Maxsun’s new MoDT motherboards put Intel Raptor Lake CPUs on budget boards

Maxsun has introduced two new MoDT motherboards that could be useful for budget gaming PCs and compact builds.

The new boards are called MS MoDT 230H D4 WIFI and MS MoDT 205H D4 WIFI. Both use Intel mobile Raptor Lake based Core 200H processors soldered directly onto the motherboard. That means you cannot upgrade the CPU later, but you also do not need to buy a separate processor and motherboard.

That is the main appeal of MoDT, or Mobile on Desktop. These boards use laptop chips in a desktop style motherboard design. They usually target value focused builds where price, power efficiency, and basic gaming performance matter more than future CPU upgrades.

The higher end model uses the Intel Core 7 230H. It has 10 cores, made up of 6 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, with 16 threads and boost clocks up to 5.2GHz. The lower model uses the Intel Core 5 205H, an 8 core chip with 4 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, 12 threads, and boost clocks up to 4.8GHz.

Both boards support DDR4 memory, which helps keep the total build cost lower at a time when DDR5 pricing is under pressure.

The two boards share most of the same design. They include a 5 phase VRM, one 8 pin CPU power connector, two DDR4 DIMM slots, one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, one PCIe x4 slot, two M.2 Gen4 slots, and two SATA III ports.

For connectivity, they include USB 3.2 Gen2, USB 3.2 Gen1, USB 2.0, 3 channel HD audio, Wi Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and 1GbE LAN.

The Core 7 230H version also gets an IO plate and VRM heatsink, while the Core 5 205H version skips the heatsink. Both boards use a pre installed IHS on the CPU and support standard LGA 1700 and LGA 1800 coolers.

Pricing is what makes these boards interesting. Maxsun is expected to price them between 800 and 1,500 RMB. That puts the entry level version under $150 and the higher end model around $200.

That is much cheaper than buying a separate desktop CPU and budget motherboard in many cases. A 10 core Intel desktop chip can cost around $150 to $180 by itself, and a basic motherboard may add another $80 to $100.

These boards will not suit everyone. If you want a long term upgrade path, a standard socketed platform is still better. But if you want a low cost gaming PC, home server, compact build, or entry level desktop that uses cheaper DDR4 memory, Maxsun’s new MoDT boards could make a lot of sense.