AMD’s Ryzen 4000 Processors Will Be Compatible with B450 Motherboards, Says Laptop Maker XMG

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Image: XMG

High-end gaming laptop maker XMG has posted the specifications of its powerful APEX 15 notebook on reddit, which flaunts desktop-grade AMD Ryzen processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs. What’s particularly interesting is a note on compatibility: according to one bullet point, the Zen 3-based Ryzen 4000 series will work with B450 motherboards that are updated with the proper microcode.

Specifications

Some key features of XMG APEX 15

  • Socket AM4 with a 65W TDP rating for AMD Ryzen 3000 series
  • AMD B450 Chipset
  • Official support for AMD Ryzen 9 3900 with 12 cores and 24 threads
  • Can be upgrade to AMD Ryzen 9 3950X with 16 cores and 32 threads, running at 65W (comparable to Eco-Mode)
  • Ryzen 4000 series are slated to be compatible with B450 Chipset via Microcode Update*
  • Launching with RTX 2060 and RTX 2070
  • 2x DDR4 SO-DIMM Slots
  • 2x M.2 SSD slots with NVMe and SATA support
  • 1x 2.5” 7mm SATA HDD/SSD Slot
  • All Discrete Design without any Integrated or Hybrid Graphics
  • Rich I/O ports with HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, Ethernet and many USB ports
  • Removable Battery with 62Wh capacity
  • Full-Size Keyboard with NumPad and RGB Backlight
  • Full-Size Touchpad with dedicated Buttons
  • Matte 15.6” Full-HD with IPS/AHVA and 144Hz
  • Support for Wi-Fi 6 through Intel AX200
  • Sturdy chassis with 32.5mm z-height and 2.7kg system weight
  • Multiple built-in performance profiles including Silent, Entertainment and Performance
  • Expert BIOS, unlocking additional AMD CPU and Chipset Tuning Options

This news isn’t all that surprising based on AMD’s stance on backwards compatibility and the longevity of the AM4 socket thus far. The confirmation is, nevertheless, great news for enthusiasts who are on a budget or want to stick with older-generation hardware.

As for the APEX 15, XMG writes that it “combines the best of two hardware worlds. For the first time, the concentrated power of AMD’s current Ryzen processors (codename Matisse) from the desktop sector is used in a gaming laptop – but paired with NVIDIA’s RTX graphics chips of the latest generation! This rebellious combination gives the XMG APEX 15 an impressive level of performance, as well as the generous interface connectivity of the desktop replacement device.”

Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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