Intel Vega M Release Date, Specs: Lower-Tier Dell XPS 15 Not Getting AMD GPU?
It looks like not all Dell XPS 15 units will take advantage of the newly unveiled AMD Vega M graphics processor.
According to Tweakers, while the cheapest version of the newly unveiled Dell hybrid computers will come with the Intel Core i5 8305G, the graphics processing unit (GPU) connected to it will be disabled.
The AMD Vega M will be replaced by the Intel HD 630 graphics instead alongside the Intel i5 Kaby Lake. In line with this, the HBM2 memory will not be included since it is connected to the Vega GPU as well.
It is unclear at the moment whether or not the GPU will be disabled through hardware or software. PCGamesN notes that it could be that instead of retooling the motherboard to accommodate a different central processing unit (CPU) and instead went with cheaper chips with "presumably dead" GPUs.
The publication adds that should this end up being common stock keeping unit (SKU), there could be Kaby Lake G CPUs with functional Vega M confined within lower-specced Dell XPS 15 units.
They can be put to use with the right hands — that is if there will be a way for them to be unlocked. This is something PCGamesN believes is possible knowing the thermal headroom the Dell laplets always tend to have.
For now, however, nothing is for certain yet. Either way, users who want the new Dell XPS 15, but also experience the AMD Vega M will have to be prepared to shell out extra, unless a workaround for the lower-tier version would come to light.
Revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the AMD Vega M is the product of a partnership with Intel whose eighth generation processors will be equipped with the said GPU. Intel says of the product:
Packed with features and performance crafted for gamers, content creators and fans of virtual and mixed reality, it expands Intel's portfolio thanks to its optimization for small form factors like 2 in 1s, thin and light notebooks, and mini PCs.
