Mating the fastest desktop processor to DDR4-2666 doesn't sound like clever choice, but for low memory bandwidth applications should work well. We all know how memory-sensitive the Zen2 CPUs are. Guess that's a limitation of the mobile platform.
Yes. XMG APEX 15 supports 3200MHz RAM and will put these options online over the week.
This chassis does not support XMP but rather requires memory with 3200MHz JEDEC profiles. Those are pretty new and are just coming out. At launch we were not ready yet to commit to either GoldKey, Crucial, Micron or Samsung, but I think we have that figured out now.
Q: What RAM modules do I need to hit the 3200MHz speed?
A: Over the last few years, DDR4 RAM speeds beyond 2666MHz were achieved by using XMP: Extreme Memory Profiles. In 2020, this will change. XMG APEX 15 is our first high-end model that does not support XMP. This will also apply to every subsequent model released with next-gen Intel H series CPUs.
In other words: most RAM modules that are advertised with 3200MHz (or more) won’t be able to run at 3200MHz in this machine. They will clock down to their highest JEDEC profile, which is usually 2666MHz.
In order to hit the 3200MHz speed, you need RAM modules that can already achieve this clock speed on JEDEC profiles. This requires new RAM modules that are coming out now in 2020. We will keep this list up to date over the upcoming months:
| Vendor | Type | SKU |
|---|
| GoldKey | 8GB DDR4-3200 JEDEC | GKE800SO102408-3200A |
| GoldKey | 16GB DDR4-3200 JEDEC | GKE160SO102408-3200A |
| Crucial | 8GB DDR4-3200 JEDEC | CT8G4SFS832A |
| Crucial | 16GB DDR4-3200 JEDEC | CT16G4SFD832A |
| Micron | 8GB DDR4-3200 JEDEC | MTA8ATF1G64HZ-3G2XX |
| Micron | 16GB DDR4-3200 JEDEC | MTA16ATF2G64HZ-3G2XX |
| Samsung | 16GB DDR4-3200 JEDEC | M471A2K43DB1-CWE |
Any modules not on this list cannot be guaranteed to run at the desired 3200MHz.
Massive CPU... But not even a 2080 option?
Yes.
Q: Will you offer XMG APEX 15 with other NVIDIA GPUs?
A: At launch, XMG APEX 15 is offered with RTX 2060 and RTX 2070 and supports up to 115W TGP on the GPU. Since the RTX 2080 requires 150W or more, it won’t be possible in this current chassis. Our ODM offers a downgrade to GTX 1660 Ti, but we decided not to carry that option because the price gap between GTX 1660 Ti and RTX 2060 has become relatively small and NVIDIA is going to push RTX features like DLSS 2.0 even more in 2020.
Correct. They announced these back in January, they are using Clevo's NH57ADS platform.
Correct.
NH57ADS = RTX 2060
NH57AF1 = RTX 2070
You will get different factory options, depending on which brand you buy:
Chassis-Design: Our ODM is offering this chassis in 4 different variations.
- NH50: Picture 1 - 2 - 3
- NH55: Picture 1 - 2 - 3
- NH57: Picture 1 - 2 - 3
- NH58: Picture 1 - 2 - 3
The features, mechanical engineering and mainboard layout are identical on each one of these – the chassis is purely about cosmetics and haptics. We picked the NH57 variation because it’s the only one where the LCD lid is made from metal. You can really feel the difference – it’s a much more quality / high-end feeling. NH55 was a close contender but it was covered in a semi-glossy IMR coating which is a bit too prone to collect fingerprints – it looks more matte on the pictures than in real-life.
Overall, the NH57 is the best choice, even though it costs a couple of dollars more in production.
Fingerprint-Reader: the F/P Reader is situated in the top left corner of the touchpad when you order XMG APEX 15. Other brands might not offer this convenient feature.
TPM: the ODM usually offers the mainboard with either dedicated TPM (dTPM) or with a Firmware TPM implementation (fTPM). In Intel, the fTPM is called Intel PTT. AMD does not seem to have a specific marketing name for their own fTPM solution. Regardless, we are building XMG APEX 15 with dedicated TPM 2.0 from Infineon.
Keyboard Layouts: our ODM has their own unique keyboard design – love it or hate it. We at XMG make our own keyboard layouts and our layout for this model will differ from the ODM standard. The keyboard in this model is the same as in previous XMG PRO so the layouts have already been drawn for over 20 keyboard languages for the pan-European market.
LCD: the NH series is available with 3 different panel specs: 60Hz with either 45% or 72% NTSC Gamut and the 144Hz top spec, likewise with 72% NTSC. We are committed to build all XMG APEX 15 with the best available LCD panel.
BIOS: our ODM’s standard BIOS usually only comes with a minimal amount of options and features. We have worked with our ODM to extend those options to deliver as many expert tuning options as reasonably possible. This includes various Undervolting options. At the same time, XMG APEX 15 can also be tweaked with
RyzenAdj and
Ryzen Master.
Brand: we offer a fully debranded option where your laptop will remain completely blank with no printing and no laser-etching on any of the surfaces. Our brand will only remain on the rating label and in the BIOS boot logo. On top of that, all XMG and SCHENKER models are delivered without any stickers (Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, HDMI etc.) on the palm rest area. Where possible, the stickers will be put into the shipping package for your personal usage.
(FAQ taken from our
Reddit thread)
We'd be happy to answer more questions from the community!
Cheers,
Tom
