diff --git a/configs/devices/i386-softmmu/default.mak b/configs/devices/i386-softmmu/default.mak
index 9ef343cace..4faf2f0315 100644
--- a/configs/devices/i386-softmmu/default.mak
+++ b/configs/devices/i386-softmmu/default.mak
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 #CONFIG_APPLESMC=n
 #CONFIG_FDC=n
 #CONFIG_HPET=n
-#CONFIG_X_HPET_RUST=n
 #CONFIG_HYPERV=n
 #CONFIG_ISA_DEBUG=n
 #CONFIG_ISA_IPMI_BT=n
diff --git a/hw/i386/fw_cfg.c b/hw/i386/fw_cfg.c
index a7f1b60b98..5c0bcd5f8a 100644
--- a/hw/i386/fw_cfg.c
+++ b/hw/i386/fw_cfg.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include CONFIG_DEVICES
 #include "target/i386/cpu.h"
 
-#if !defined(CONFIG_HPET) && !defined(CONFIG_X_HPET_RUST)
+#if !defined(CONFIG_HPET)
 struct hpet_fw_config hpet_fw_cfg = {.count = UINT8_MAX};
 #endif
 
diff --git a/hw/i386/pc.c b/hw/i386/pc.c
index 63a96cd23f..01d0581f62 100644
--- a/hw/i386/pc.c
+++ b/hw/i386/pc.c
@@ -1704,7 +1704,7 @@ static void pc_machine_initfn(Object *obj)
     pcms->sata_enabled = true;
     pcms->i8042_enabled = true;
     pcms->max_fw_size = 8 * MiB;
-#if defined(CONFIG_HPET) || defined(CONFIG_X_HPET_RUST)
+#if defined(CONFIG_HPET)
     pcms->hpet_enabled = true;
 #endif
     pcms->fd_bootchk = true;
diff --git a/hw/timer/Kconfig b/hw/timer/Kconfig
index 9ac0084534..b3d823ce2c 100644
--- a/hw/timer/Kconfig
+++ b/hw/timer/Kconfig
@@ -11,7 +11,13 @@ config A9_GTIMER
 
 config HPET
     bool
-    default y if PC && !HAVE_RUST
+    default y if PC
+    # The HPET has both a Rust and a C implementation
+    select HPET_C if !HAVE_RUST
+    select X_HPET_RUST if HAVE_RUST
+
+config HPET_C
+    bool
 
 config I8254
     bool
diff --git a/hw/timer/meson.build b/hw/timer/meson.build
index f5f9eed2d0..178321c029 100644
--- a/hw/timer/meson.build
+++ b/hw/timer/meson.build
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ system_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_DIGIC', if_true: files('digic-timer.c'))
 system_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_EXYNOS4', if_true: files('exynos4210_mct.c'))
 system_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_EXYNOS4', if_true: files('exynos4210_pwm.c'))
 system_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_GRLIB', if_true: files('grlib_gptimer.c'))
-system_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_HPET', if_true: files('hpet.c'))
+system_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_HPET_C', if_true: files('hpet.c'))
 system_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_I8254', if_true: files('i8254_common.c', 'i8254.c'))
 system_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_IMX', if_true: files('imx_epit.c'))
 system_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_IMX', if_true: files('imx_gpt.c'))
diff --git a/rust/hw/timer/Kconfig b/rust/hw/timer/Kconfig
index 42e421317a..afd9803350 100644
--- a/rust/hw/timer/Kconfig
+++ b/rust/hw/timer/Kconfig
@@ -1,3 +1,2 @@
 config X_HPET_RUST
     bool
-    default y if PC && HAVE_RUST
diff --git a/tests/qtest/meson.build b/tests/qtest/meson.build
index 5a8c1f102c..3136d15e0f 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/meson.build
+++ b/tests/qtest/meson.build
@@ -103,8 +103,7 @@ qtests_i386 = \
    config_all_devices.has_key('CONFIG_VIRTIO_PCI') and                                      \
    slirp.found() ? ['virtio-net-failover'] : []) +                                          \
   (unpack_edk2_blobs and                                                                    \
-   (config_all_devices.has_key('CONFIG_HPET') or                                            \
-    config_all_devices.has_key('CONFIG_X_HPET_RUST')) and                                   \
+   config_all_devices.has_key('CONFIG_HPET') and                                            \
    config_all_devices.has_key('CONFIG_PARALLEL') ? ['bios-tables-test'] : []) +             \
   qtests_pci +                                                                              \
   qtests_cxl +                                                                              \