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Qualcomm's Upcoming Snapdragon X2 Elite PC to Get a 22% Performance Boost

AleksandarK

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Qualcomm aims to boost the performance of its Windows‑on‑Arm PC chips by about 18-22% percent with the next‑generation Snapdragon X2 processors. That estimate comes from Focused Digital, a well‑known Chinese blogger often leaks supply‑chain details. He says these new Snapdragon X2 chips will hit boost clocks of around 4.40 GHz, which is up from the 4.0 to 4.30 GHz range we see on today's Snapdragon X Elite models. Currently, those Elite chips use Oryon cores built on the TSMC 4 nm‑class N4P process. They run between 3.0 and 3.80 GHz at base and can turbo up to 4.30 GHz. So, simply cranking the top speed up another 100 MHz could explain a chunk of that performance jump. Beyond clocks, Qualcomm is probably squeezing more efficiency out of its Oryon V3 microarchitecture too, though we don't have details yet.

We also don't know exactly which process node Qualcomm will pick. They could stick with a refined 4 nm variant or switch to 3 nm later on. Either way, a roughly 20 percent improvement aligns with what you'd expect from a new generation of chips due in 2025. Another rumor floating around is that the X2 Elite series will jump from 12 to 18 cores, giving the processors more parallel horsepower. Internal test rigs reportedly pair these chips with up to 48 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1 TB of NVMe storage. Qualcomm rolled out its first Snapdragon X Elite processors in mid‑2024 and began testing the SC8480XP prototype in September 2024. If these performance figures hold up, the new Snapdragon X2 lineup could close the gap on x86 competitors and set Qualcomm up nicely for competing in stronger with a push in the PC segment by 2026.



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The issue with the X1 lineup is not CPU performance, it's its GPU. Hopefully Qualcomm fixes their Adreno hardware and drivers from the X2 onwards.
 
The issue with the X1 lineup is not CPU performance, it's its x86-64 [lack of] compatibility and drivers for 3rd party hardware. Hopefully Qualcomm fixes... no, nevermind...
 
ARM means Chromebook and other ThinClient PCs in my mind. Trying to push Snapdragon into laptops, etc. kinda re-confirmed that image.

QUALCOMM either needs Apple-class performance (difficult, when not building the software ecosystem around the SoC)
or they need to stop trying to push into the "PC" marketspace.
 
Still poor software and near zero game compatibility makes this moot to me. I'd rather have Lunar Lake or whatever comes next in a 2.7-3.0lb laptop.
 
The best free advertisement Apple could hope for.

After all these years the windows on arm situation is still an embarrassment, both for Qualcomm - who somehow is still the only game in town - and Microsoft who doesn't seem committed to it at all. And for anyone wanting to argue differently, just gonna leave this here:

 
I picked up a Lunar Lake laptop to compare it with my Snapdragon X Elite. I am underwhelmed with the performance of the Lunar Lake system. Unfortunately, Lenovo isn't doing a very good job keeping my Qualcomm laptop's drivers updated; I have noticed other vendors have done much better in this regard. The battery life is better on my Qualcomm laptop, which I attribute to the Lunar Lake model experiencing continuous high CPU usage. If I could choose again, I would go back to a Qualcomm-based laptop, but opt for one with 32 GB of RAM from a vendor that consistently keeps its drivers updated.
 
Faster chips = faster price increases, as if they weren't too expensive already, hence the main reason we have so many $1-2K Qually-powered flagship android phones....

And them trying to shove their way into the peecee space isn't really gonna change anything, except maybe their bottom line :D
 
I wonder if there's any chance that this will supplant the current best Windows-on-ARM laptop, an Apple MacBook with Parallels Desktop.
 
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