So it wasn’t a myth after all: Bartlett Lake processors do exist. One model from the series, the Core 9 273PQE, was spotted mounted on a consumer LGA-1700 motherboard. As a reminder, ASRock confirmed that the series was not intended for the consumer market. They were designed for the industrial sector and the embedded market!
A Core 9 273PQE spotted on an LGA-1700 motherboard!
In fact, the Core 9 273PQE is shaping up to be the flagship of the series. This processor differs radically from its LGA-1700 socket counterparts in that it has no E-Cores. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, as it relies entirely on P-Cores. As a result, it has 12 P-Cores, four more than the Core i9 14900K/KF/KS in Raptor Lake Refresh. In terms of frequency, the leaked specifications indicate a boost of up to 5.6 GHz, while the amount of L3 cache reaches 36 MB.
It is therefore not surprising to see these processors mounted on consumer LGA-1700 motherboards, as they are compatible. The configuration is clearly functional, with our colleagues indicating that the card has a BIOS that supports this series. Elements visible in the photo, such as heat sinks, components visible on the PCB, and heat sink mounting holes, suggest that the card appears to be an ROG Maximus Z790 Apex, a model intended for extreme overclockers.
However, don’t expect to see these processors widely distributed in the consumer sector. If they do appear, it will be through unofficial distribution channels such as third-party resellers via AliExpress, for example. Furthermore, we may question the willingness of motherboard manufacturers to offer compatible BIOS. Apart from certain very specific references such as models dedicated to OC, there is little chance that entry-level models will support these CPUs… But let’s not jump to conclusions, as 2026 promises to be full of surprises.
