Monday, February 5th 2024
Changwang Releases MoDT Mini-ITX Motherboard for Ryzen 7000 Mobile Processors
Changwang has released an interesting looking Mobile on Desktop (MoDT) Mini-ITX motherboard in China—as spotted by HXL—for AMD Ryzen 7000 series mobile processors. The manufacturer has chosen to forego with a short plus catchy model name—Changwang's product page lays out the basic facts within the board's title. This a 170 x 170 mm compact form factor board that is NAS and storage oriented—with an AMD FP8 socket that accommodates Zen 3+ "Rembrandt" and Zen 4 "Phoenix" processors. At present, the only available options to purchase are Ryzen 7 7840HS configurations (with or without an air cooler). The specification sheet lists other processor options, including the recently launched "Hawk Point" Ryzen 7 8845HS model, as well as Ryzen 9 7940HS, Ryzen 7 7735HS (Zen 3+ Rembrandt), and Ryzen 5 7640HS.
You are limited to SODIMM (up to 5600 MT/s with the 7840HS config), due to Changwang choosing a mobile processor platform for a compact desktop motherboard that offers little in terms of upgradability. As pointed out by Tom's Hardware: "These motherboards with integrated Ryzen 7000 "Phoenix" processors might have been pretty killer a few months ago, but just days ago, AMD launched its Ryzen 8000G series APUs for the desktop, which use the same Phoenix chip that the Ryzen 7040HS chips use. Ryzen 8000G chips are a little faster, more customizable, and can be installed and upgraded like regular desktop chips, which are all significant points against Changwang's motherboard...However, when it comes to price, Changwang has the advantage. With a cost of 2888 RMB or about $400, the Ryzen 7 7840HS-equipped board looks pretty decent. A Ryzen 7 8700G retails for $329, and the cheapest AM5 Mini-ITX boards cost $130 at minimum (and come with the A620 chipset)." The Changwang board also offers an unprecedented number of interface options—its unique selling points include support for nine SATA drives, four 2.5 Gbit NICs, Thunderbolt 4, USB 4, PCIe Gen 4x4, etc.
You are limited to SODIMM (up to 5600 MT/s with the 7840HS config), due to Changwang choosing a mobile processor platform for a compact desktop motherboard that offers little in terms of upgradability. As pointed out by Tom's Hardware: "These motherboards with integrated Ryzen 7000 "Phoenix" processors might have been pretty killer a few months ago, but just days ago, AMD launched its Ryzen 8000G series APUs for the desktop, which use the same Phoenix chip that the Ryzen 7040HS chips use. Ryzen 8000G chips are a little faster, more customizable, and can be installed and upgraded like regular desktop chips, which are all significant points against Changwang's motherboard...However, when it comes to price, Changwang has the advantage. With a cost of 2888 RMB or about $400, the Ryzen 7 7840HS-equipped board looks pretty decent. A Ryzen 7 8700G retails for $329, and the cheapest AM5 Mini-ITX boards cost $130 at minimum (and come with the A620 chipset)." The Changwang board also offers an unprecedented number of interface options—its unique selling points include support for nine SATA drives, four 2.5 Gbit NICs, Thunderbolt 4, USB 4, PCIe Gen 4x4, etc.