Qualcomm has unveiled a new SoC in the Snapdragon X series. The new Snapdragon X Plus is a slightly streamlined version designed to facilitate the creation of more affordable Windows 11 on Arm laptops.
Previously, Qualcomm offered Snapdragon X series processors in configurations with 12 (Snapdragon X Elite) or 10 (Snapdragon X Plus) CPU cores. Laptops featuring these SoCs were priced from $999 and up. The new Snapdragon X Plus version includes 8 CPU cores, yet retains the same neural engine performance of 45 TOPS that is available in the high-end X Elite variant. Laptops equipped with the 8-core chip will start at $800.
To achieve this lower price point, the 8-core Snapdragon X Plus processor features a less powerful GPU and a slightly reduced CPU clock speed. In fact, there are two versions of the 8-core X Plus processor: one with a GPU performance of 1.7 TFLOPS and a slightly more powerful variant boasting a GPU performance of 2.1 TFLOPS (set to launch in early 2025). In comparison, the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus sports a GPU delivering 3.8 TFLOPS.
Despite some limitations, Qualcomm assures that this budget chip still delivers exceptional performance, outperforming the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U and AMD Ryzen 8460U in both single-core and multi-core benchmarks. It also stands up against the Apple M2 processor found in the MacBook Air, offering better multi-threaded performance and the ability to drive three external displays instead of one.
Initial performance tests of the 8-core Snapdragon X Plus show results of 2433 points in the single-core test and 11446 in the multi-core test on Geekbench 6. In Cinebench 24, it scored 686 points in the multi-core test—falling between the Intel Core Ultra 5 and 7.
Major Windows laptop manufacturers, including HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung, are prepared to begin shipping devices with this new chip starting today.
Source: windowscentral
Comments (0)
There are no comments for now