(Image credit: Tianba / Future)

When we talk about mobile chips, it's usually within the confines of a laptop chassis, or something like a gaming handheld. Very rarely does a SoC break free of its portable enclosure, but when it does, it's seldom as interesting as this. Tianba (via momomo_us), a Chinese PC hardware brand owned by Aoostar, has just unveiled its new MoDT (mobile on desktop) motherboards, which feature top-of-the-line mobile CPUs designed for use in a tower configuration. It comes in two options: either a Ryzen 9 9955HX or a 9955HX3D—the flagship mobile gaming CPU from AMD right now.

For some context, yes; desktop motherboards equipped with mobile processors (meant initially for laptops) are a thing, and they're pretty common in China. The appeal of such a setup largely boils down to the cost savings of a mobile chip. Moreover, any processor in a laptop is usually thermally constrained, even with the most extravagant cooling, so giving it the proper desktop treatment with an air or liquid cooler will unlock the full potential of the SKU.

The downside, of course, is that you're locked in forever. The CPU is soldered onto the motherboard, so if you ever plan to change it, you will have to replace your entire motherboard with a new one. That being said, every other part of Tianba's motherboard is otherwise standard. First of all, it's in the mATX form factor, so it's relatively compact, and the design looks sleek with silver accents across the black PCB.

(Image credit: Tianba)

There's a full-length x16 PCIe 5.0 slot for the GPU, along with two Gen5x4 M.2 slots for the SSDs. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory with its two DIMM slots, and Tianba is advertising a vapor chamber heatsink with "strong heat dissipation." More importantly, there's a 10-phase VRM which puts this motherboard in line with most midrange B650s you can get off the shelf. The company did not provide further details on the connectivity, so we are unsure how many fan or RGB headers are onboard.

Returning to the chip options for this, the Ryzen 9 9955HX and 9995HX3D are essentially identical, apart from the 3D V-Cache found in the latter. They're 16-core, 32-thread CPUs with 54W TDPs and boost clocks of up to 5.4GHz. The main difference lies in the amount of cache, as the 995HX3D features 144 MB of L3 cache, while the 9955HX has only half of that at 72 MB. But even that's plenty, as in most tasks, these chips will be neck-and-neck with each other while comfortably beating every other gaming CPU.

(Image credit: AMD)

This isn't even the first time we've seen an X3D processor make it to the MoDT platform, as Minisfoum launched an ITX motherboard featuring the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D just this year. Previously, we had Raptor Lake SKUs in this form factor, and even major system integrators like Lenovo and Asus have ventured into this market with desktop pre-built systems powered by mobile chips.

Tianba has priced its new MoDT motherboard at 3,799 Yuan, or $530 USD, and that's for the 9955HX version. The 9955HX3D model will cost you 4,799 Yuan, which translates to approximately $670 USD. If we examine the desktop counterparts for these chips, you'll save a considerable amount. The Ryzen 9 9950X launched at $649, but you can now find it for as low as $434. Meanwhile, the 9950X3D's suggested retail price is $699, and it typically remains at or around that price.

Add to this a decent B650 motherboard, such as the MSI Tomahawk, which costs around $200, and you're already surpassing the price of Tianba's MoDT offerings. Of course, they are mobile chips at the end of the day—even with all the cooling and power in the world, the desktop counterpart will be faster—but not everyone needs that kind of performance and would rather settle for a bundle that's close enough.

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