XMG introduces an additional configuration variant to the high-end NEO range of gaming laptops with Intel’s new Tiger Lake H45 processors. The eight-core CPUs from the 11th Core generation not only offer higher performance compared to their predecessors, but also boast the advantages of a completely updated platform. These includes support for PCI Express 4.0 and Thunderbolt 4 – features that the AMD version of the XMG NEO cannot offer. In addition, the models utilising the new Intel processor also benefit from a slight performance increase on the graphics card side. The GPU in the XMG NEO 15 and NEO 17 (M21) now operates with a TGP of up to 165 instead of 150 watts.
Intel Tiger Lake H: A big chance for widely available high-end gaming laptops
Whenever possible, XMG strives to offer its gaming laptops in both AMD and Intel configurations, to play to the strengths of each platform within the same laptop model series. The company introduced the NEO series (model generation E21) with a combination of Ryzen 5000 CPUs and GeForce RTX 3000 graphics cards at the beginning of 2021. While AMD was able to claim the performance crown for itself in most benchmarks at that time, Intel is now strongly following suit with the newly introduced 45 watt processors from the 11th Core generation. Reason enough to also offer the NEO 15 and NEO 17 with this configuration option in the future, especially since Intel is launching an all-round updated platform with Tiger Lake, on top of the outright performance increase compared to Comet Lake.
This could make the 11th core generation the new beacon of hope. The industry-wide production and supply bottlenecks, from individual components to wafers, have also had a strong impact on AMD recently. Although there is still strong demand for high-end gaming laptops with Ryzen processors, the availability is currently not at the same level. Intel’s 11th Core generation could step into the breach here and finally ensure laptops with high-end CPUs and GPUs are available across the board, especially since desktop graphics cards are also in short supply.
XMG NEO 15 and NEO 17 with Core i7-11800H and RTX 3080 with 165 watts
With the Core i7-11800H from the 45 watt TDP class, the new Intel version of the XMG NEO 15 and NEO 17 is a step up in performance: The completely renewed architecture from the 10 nm manufacturing process provides a significant performance increase with eight cores, 16 threads as well as a base and boost clock of 2.3 and up to 4.6 GHz respectively. In contrast to the models with AMD Ryzen, the Tiger Lake based laptops use liquid metal (Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut) as a thermal compound for even more optimized CPU cooling.
In addition, Intel offers a modernised and feature-packed platform. For the first time, the graphics card in the high-end gaming laptops is connected via 16 PCI Express 4.0 lanes, the primary M.2 SSD communicates via four PCIe 4.0 lanes and with Tiger Lake H, Intel also makes the leap from Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 4. These are all features that were previously reserved for desktop replacement laptops with Rocket Lake processors, or models with small Tiger Lake quad-core CPUs. In addition, Intel will support faster DDR4-3200 memory and offers the efficient, integrated Xe graphics unit.
More power is also available on the graphics card side with the new XMG NEO. Up to now, the GPUs from the GeForce RTX 3000 series worked with a maximum TGP of 150 watts (135 watts + 15 watts Dynamic Boost 2.0 in the case of the top model RTX 3080). The new Tiger Lake H version of the laptops also steps up in this area and can work with up to 165 watts. Additionally, an RTX 3070 or 3060 is also available. The XMG NEO 15 (359.8 x 243 x 26 mm, 2.2 kg) and the NEO 17 (395.7 x 260.8 x 27.45 mm, 2.5 kg) continue to focus on maximum performance instead of making sacrifices for ultimate portability.
Both laptops feature a WQHD IPS panel running at 165 Hz with 95 percent coverage of the sRGB colour space and a brightness of 350 nits. An optomechanical keyboard with tactile silent switches as well as anti-ghosting, N-key rollover and RGB per-key illumination are also among the core features of the NEO series. Compared to the previous Intel version, the new M21 model now also has 2.5 Gbit LAN and a webcam positioned on the upper edge of the display. As a result of the platform change, Thunderbolt 4, an M.2 SSD connection via PCI Express 4.0, support for DDR4-3200 (previously up to DDR4-2933) and 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes for the graphics card are all new, powerful additions.
Preview: Planned Tiger Lake H updates for further laptop model series
XMG plans to introduce more laptops with the new 45 watt CPUs from the 11th Core generation in the following months, such as the XMG CORE series – which the company also offers in an AMD and Intel version, the XMG PRO range and additional product series.
Pricing and availability information
The recommended base configurations of the XMG NEO 15 (M21) and XMG NEO 17 (M21), which can be freely configured on bestware.com, feature Intel’s Core i7-11800H, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, 16 GB DDR4-3200, a 500 GB Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus and a WQHD 165 Hz IPS display. Prices are expected to start from € 1,949 (NEO 15 and NEO 17). Due to the increasing shortage of components and the resulting volatility of the prices of graphics chips, processors and memory, XMG will provide exact pricing at the start of the pre-order phase. This is expected to be at the beginning of June, whilst delivery of the laptops is expected to start at the end of June.
