The Colorful HM770M has just surfaced as a rather rare kind of desktop motherboard: a board with a Core i9-13900HX laptop CPU soldered on, instead of waiting for the user to install a separate chip. It sounds like a toy for tinkerers, but the idea behind it is fairly practical. It targets people who want a compact PC that draws less power than a traditional high-performance desktop, yet still has room for a discrete graphics card, DIMM RAM, and plenty of storage. The price to pay is that CPU upgrades are nowhere near as flexible as on a regular desktop board.
Why is a desktop motherboard with a built-in Core i9-13900HX worth noticing?
According to WCCFTech, the BATTLE-AX HM770M-K WiFi D5 V20 is a MoDT design, meaning a mobile chip on a desktop board. What makes this product interesting is not just the unusual configuration, but that it sits between two worlds: roomier than a sealed mini PC, yet more integrated than a self-built desktop. Buyers skip the step of choosing a CPU, and they also have less to worry about when it comes to cooler compatibility or overall power budget.
At its core, the Core i9-13900HX is a high-performance laptop chip with 24 cores, 32 threads, a maximum clock of 5.4 GHz, and a base power of 55W. Placed on a Micro-ATX board, it makes for a platform strong enough for rendering, compiling, virtual machines, or gaming when paired with a discrete graphics card. For everyday users, think of it as a "motherboard + CPU" bundle pre-assembled by the manufacturer, prioritizing a compact, cool, and less complicated build.
The biggest difference from a familiar desktop is that the CPU does not use an LGA socket that lets you swap it freely. It is essentially part of the board, so it suits people who want to build once and use it for a long time, rather than those who like swapping chips with every upgrade cycle. In short, the Colorful HM770M borrows laptop thinking and puts it into a desktop frame.
Who should care about this all-in-one board, and what are the real limits?
If you have recently noticed HX chips showing up more often in laptops, the article on the new HX lineup shows that the trend is still continuing. The HM770M pushes the idea further by putting the laptop CPU on a desktop board with DIMM RAM, a PCIe x16 slot, and plenty of storage ports. The clearest beneficiaries are people building a small PC, a homelab, or a stable workstation, who don't treat swapping the CPU after two or three years as a top priority.
| Key point | Spec/limit | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Integrated Core i9-13900HX | No separate CPU to buy |
| RAM | 2 DDR5 slots, up to 96GB | Easier to upgrade RAM than on a laptop |
| Storage | 2 M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4, 6 SATA | Keeps the desktop feel |
| Expansion | 1 PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 PCIe 3.0 x1 | Handles a GPU well, few extra slots |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, 1GbE LAN, no USB-C | Adequate, but not generous I/O |
| Upgrades | CPU is tied to the board | Hard to move to a new CPU generation |
On the other hand, a traditional desktop combo is still the easier pick if upgradability is your priority. On Colorful's product page, the board lists 2 M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots, 6 SATA ports, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, 1GbE LAN, and no USB-C. That setup is good enough for mainstream to semi-professional needs, but it clearly isn't aimed at anyone who wants lots of expansion slots or modern I/O.
With the HM770M, users also get a middle option between a closed-component mini PC and a traditional desktop, especially since the i9-13900HX is still powerful enough for many heavy everyday workloads.
Pricing will therefore decide how worthwhile the Colorful HM770M really is. If the price is significantly lower than an equivalent desktop CPU + motherboard + cooler, this is an interesting option for a compact case and sustained heavy workloads. If the price gets close to a traditional desktop combo, most PC builders will still find a socketed platform easier to live with over the long run. MacBook prices may rise
