the upcoming Intel Bartlett Lake-S processors. This announcement ends speculation that Bartlett Lake would serve as the final major upgrade for the LGA 1700 platform.
Until now, many users expected Bartlett Lake-S to be an attractive option, offering up to 12 high-performance cores (P-Cores) and no efficiency cores (E-Cores). However, ASRock has clarified that these processors will be limited to its industrial motherboard lineup under ASRock Industrial, and not to consumer boards sold at retail.
No Upgrade Path for Z790 and Gaming Motherboards
For enthusiasts and gamers using popular boards such as the Z790 Taichi or Phantom Gaming series, this news means the upgrade path officially ends with Intel Core 14th Gen, also known as Raptor Lake Refresh. Unlike previous transitions, there will be no BIOS update to enable Bartlett Lake-S support on standard LGA 1700 motherboards.
This decision will likely disappoint users who were hoping for one last CPU upgrade without changing their motherboard. Bartlett Lake-S, with its focus on pure P-Core performance, was seen as a potentially strong option for gaming workloads.
Intel’s decision is part of a clear market segmentation strategy. Bartlett Lake-S is aimed at systems that prioritize stability and long-term reliability, which is why it will be supported only on industrial chipsets such as W680 and Q670. ASRock’s industrial boards already list compatibility with these processors.
As a result, consumer platforms are left out entirely. While Bartlett Lake-S could have delivered solid gaming performance due to the absence of E-Cores, it will not be available to mainstream users.
