XMG Neo 17 E24 review - Fast gaming laptop with optional water cooling

The XMG Neo 17 presents itself in the test as a powerful gaming laptop with an obvious focus on the maximum performance of the components. The Intel Core i9-14900HX is used as the processor in all configurations, while the dedicated Nvidia GPUs can be overclocked. The result is one of the fastest RTX 4080 laptops we have tested to date. This provides sufficient performance for the fast 240 Hz QHD panel, which is also very suitable for gaming. The circuit for the optional external Oasis water cooling has been improved and now also covers the processor. The result is significantly lower temperatures and, therefore, a lower noise level when gaming.

The gamer also cuts a good figure in other areas: there are enough ports available, the case is of good quality and the optional mechanical Cherry keyboard is very good, but also very loud. RAM/SSD capacity can also be configured and upgrading at a later date is no problem. The 17-inch notebook is relatively large and not lightweight at just under 3 kg. The cooling unit does a good job even without the Oasis water cooling, but the fans get very loud when gaming and you should use headphones.

In terms of price, more than 3,000 euros is of course no bargain, but this is mainly due to the GeForce GPU. If you are looking for a thoroughbred gamer and also want to take advantage of the water cooling, the XMG Neo 17 is definitely a good choice.

The Schenker Neo 17 E24 can be configured and ordered directly from Bestware. The starting price is 1,949 euros for the configuration with the RTX 4060 laptop and 2,924 euros for the RTX 4080 laptop.

With the XMG Neo 17 E24, Schenker offers a powerful 17-inch gaming notebook with a 240 Hz QHD panel (G-Sync). The processor is always Intel's Core i9-14900HX and for the graphics card, you have the choice between the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop and all other models up to the GeForce RTX 4090 laptop. RAM/SSD memory can be configured extensively and, in addition to a mechanical keyboard, the external Oasis water cooling system is also available as an option, which can significantly increase the laptop's cooling capacity.

Our test device is equipped with the dedicated GeForce RTX 4080 laptop GPU, 32 GB RAM, and a 1 TB SSD from Samsung, which increases the price including the mechanical Cherry keyboard to 3,182 euros (base price 1,948 euros). We also take a look at some benchmarks of the Neo 17 with the RTX 4090 laptop in combination with the Oasis water cooling system (€199).

We are already familiar with the black metal chassis and rubberized base unit from the Medion Erazer Beast, which is based on the same barebone. There is an LED strip at the rear and an XMG logo on the lid, but otherwise, there are no annoying manufacturer stickers. The overall stability is very good, but with a weight of just under 2.9 kg and a height of 2.7 cm, the Neo 17 is not lightweight either. The lower case cover can be removed relatively easily (the two screws on the water cooling connection must also be loosened) and you can access all the important components including RAM, 2x M.2-2280 SSD, or the WLAN module.

The range of connections is very extensive since, in addition to sufficient USB ports, Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI are also available. The card reader achieves average transfer rates in conjunction with our reference card (Angelbird AV Pro V60) and the 1080p webcam takes sufficiently sharp pictures. The Wi-Fi 6E module from Intel (AX211) achieves very good transfer rates in conjunction with our reference router, but the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard is not yet supported.

The Neo 17 is exclusively equipped with the Intel Core i9-14900HX. 16 GB RAM is installed as standard, but up to 96 GB is possible thanks to two SO-DIMM slots (surcharge 260 euros).

The XMG Neo 17 offers various energy profiles, which we have summarized in the following table. We used the Overboost mode for our benchmarks and measurements, as the difference in noise compared to Enthusiast mode is small. The manufacturer also provides a Deep Dive for further technical background information on the Neo 17 and the energy profiles.

The Intel Core i9-14900HX is still one of the fastest mobile processors and this is unlikely to change much with the upcoming Arrow Lake chips. The processor's power delivery is excellent, as it can consume 160 watts for short periods and 140 watts continuously. For the user, this means very high and constant performance. However, significant losses must be expected in battery mode, as the CPU is allowed to consume a maximum of 35 watts, which corresponds to a 65% reduction in performance in the multi-core tests. Further CPU benchmarks are available in our technology section.

The Neo 17 also impresses in the synthetic system benchmarks, although the competition is generally very close here. In everyday use, this means an extremely responsive system, although there is a brief hang when switching the graphics card. However, this is completely normal and can be avoided by completely deactivating the iGPU.