- Roadmap
Autumn kicks off with several product announcements from AMD, Intel and NVIDIA. Thus, not only new GeForce RTX-40 graphics cards for desktop PCs are on the horizon, but also the brand-new Ryzen 7000 processors for socket AM5 and 13th Gen Intel Core CPUs. In this article, we will show you when the new components will probably find their way into XMG’s laptops and desktop PCs.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series for desktop PCs
NVIDIA introduced the first offshoots of the new “Lovelace” generation on September 20th with the RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 and mentions many improvements to the architecture. These models are initially designed for the ultra-high-end market segment. The RTX 3090 is to be replaced by the RTX 4080. The remaining models of the RTX 30 series, on the other hand, will remain current for the time being. NVIDIA’s new top graphics cards require special power supply connections and place high demands on the power supply’s performance. We are working with our partners to update our desktop PC portfolio accordingly. Instead of the “Founders Edition” (FE) presented by NVIDIA, we will integrate the corresponding products from our AIB partners (e.g. ASUS, ZOTAC, MSI).
We expect availability in the second half of October at the earliest, and in the case of the RTX 4080 even in November. We cannot yet provide exact dates and final pricing, as these details are still being clarified.
When will XMG laptops with the RTX 40 series be available?
Laptop GPUs of the RTX 40 series have not yet been introduced by NVIDIA. We generally strive to always offer the latest technology close to the market launch, but the release window of the chip manufacturers has increasingly stretched out in recent years. After the announcement of the high-end models (or data centre variants), for example, it sometimes takes a rather long time for the new mainstream graphics cards to follow. Or the entire product range is presented, but the individual graphics cards only arrive on the shelves in small quantities. These somewhat fluid generational transitions have their reasons in the increasingly complicated manufacturing technology and worldwide logistics.
Against this background, we dare to predict that there will be no XMG and SCHENKER laptops with GPUs from the RTX 40 series this year (2022). In addition, there are current developments such as a slowdown in demand in the EU and the increasingly poor exchange rate between the euro and the US dollar. Newly imported products are now significantly more expensive than they were six months ago. It is to be expected that this trend will continue to affect the pricing of potential successor products.
We expect to be able to offer a wide variety of products based on the RTX 30 series until well after Christmas season – also as part of discount promotions, which we announce at regular intervals via our newsletter and on bestware.com. For an overview of the launch schedule of XMG and SCHENKER laptops, we recommend taking a look at our product roadmap for the third quarter of 2022.
AMD Ryzen 7000 desktop processors and motherboards featuring socket AM5
AMD’s processors presented on August 29th are based on the new “Zen 4” architecture and feature the new AM5 CPU socket for the first time. The Ryzen 7000 series for desktop PCs thus requires completely new motherboards. We are working on getting our portfolio ready for the introduction of the new socket. According to the current status, AM5 systems are expected to be available in the first half of October, or at the latest in the second half of October. Details are still being clarified. Parts of these preparations are also related to the requirements of the new RTX 40 graphics cards. As soon as corresponding systems become available, we will announce them in our newsletter.
AMD Ryzen 7020 mobile processors
Similar to the Ryzen 4000 series (“Renoir”), the mobile CPUs presented by AMD on September 20th are still based on the “Zen 2” architecture, but are now manufactured in TSMC’s 6nm process (Renoir: 7nm) and feature numerous detail improvements. We are currently not considering adding CPUs from this model series to our laptop portfolio this year. We cannot comment on any plans for 2023 at this time. However, our current development focus tends to be in the high-end segment.
AMD has not yet presented a real CPU successor for the current “Rembrandt” generation (Ryzen 6000 mobile). Currently, our most powerful laptops with AMD Ryzen mobile CPUs are the SCHENKER VIA 15 Pro and the XMG NEO series (M22). The XMG CORE 15 with AMD Ryzen 7 6800H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 is also on the horizon.
Intel Core 13th Gen
Intel introduced the 13th generation Intel Core (“Raptor Lake”) on 28 September. The new desktop processors are compatible with the socket and chipsets of the previous 12th generation and still support both DDR4 and DDR5.
The flagship CPU called Intel Core i9-13900K comes with a total of 24 cores, including 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores. According to Intel’s own announcement, the single-core performance increases by up to 15% compared to the predecessor and by up to 41% for all-core performance. This performance increase is accompanied by higher power consumption at the top end of the scale. At medium load or moderated power limits, however, one can assume improved “performance-per-watt” scaling due to the mature “Intel 7” manufacturing technology. Further details are expected to be unveied with the official sales embargo on 20 October.
Intel has so far only announced desktop CPUs. A launch of corresponding mobile processors (U, P, H and HX series) is not expected this year.
We currently do not carry any laptop models with the matching desktop CPU socket. The XMG ULTRA 17 of 2021 is still based on the 11th generation and is therefore not compatible with the 12th and 13th generation socket. A continuation of XMG ULTRA with desktop CPU is not planned. It can be assumed that this desktop replacement segment will be covered by Intel’s “HX” series in the following year.
In the desktop segment, we plan to introduce Intel Core 13th Gen in the fourth quarter of 2022, with only the “K” CPUs available initially. We also do not expect further CPUs in the mid-range (“non-K”) until next year.
