Manufacturers Roll Out New Firmware For Next-Gen Intel CPUs

ROG Maximus Z790 Apex
ROG Maximus Z790 Apex (Image credit: Asus)

At least two motherboard manufacturers have started to roll out new firmware to accommodate Intel's next-generation processor. The firmware release aligns with the rumored October release for Intel's Raptor Lake Refresh lineup, which will fight for a spot on the list of best CPUs.

ASRock (via momomo_us) deployed a new firmware for the B760M PG Sonic WiFi motherboard yesterday. The changelog expressly confirms "support for next-generation processors." Asus isn't falling behind, either. The company (via HXL) has also released new firmware for the overclocking-eccentric ROG Maximus Z790 Apex motherboard to "improve system stability and compatibility for the next-gen processors."

Raptor Lake Refresh utilizes the same formula as the vanilla counterparts. Therefore, a minor firmware update will enable existing Intel 600-and 700-series motherboards to house the new chips. But we can't discard the probability that motherboard brands will likely take the opportunity to release revamped motherboards with more features. Depending on how much Intel has tuned the clock speeds and the power consumption on the upcoming chips, consumers may or may not be able to recycle their cooling solutions.

Zhiye Liu
News Editor and Memory Reviewer

Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

  • m1nt24
    Just checked Gigabyte's website as I was looking to update my BIOS, and it looks like a Z690 motherboard is also getting support for 14th gen as well with version F24b, albeit it is the beta version:
    https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z690-AORUS-ELITE-DDR4-rev-1x/support#support-dl-bios
    "Supports and powers up Intel next generation processor"
    Reply