Update 8/7/2020 4:30pm PT: Mediaworkstations has emended the mixup with the motherboard. The a-XP doesn't employ the ASRock X399M Taichi as previously listed on the product page, instead the system is based around the ASRock TRX40 Creator. Mediaworkstations provided us with more details on the display as well.
Original Article:
Who needs a laptop when you can lug around 64 cores of sheer power? That's what Mediaworkstations is doing with the a-XP, a very interesting portable Threadripper workstation PC that'll blow any laptop and the majority of the desktop PCs out of the water.
We spotted the machine today thanks to Reddit. The a-XP is built similar to a briefcase -- like the kind you'd see in spy movies that stores nuclear launch codes. The system measures 17.05 x 13.68 x 9.03 inches and weighs between 30 and 35 lbs, depending on the configuration. The a-XP doesn't just promise uncompromised performance, but it'll also help you build arm muscle. According to Mediaworkstations, the a-XP is made of heavy gauge steel and even features a mechanical keyboard.
The a-XP comes with a 17.3-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The panel flaunts a 60 Hz refresh rate and a brightness of 300 nits. For $995, you can bump the resolution up to 3840 x 2160 while retaining the same 60 Hz refresh rate, but with a maximum brightness of 1000 nits.
Mediaworkstations doesn't explicitly list the model of the TRX40 motherboard, but the characteristics point to the ASRock TRX40 Creator. The company offers three processor options to choose from: the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X, Threadripper 3970X or Threadripper 3960X. The motherboard allows you to have up to 256GB of memory.
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The a-XP isn't a gaming PC, but Mediaworkstations offers various models with consumer-grade Nvidia GeForce graphics cards, alongside the expected Titan, Quadro and Tesla options. Due to the design of the case, the GeForce models feature a blower design. The graphics cards are from PNY, and you can pick between the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, RTX 2080 Super, RTX 2070 Super and RTX 2060 Super. The more specialized models include the Quadro RTX 4000 to RTX 8000, as well as the Tesla V100. The a-XP can hold up to two discrete graphics cards.
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Mediaworkstations provides users the choice to equip the a-XP with up two M.2 NVMe SSDs and two 3.5-inch drives. The company also permits customers to deck the a-XP with other interesting hardware, such as an Intel Optane drive and 100-Gigabit Ethernet adapter.
The cheapest configuration with a Ryzen Threadripper 3960X, 32GB of memory, Samsung 970 Evo Plus 250GB SSD and GeForce RTX 2060 Super costs a whopping $7,997. Obviously, the price skyrockets when you start to furnish the a-XP with high-end components, such as the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X or those Tesla V100s.
Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.
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spentshells The base configuration is very expensive, but I have to admit, very very cool!Reply
Everything about this is just amazing. I would have liked to have seen the threadripper pro cpu's to offer more memory support -
thisisaname Powerful and expensive but far from amazing. It look like a cinder block and the whole things is balanced on tiny feet, which is going to make adjusting the screen angle imposible.Reply
If the screen could uncliped from the base so you had the screen and keyboard connected together like a laptop with a cable going to the base until it would have been a lot better to use. -
steve15180 Um, how did they get a 3000 series threadripper to work on an x399 board???? Don't you need a TRX40 chipset?Reply -
tommychan Isn't it just sticking a monitor and a keyboard on a desktop chassis and then call it a portable? Oh wait, there's a handle too!Reply -
CerianK Reply
Good question... impossible, as I understand it.steve15180 said:Um, how did they get a 3000 series threadripper to work on an x399 board???? Don't you need a TRX40 chipset?
I was looking into it, but came up empty, as expected (then saw your post). -
daddy lee00 My thoughts exactly - somehow the "facts" herein don't add up.Reply
Threadripper 3 is not compatible with gen2 motherboards so how ???? -
gg83 there are a ton of mobile screens on the market and bluetooth keyboards. building one yourself would be much cheaper. Thats a steep premium to pay.Reply -
dan_L This computer is deja vu all over again. It reminds me of the early Compaq "lugables" that weighed over 30 pounds with small screen and heavy hard drive -- and 5-inch floppies. Next somebody will produce a computer with a keyboard that instantly prints on paper -- OMG, a typewriter. What will they ever think of next?:pReply