The arrival of the Intel Core 9 273PQE on the PassMark charts is a strange moment in the twilight of the LGA 1700 socket. On paper, it is the chip many enthusiasts have spent years asking for: a high-performance part that completely ditches Efficiency-cores (E-cores) in favor of pure P-core heavy lifting.
However, as we analyze the benchmarks and the technical barriers Intel has placed around this "Bartlett Lake-S" silicon, it becomes clear that this is less of a gift to gamers and more of a specialized tool for a very specific industrial niche.
The P-Core Purist’s Dream (With a Catch)
The Core 9 273PQE is the flagship of the Bartlett Lake-S family, featuring 12 Performance-cores and 24 threads. For those who found the hybrid architecture of the 12th, 13th, and 14th generations frustrating due to scheduling quirks or thread-director overhead, a 12-P-core design sounds like a powerful gaming engine.
Max turbo speeds are aggressive, reaching 5.9 GHz. This allows the chip to eke out a 4,655 single-threaded score in PassMark—roughly 4% higher than the Core i7-14700K. While the single-core performance is strong, the absence of E-cores creates a deficit in multi-threaded workloads.
This performance delta reveals a clear trade-off. The 273PQE falls 22% behind the 14900K in multi-threaded performance. Intel is betting that edge and embedded users care more about predictable, high-performance cores than the raw throughput offered by a swarm of smaller efficiency cores. Intel has launched these chips for mission-critical edge and industrial deployments, not mainstream desktop retail.
The BIOS Barrier: Why You Can’t Buy One (Yet)
Despite the mechanical compatibility with the LGA 1700 socket, the dream of dropping a 273PQE into an existing Z790 motherboard is currently dead on arrival. Reports from the Overclock.net community confirm that these chips will not boot on consumer boards.
The issue isn’t physical; it’s a lack of BIOS and microcode support. Intel has restricted these chips to the embedded and edge markets. This means that unless motherboard manufacturers like ASUS or MSI release "unsupported" beta BIOS updates for their enthusiast boards—something ASRock has indicated is not currently happening—the 273PQE will remain a ghost in the consumer market.
The branding choice is also curious. Intel opted for "Core 9" for this part while also using it for the Core 9 270H in the mobile space. The 270H, based on Raptor Lake Refresh, actually trails the 273PQE in single-threaded performance by about 11%, despite being part of the same naming tier. The result is a messy branding hierarchy where "Core 9" no longer guarantees the absolute top-tier performance across all segments.
Artificial Segregation and the Death of LGA 1700
Intel’s decision to keep Bartlett Lake-S away from the DIY market reveals its priorities. By officially releasing the "Arrow Lake Refresh" for the newer LGA 1851 socket, Intel is forcing enthusiasts to move platforms if they want the latest architecture.
The 273PQE feels like a missed opportunity to give the LGA 1700 a legendary send-off. A 12-P-core chip would have been a fascinating experiment for high-refresh-rate gaming, where E-cores often provide diminishing returns. Instead, it serves as a reminder of how strictly Intel segments its hardware.
The $589 price point also raises questions. Rather than a budget-friendly way to extend the life of an old motherboard, this is an expensive, specialized part designed for industrial stability and ECC memory support in server environments.
TTEK2 Verdict
The Intel Core 9 273PQE is a fascinating piece of silicon trapped in a corporate cage. While its 12-core, P-core-only design is exactly what a vocal segment of the enthusiast community has been begging for, the reality is far less useful for the average person.
The Takeaway:
If you are a gamer or home user, do not buy this chip from third-party vendors or gray-market sellers expecting a simple upgrade. Without a specialized industrial motherboard or a massive (and unlikely) shift in BIOS support from consumer vendors, you will be left with a $589 paperweight.
We believe Intel is playing it too safe here. In an era where AMD continues to support the AM4 socket years after its supposed retirement, Intel had a chance to do something similar with Bartlett Lake-S. By locking this 12-core beast behind the "embedded" label, they’ve turned a potentially iconic CPU into a mere footnote for the LGA 1700 platform.
Comments