Qualcomm has expanded its Snapdragon brand beyond mobile devices with the introduction of the first-generation Snapdragon X series of systems-on-chip designed for personal computers in 2024. The first chips under this sub-brand are the Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite. The latter is the better-performing chip geared toward high-performance laptop and desktop computers. This article reviews the pros and cons of Snapdragon X Elite.
Pros of Snapdragon X Elite: Features and Advantages
The rationale behind Snapdragon X centers on using ARM instruction set architecture to power desktop-class personal computers. This sub-brand competes with other platforms and systems based on the same ARM architecture like the newer versions of macOS and the Apple M series of chips and those based on the more common x86-64 instruction set architecture like computers running on Intel and AMD processors. Nevertheless, following its introduction, these chips have powered ARM-based Windows laptops and desktop computers. The following are the specific features and advantages of Snapdragon X Elite:
1. Advantages from the ARM and RISC Architectures
Snapdragon X Elite and the entire Snapdragon X line of chips differ from processors from Intel like the Intel Core and Intel Core Ultra and from AMD like the AMD Ryzen and AMD Athlon in terms of their underlying instruction set architectures. Intel and AMD use the x86-64 architecture which is based on the complex instruction set computing or CISC architecture.
The desktop-class chips from Qualcomm are similar to their smartphone and tablet counterparts because they are based on ARM architecture. These chips are also similar to the A series of chips that power iPhones and the M series of chips that power Mac computers and higher-end iPads. ARM is a derivative of the reduced instruction set computer or RISC architecture.
Hence, based on the aforementioned, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite inherits the advantages of ARM and RISC architectures. These include fewer required transistor density that allows the inclusion of other coprocessors in a system-on-a-chip design, lesser power consumption without affecting performance, and big.LITTLE heterogeneous computing architecture.
2. High-Performance Oryon Central Processing Unit
At the heart of the Snapdragon X series is the new Oryon CPU. However, considering the two lines under this sub-brand, the main difference between the X Elite and X Plus is the number and specifications of their CPU cores. Snapdragon X Elite chips have a 12-core Oryon CPU at 42MB total cache while X Plus chips have 8-to-10 CPU cores at 30MB to 42MB total cache.
Note that the Oryon CPU microarchitecture is different from the Kryo CPU microarchitecture used in Snapdragon chips for Android smartphones and tablets. All 12 cores of the Oryon CPU, especially in the case of X Elite, are performance cores with a max frequency of 3.4 to 3.8 GHz. The higher-end X Elite variants have 4.0 to 4.3 GHz of boos frequency.
Several tests indicated the capabilities of Snapdragon X Elite. It is about 51 percent faster than the same-generation Intel Core 9 in single-threaded performance. And 28 faster than the Apple M3 in multi-threaded performance. Geekbench 6 showed that it is 22 percent faster in single-core and 36 percent faster in multi-core performance than Intel Core i7 12700H.
3. Above-Average Integrated Adreno Graphics Processor
The Snapdragon X series of chips are primarily intended for laptops and smaller desktops. This means that equipped computers only come with an integrated graphics processor. Qualcomm used its Adreno GPU to power the graphics processing capabilities of its Snapdragon X line. This same GPU is used in Snapdragon chips for Android smartphones and tablets.
Nevertheless, despite being an integrated graphics processor, Adreno has decent capabilities. The lower-end X Elite chips have 3.8 TFLOPS while the higher-end variants have 4.6 FLOPs. It can support 3 ultra-high-definition or UHD120 and HDR10 displays or 2 5K60 displays. There is also native support for DirectX 12 graphics API and H.264, HEVC, and AVI codecs.
The Adreno GPU has a slight performance advantage over other integrated GPUs like Intel Iris Xe Graphics and AMD Radeon because of its higher floating point operations per second or TFLOPS. It can handle older and some newer AAA games at middle to lower settings. They can also run graphics and video editing applications for above-average use cases.
4. Built For On-Device Artificial Intelligence Acceleration
Another selling point of Snapdragon X Elite is it is designed for on-device acceleration of tasks or processes related to artificial intelligence. It comes equipped with the Qualcomm Hexagon and Sensing Hub coprocessors which work together with the Oryon CPU and Adreno GPU to form the Qualcomm AI Engine and accelerate AI workloads on a personal computer.
