This laptop is like nothing you've ever seen before. Using the AM4 desktop socket, it can
support up to the 12 core 24 thread Ryzen 9 3900 desktop CPU, so let's find out more
about this crazy machine.
XMG introduced me to the Clevo NH57ADS at CES 2020, a laptop that they'll be offering
under the working name of XMG Apex 15, but that’s subject to change.
Using the B450 chipset, it supports AMD Ryzen 3000 series CPUs up to 65 watts, including
the Ryzen 9 3900. That's 12 cores 24 threads in a laptop, insane. It also means there's
the potential for upgrades if AMD keeps using the AM4 socket for the next generation, assuming
BIOS updates become available.
It's got some serious heatpipes and fans inside, as you'd expect to keep those parts cool
Otherwise it's got two memory slots, so up to 64gb in dual channel, and Nvidia graphics
up to 115 watts of power, for now this one just had a GTX 1660 Ti, but there are no hybrid
graphics, so you'll be getting full GPU performance as the desktop AMD chips don't have a GPU
component.
For storage there are two M.2 slots, both support SATA while one is PCIe as well, there's
a 2.5" drive bay too, and it's also got the latest WiFi 6.
Getting access to the internals is easy too. Underneath there are some air exhausts towards
the back, two speakers down the front, and we can see the back panel only needs removal
of 5 screws to access, or two for the removable battery.
The interior is fairly standard if you've seen other Clevo laptops, with a zoned RGB
keyboard and touchpad down the bottom with separate left and right click buttons. It's
all a dark grey plastic, just like the rest of the machine.
On the left side from the back there's a Kensington lock, gigabit ethernet port, two USB 3.2 Gen2
Type-A ports, and a MicroSD card reader. It’s a bit strange they couldn’t fit full size
here.
On the right there are 3.5mm headphone and mic jacks, USB 2.0 Type-A port, bit of an
outlier there, and air exhaust vent.
The rest of the I/O is found on the back, from left to right there's a USB 3.2 Gen2
Type-C port with DisplayPort support, HDMI 2.0 and mini DisplayPort 1.4 outputs, followed
by just a single power connector. All display outputs are also connected directly to the
Nvidia GPU.
Despite all the power it's packing, it still only needs a single power brick. This one
is fine with a 180 watt brick, but it should max out at 230 watts with a higher GPU configuration.
The 62wh battery is also easily removable, which is good as they expect it will only
last for around 2 hours in MobileMark, honestly not surprising given the powerful specs inside
with no lower powered GPU, but I don't think that anyone is expecting killer battery life
for this level of performance, as always it's a trade off.
You'd think it would be massive due to all the cooling required for such powerful hardware,
but it wasn't too huge, weighing in at around 2.7kg, and it was about 3.2cm thick.
The screen is yet to be confirmed, but I suspect it will vary anyway as most Clevo units give
you a few different options. They've got options like 1080p 144Hz, 240Hz, 4k OLED, or Mini
LED available for other machines, so we'll have to wait and see.
XMG will also provide a custom unlocked BIOS with all AMD options, and they'll also be
tweaking the fan tables in 4 different performance modes. Technically overclocking should be
possible, but it’s yet to be seen how much power and thermal headroom is available. Either
way I'm super keen to see how their changes improve performance and to find out for myself
just how well this machine runs.
Unfortunately I don’t have any raw performance numbers yet, but make sure you’re subscribed
for when I get one of these in for review, and of course let me know down in the comments
what you think about a laptop with this much CPU horse power, has science gone too far?
I guess we’ll find out, don’t forget to check the rest of my CES 2020 coverage linked
in the description.