XMG Neo 17 (M22): Gaming notebook with Ryzen 9 6900HX and RTX 3080 Ti presented

XMG and Schenker are in the process of updating their notebook series for the 2022 model year. After the XMG Pro and XMG Fusion gaming notebooks in June and the Ultrabook Schenker Vision 14 E22, the powerful Neo series is now getting an upgrade: The XMG Neo 17 (M22) and XMG Neo 15 (M22) come with an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX in the hardware refresh.

The XMG Neo 17 (M22) in detail

The manufacturer’s Neo series is all about maximum performance. They push this further to the extreme with the new hardware refresh. The 17-inch XMG Neo 17 (M22) has been redesigned from the ground up and offers gaming power to the hilt.

With AMD’s Ryzen 9 6900HX with 8 cores and 16 threads as well as the freely configurable Nvidia graphics cards GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 3080 and 3070 Ti, the new gaming notebook can easily cope with even the most demanding games.

In addition, there are up to 64 GB of DDR5 RAM, two PCIe 4.0 SSDs and VR-ready USB-C port with dGPU connectivity. The two SO-DIMM sockets are designed for a maximum of 64 GB of DDR5-4800 RAM, while two M.2 slots are available for fast PCI Express 4.0 SSDs.

Effective cooling – optional water cooling

To tame this sheer power, XMG has come up with a sophisticated cooling system. The composite cooler with five heatpipes, separate heatsinks on all four air outlets, and two 11mm fans with an unobtrusive, low-frequency noise output keep the Neo 17 cool. And that’s even when the RTX 3080 Ti with 16 GB of GDDR6 VRAM is running full throttle at 175 watts TGP.

“The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX also operates continuously at 65 watts under full load, with boost peaks of up to 85 watts,” the manufacturer promises.

The XMG Neo 17 (M22), like the new Neo 15 (M22), can be connected to the optional XMG Oasis water cooling system, which started pre-ordering in January 2022. This should not only significantly reduce the notebook’s noise under full load, but also achieve even lower CPU and GPU temperatures.

At the touch of a button, you can set the laptop to the Overboost performance profile, which calls up the maximum possible power. Alternatively, you can also select numerous other individual tuning options via the XMG Control Center.

High-resolution 240 Hz display

The new XMG Neo 17 (M22) relies on a 16:10 format display for the first time. It resolves in WQXGA with 2,560 x 1,600 pixels, achieves a brightness of 380 cd/m² and offers a refresh rate of 240 Hz. Content creators will also be pleased that the display covers 99 percent of the sRGB color space.

Gamers will also be happy about the low response time of 6 milliseconds and the support of Nvidia G-Sync. Advanced Optimus ensures automatic switching of the display connection between AMD’s efficient iGPU and the dedicated Nvidia graphics card.

And that without having to restart the laptop. Manual switching is also possible via a MUX switch in the BIOS.

Mechanical keyboard and many ports

Typing and gaming on the new Neo 17 is done on Cherry’s new, fully mechanical MX Ultra Low Profile Tactile switches. Manufactured exclusively in Germany, the switches feature a tactile, non-clicking switching characteristic and impress with an ultra-flat design with a height of only 3.5 mm and are supposed to offer a similar feel to the manufacturer’s MX Brown switches – only significantly flatter.

The actuation force is 65 cN, total travel and release travel are 1.8 and 0.8 mm, respectively. However, the Neo 17 (M22) relies on membrane switches for the function keys and number pad. Advanced features include N-key rollover, anti-ghosting, RGB single-key illumination, and a dedicated number pad and arrow keys. This is joined by a Microsoft Precision-compliant glass touchpad, which turns out quite large with a size of 15 cm x 9.5 cm.

The notebook is also well positioned in terms of port selection. HDMI 2.1, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, the docking option for the XMG Oasis, as well as a USB-C 3.2 port with integrated DisplayPort 1.4 stream and connection to the Nvidia graphics card are offered. This makes the notebook compatible with current VR headsets.

In addition, there are three USB-A ports, a full-sized SD card reader, and two separate 3.5 mm jack sockets for headset and microphone.

Design and battery

The XMG Neo 17 (M22) is primarily made of aluminum, while a stabilizing magnesium frame for the top switch makes the notebook more robust by increasing connection rigidity. It measures 381.7 x 272.8 x 27 mm and weighs in at 2.8 kg.

The laptop is equipped with a 99 Wh battery, which should provide long runtimes in combination with the efficient AMD processor and Advanced Optimus in partial load mode. The included 330-watt power supply also ensures that the gaming notebook is still charged even under full load.

XMG Neo 15 (M22): Upgrade to AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX

The smaller 15-inch XMG NEO 15 (M22) gaming notebook also gets the upgrade to the powerful AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX processor. It is built on the same chassis as the already familiar XMG NEO 15 (E22) and is correspondingly more compact and lighter than its larger sibling in the form of the Neo 17.

The laptop is additionally available in an entry-level variant with GeForce RTX 3060. A USB-C 3.2 port with a DisplayPort connected to the dGPU is also new here. Compared to the E22 with Intel’s 12th generation Core CPUs from the beginning of the year, there is no Thunderbolt 4, but AMD’s model supports the connection of VR headsets.

Otherwise, the XMG Neo 15 (M22) features a 240 Hz fast WQHD display in 16:9 format, an opto-mechanical keyboard with tactile Silent Switches, compatibility with the XMG Oasis, and graphics cards up to GeForce RTX 3080 Ti with up to 175 watts.

Prices and Availability

As always with the manufacturer, the new XMG Neo 17 (M22) and XMG Neo 15 (M22) gaming notebooks are freely configurable on bestware.com. The base Neo 17 is equipped with AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, 16 (2 x 8 GB) GB DDR5-4800 and a 500 GB Samsung 980 SSD and is priced at an MSRP of 2,949 euros.

Upgrade options for the graphics card include a GeForce RTX 3080 (495 euro surcharge) and RTX 3080 Ti (879 euro surcharge).

The XMG Neo 15 (M22) starts at 2,099 euros. For that, you get the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, a Geforce RTX 3060 and the 240 Hz fast WQHD IPS display. Upgrades to the graphics card are also possible here on request and for an additional charge: RTX 3070 Ti (497 euros), RTX 3080 (992 euros) and RTX 3080 Ti (1,376 euros) are available. The optional XMG Oasis water cooling system costs 199 Euros.

Both notebooks are available for pre-order starting August 12 and are scheduled to ship in early September 2022 (in the case of the XMG Neo 17) or mid-September (Neo 15).

A discount campaign is running at bestware.com until August 16: If you pre-order an XMG Neo (M22) or buy any other laptop until then, you will receive a discount of 100 Euros on the total price if you choose a Windows 10 or Windows 11 license (Home or Pro).