XMG NEO 15 and OASIS: High-end gaming laptop with optional external water cooling

In the course of Intel’s Alder Lake H launch, XMG presents the latest generation of the gaming laptop with the XMG NEO 15 (E22). The features of the 15.6-inch device include an Intel Core i7-12700H and graphics cards up to the also newly introduced GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. Along with the laptop, XMG offers an optional external water cooling system.

XMG NEO 15: Gaming power galore

The Neo line around the new XMG NEO 15 marks the high-end line in the manufacturer’s portfolio. With Intel’s Core i7-12700H, the NEO 15 from the new E22 generation (Early 2022) integrates one of the fastest representatives from Intel’s retread 12th Core generation with hybrid design.

The CPU combines six performance cores with eight efficiency cores and is thus one of the first mobile processors with 14 computing units. On the graphics card side, XMG relies on NVIDIA’s ray-tracing capable RTX 3000 chips. Besides the already known RTX 3060, the upgraded laptop GPUs RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti from the upper class are also available depending on the configuration.

As is typical for the NEO series, the XMG NEO 15 also focuses on maximum performance. In the case of the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti with 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM, this means that the graphics card now operates with a TGP of up to 175 watts, and in the case of the RTX 3070 Ti, it’s up to 150 watts.

By using liquid metal on the CPU and an even more improved cooling system, XMG ensures that the components can work with permanently high performance and in the limits of their power and TGP limits. For example, the optimized fans have 71 instead of 67 fins.

WQHD display with 240 Hz

Compared to the model from the end of 2020, the new generation is even better: Its WEQHD IPS panel with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels is significantly faster with a refresh rate of 240 Hz. The brightness is 350 cd/m2, and the sRGB color space is also covered by at least 95%.

Despite its impressive hardware and a 93 Wh battery, the 360.2 x 243.5 x 26.6 millimeter XMG NEO 15 remains comparatively light and mobile with a weight of 2.2 kilograms. Among other things, a display lid and a palm rest made of aluminum contribute to that.  Compared to the 2021 generation, the laptop is also offered with a stronger 280 watt power supply.

M.2 SSDs with PCI Express 4.0 and up to 64 GB DDR5-4800

By switching to Intel Alder Lake-H and one with H670 Express chipset in the motherboard, the memory can also be connected faster. Thus, the laptop now holds two M.2 SSDs with a PCIe 4.0 connection via four lanes each and offers two SO-DIMM slots for a maximum of 64 GB DDR5 working memory. And it does so with a clock frequency of 4800 MHz.

Many ports

A Thunderbolt 4 port with two 4K-capable DisplayPort streams and an HDMI 2.1 output allow you to connect up to three external monitors. The HDMI output is connected to the dedicated NVIDIA graphics card, whereas the USB-C is connected to the integrated Intel Xe graphics unit.

Beyond that, there is 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6, three USB-A 3.2 ports, a full-size SD card reader and separate ports for headphones and microphone. In addition to a Microsoft Precision-compliant touchpad, the XMG NEO 15 still offers the familiar optomechanical keyboard with tactile silent switches, programmable RGB single-key illumination, anti-ghosting, and N-key rollover.

XMG OASIS: External All-in-One Water Cooling for the XMG NEO 15

Also new to the NEO 15 is XMG OASIS. The additional cooling resources are supposed to make laptops run significantly quieter, cooler and ultimately faster in the future. At market launch, XMG initially offers the external water cooling as an add-on for the new NEO 15 (E22).

However, the offer will be expanded to other models in the future due to the standardized connections. Compatible laptops are prepared for the use of the OASIS, but the use is not a prerequisite for the operation of the mobile device.

In a 186 x 203 x 75 millimeter compact case, XMG combines a 120 mm radiator including fan, pump and water reservoir as an all-in-one solution. This means that the OASIS can also be carried around in a backpack if necessary, so that the additional cooling resources can not only be used on the desk at home. The weight is correspondingly low: Including the cooling liquid, the water cooling system weighs 1.39 kilograms, while the empty weight is 1.18 kilograms.

Refillable water cooling

Approximately 230 milliliters of coolant are required to completely fill the entire system (water cooling and laptop). The case itself comes in an elegant stealth design, which also features customizable RGB lighting elements. The control is software-based.

The external AIO cooler has to be filled with coolant via a funnel before it can be put into operation. It is directly in the scope of delivery. This also makes it possible to refill it later. The water cooler and laptop are quickly connected via a self-locking quick-release connector with hoses for the inlet and outlet – and just as quickly disconnected again when the NEO 15 is to be taken along alone.

The water cooler and laptop are powered via the laptop power supply, and the two devices communicate via Bluetooth with subsequent pairing via the XMG Control Center. This way, all USB ports on the laptop remain free.

As soon as the XMG NEO 15 registers the additional resources of the external water cooling, the fans in the laptop automatically switch to a flat fan curve profile configured specifically for this setup for quiet operation even under full load. With significantly increased cooling performance at the same time.

According to XMG’s own test results with a pre-production model of the XMG NEO 15 (E22) with Core i7-12700H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti in the overboost profile, processor and graphics card temperatures drop by around 20°C when using the XMG OASIS, while at the same time the laptop’s fans only operate at up to 50 percent of their maximum speed.

Prices and availability

For a sample configuration of the XMG NEO 15 (E22) with Intel Core i7-12700H, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, 16 GB DDR5-4800, a 500 GB NVMe SSD, and a WQHD IPS display with 240 Hz, XMG is targeting a retail price of around 2,500 euros.

The price for the XMG OASIS as an optional accessory is supposed to be “no more than 200 Euros” for now.  Exact details will follow at the start of the pre-sale.

Both the laptop and the external water cooling are available for pre-order in accordance with Intel’s embargo for the 12th Core generation processors from the end of January, and delivery is expected from mid-February.