Qualcomm Hexagon is specifically made of two key components. These are the Hexagon Vector eXtensions or HVX and the Hexagon Tensor Accelerator or HTA. HVX processes data sets in a series of vector operations. HTA is a tensor processing component that boosts multi-dimensional array or tensor operations to handle complex mathematical operations.
Hexagon has 45 TOPS. This is higher than the 18 TOPS of the Neural Engine used in Apple M3 chips. The entire Qualcomm AI Engine equips a computer with the capabilities to run generative large language models with over 13 billion parameters. Sensing Hub is a dual micro Neural Processing Unit for running smaller artificial neural networks on-device.
Cons of Snapdragon X Elite: Issues and Disadvantages
The Snapdragon X Elite has been featured in a range of laptops from various manufacturers. These include the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16, the Dell XPS 13, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x 14, the Asus Vivobook S 15, and the Microsoft Surface Pro. The arrival of these personal computers has marked the increasing use case for Windows operating system based on ARM architecture. These laptops directly compete with MacBook devices running on Apple M chips. However, because the Snapdragon X Elite is a third-party system-on-a-chip, the extent of its capabilities might not be on par with premium x86-64 processors. Take note of the following:
1. Software Compatibility Issues From ARM Architecture
ARM-based Windows has made significant strides in recent years. However, because the x86-64 instruction set architecture still dominates the Windows platform, several software optimization and compatibility issues remain for its ARM counterpart. This drawback also represents one of the critical disadvantages of Snapdragon X Elite and other Snapdragon X chips.
One of the biggest challenges for Windows on ARM is the compatibility with legacy x86 software applications. This comes from the fact that ARM processors use a different instruction set architecture than the traditional x86 and x64 processors used by Intel and AMD. The workaround is for these apps to run in emulation mode but this can reduce performance.
The overall app ecosystem for ARM remains limited despite Windows pushing developers to ship compatible software applications. Lesser popular apps and game titles and enterprise software applications will not natively run on an ARM processor. Remember that emulation is the best workaround but this can reduce performance and cause issues with functionality.
2. Limited Integrated Graphics Processing Capabilities
The Adreno GPU provides above-average graphics processing capabilities. However, because it is an integrated graphics processor, it cannot compete with discrete graphics processors in terms of heavy-hitting graphics performance. It is also not as optimized as the integrated GPU in the Apple M series of chips due to the absence of a stronger hardware-software integration.
Scores from G3D Mark show that even the below-middle-range Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 and 1650 outperform the Adreno GPU. Both GPUs from Nvidia have scores of 6313 and 7873. This is lower compared to the 2566 score of Adreno. The upper-middle-range AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is also 1020 percent better based on the same G3D Mark benchmark scores.
The graphics processing capabilities of the Snapdragon X Elite are closer to the capabilities of Apple M2. This is still a decent advantage. However, when it comes to running graphics-demanding tasks like playing newer AAA games at maximum graphics settings and editing high-resolution videos or images, the Adreno GPU will definitely struggle for extended periods.
3. Slightly Higher Retail Prices of Equipped Laptops
One notable disadvantage of Snapdragon X Elite is that laptop and desktop computers that come equipped with this system-on-a-chip are usually more expensive than their counterparts. The Dell XPS 13 powered by X Elite X1E-80-100 retails for about USD 999.99 and the more premium Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 variant retails for USD 1399.99.
The bigger Dell XPS 15 running on Intel Core i7-13620H and Intel Iris Arc Graphics A370M with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB SSD is priced at USD 1459.00. This seems more expensive but an Intel-powered laptop with a dedicated Intel graphics processor and a large 15-inch screen display provides more value for money in terms of specifications and use cases.
Note that the maxed-out 11th-edition Microsoft Surface Pro with 12-core Snapdragon X Elite, 64 GB RAM, 1TB of storage based on SSD, and OLED display retails for USD 2499.99. The Microsoft Surface Pro 2 running on 13th-generation Intel Core i7 and a dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD also has the same retail price.