Raptor Lake Refresh to stay: Intel keeps 700-series motherboards, chips in production

Intel has reassured gamers and PC builders that its Raptor Lake Refresh processors, which make up its 14th-generation Core CPU offerings, are here to stay, at least for those who want them. The company says Raptor Lake is in it for the long haul, and Intel will continue to produce Raptor Lake chips while supporting 700-series motherboards and the LGA 1700 socket. This is to ensure that desktop chips and motherboards remain easily accessible and widely available. 

While Intel is moving to Arrow Lake, the company still recognizes that its older-generation processors have plenty of life left, especially given how volatile memory prices are these days. Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs support both DDR5 and considerably cheaper DDR4 memory, allowing users to choose between the two by picking a compatible motherboard, while Arrow Lake supports only the former.

Intel Says Raptor Lake Is Here To Stay Alongside LGA 1700 Platform

In an interview with Club386, Intel’s Vice President and General Manager of Client Segment Technical Marketing, Robert Hallock, discussed why the company is doubling down on the Raptor Lake Refresh.

He stated, “Raptor Lake is a big part of our strategy. I want to be very clear about that. It’s really, really good, even with multiple generations of hardware from other vendors coming after it, so it’s not going anywhere. I want to be clear that Raptor Lake will continue to be abundantly available.”

Intel Backs DDR4 and DDR5 Support on Raptor Lake to Help Users Cope With Rising Memory Prices

Given the current market DRAM and overall memory price fluctuations, which are making it harder to purchase DDR5, Intel has also collaborated with motherboard manufacturers to support both DDR4 and DDR5-based options. This move allows users to opt for cheaper DDR4 memory for now and upgrade to DDR5 when the current pricing pressures eventually ease. Hallock continued:

You’ve also seen some new motherboard announcements that support both DDR4 and DDR5 on Raptor Lake as a kind of bridge between worlds for people. That is reflective of our overall confidence and expectations.

This is a flexible approach that provides users with an upgrade path down the line. Companies like ASRock are already manufacturing motherboards such as the H610 Combo (2x DDR4 and 4x DDR5 memory slots), which include six slots that support both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. The trend is catching on, which could lead to more versatile options from motherboard manufacturers in 2026.

The best part is that Raptor Lake processors have proven to deliver solid gaming performance even with cheaper DDR4 memory, edging out the competition, such as older AMD Ryzen chips that rely on the AM4 socket.