XMG APEX 15 MAX laptop: packs desktop AMD Ryzen 9 5950X processor

XMG has just announced their latest APEX 15 MAX desktop replacement laptop that is the world's first to pack AMD Ryzen desktop CPUs for the AM4 socket.

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The new XMG APEX 15 MAX (E22) laptop supports AMD's flagship desktop CPUs in the Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 9 5950X, a B550-based chipset, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics. XMG recommends the configuration using the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, Ryzen 7 5700X, or Ryzen 5 5600X processors -- no matter the TDP of between 65W or 105W.

This is because the CPUs are operating within a PPT (Package Power Tracking) of up to 88W, so even the higher-end 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 9 5900X processor can run in the new XMG APEX 15 MAX (E22) laptop under AMD's ECO mode. XMG offers a 15.6-inch 1080p 240Hz IPS display, with the ability to hook up three external monitors.

Inside, there's up to 64GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, two M.2 slots for SSDs, and also a 2.5-inch drive bay for SSD storage. You've got PCIe 4.0 connectivity on the first M.2 bay, with PCIe 4.0 x4 connectivity able to drive super-fast NVMe M.2 SSDs.

XMG loads up the XMG APEX 15 MAX laptop with a DisplayPort 1.4-capable USB 3.2 Gen2 port (Type-C), an HDCP 2.3-capable HDMI 2.1 output and a Mini DisplayPort 1.4. On top of that, we've also got a GbE ethernet port, Wi-Fi 6, two USB-A 3.2 ports, USB-A 2.0, a microSD card reader, headset-compatible headphone output, and a separate microphone input.

XMG does offer the Ryzen 9 5950X (16 cores, 32 threads) but the company adds this is "not officially recommended for standard users and should only be configured by experts: In order to achieve a significant performance advantage over the already powerful Ryzen 9 5900X, it is necessary to manually adjust the voltage and fan curves using AMD's Ryzen Master software. The extent to which this process succeeds depends strongly on the potential of the individual processor used".

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XMG continues: "In order to make 105 Watt processors such as the 5900X in the APEX 15 MAX run stable under all operating conditions, profound and exclusive modifications to the BIOS and firmware of the MPS-VRMs were necessary compared to the original laptop design. XMG applies these on every laptop regardless of the configured processor; making a subsequent upgrade to a stronger, supported Ryzen processor possible without any problems".