XMG Apex 17 (M25) Review - RTX 5070 12 GB Tested

Introduction

With the ongoing global memory and storage shortage, it's getting difficult to spot actual good deals on the market. It's hard to tell if there are any left compared to mid-2025. Unfortunately, it is what it is—if you need a gaming laptop right now, you have to choose carefully.

Still, the mid-range mobile segment gets a nice boost from the debut of the 12 GB non-Ti RTX 5070. It was about time! That's the familiar RTX 5070 enhanced by 3 GB GDDR7 memory modules. So, for the first time, this GPU won't be crippled by an 8 GB VRAM buffer in demanding titles at high resolutions and maxed-out settings.

To be honest, the 8 GB RTX 5060 and 5070 are still decent for up to 1600p gaming—especially with DLSS when you need to squeeze out extra FPS or lower input lag. However, the 2026 version of the RTX 5070 and its 50% VRAM bump really show what this chip can do. No, you won't match its Ti sibling, but you can expect smoother gaming and much better performance in AI tasks or creative apps like video editing.

The XMG Apex 17 (M25) is one of the first notebooks to hit shelves equipped with that new 12 GB RTX 5070. On the outside, this device is practically a twin to the XMG Focus 17 (M25). The display is identical—a 17.3" 1440p panel with vivid colors and a 240 Hz refresh rate. For a pure gaming laptop, I'm still a big fan of 16:9. Simply because human vision naturally favors the horizontal plane. I'm not saying 16:10 displays are bad—they're actually super handy for hybrid work, gaming, and everyday web browsing. But for pure gaming, I'll take a larger 17.3" 1440p screen over a smaller 16" 1600p panel every time if the price is close. The Apex 17 shares a similar I/O layout with the Focus 17, and even the internal cooling setup is almost identical. However, while the main hero of this article is offered with slightly less punchy GPU options, its CPU is total overkill even for this 12 GB card—and I absolutely love that!

The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX might lack the 3D V-Cache of the 9955HX3D, but it's still a monster of a mobile chip. As you'll see in the benchmarks, it lets the 12 GB RTX 5070 punch well above its weight class—especially at 1080p and 1440p, where even a few high-end Team Blue chips struggle. Here's a quick preview: pay close attention to the Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Indiana Jones, and Space Marine results.

The rest is standard fare for a modern machine in this class—solid upgradeability with two M.2 slots and a pair of SODIMMs. That means you can spec a setup with up to 128 GB of DDR5 and 16 TB of SSD storage. Though given component prices in 2026, you'd have to spend a small fortune to max it out.

Specifications