Qualcomm’s New Snapdragon X Elite Enough of PC games?

Snapdragon X Elite signifies a monumental leap in computing innovation as we introduce our new, bespoke Qualcomm Oryon CPU, delivering unparalleled performance coupled with remarkable power efficiency that promises to captivate consumers and elevate their creativity and productivity,” stated Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Compute & Gaming at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “With potent on-device AI capabilities facilitating seamless multitasking and intuitive user experiences, both consumers and businesses will be empowered to achieve more and create effortlessly.

PCs featuring Snapdragon X Elite are slated for release in mid-2024.

Key Features of Snapdragon X Elite

1. Best-in-class CPU Efficiency: Boasts a high-performance CPU with exceptional power efficiency, ensuring optimal performance without compromising battery life.
2. Extended Battery Life: Delivers outstanding energy savings, providing users with multiple days of battery life for uninterrupted usage.
3. Dual-Core Boost: Enhances responsiveness with lightning-fast processing, ensuring smooth and efficient performance.
4. Industry-Leading AI Engine: Employs a powerful AI Engine with up to 75 TOPS, spanning CPU, GPU, NPU, and micro NPU for superior processing capabilities.
5. Snapdragon X Elite Qualcomm® Oryon™ CPU: Features the cutting-edge Qualcomm® Oryon™ CPU, driving enhanced performance and efficiency.
6. Snapdragon X Elite Qualcomm® Adreno™ GPU: Equipped with a premium integrated GPU, delivering stunning graphics performance for immersive experiences.
7. Snapdragon X Elite Qualcomm® Hexagon™ NPU: Incorporates the advanced Qualcomm® Hexagon™ NPU for accelerated AI processing and intelligent experiences.
8. Snapdragon X Elite Qualcomm® Sensing Hub: Integrates the Qualcomm® Sensing Hub for enhanced on-device AI experiences and intelligent functionalities.
9. On-device AI: Enables transformative intelligent experiences, including generative AI at 30 tokens per second, for enhanced productivity and creativity.
10. 5G and Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity: Supports lightning-fast downloading, streaming, and syncing of files with minimized latency and jitter-free entertainment through HBS Multi-Link technology.
11. Enterprise-Grade Security: Offers enhanced security features from chip to cloud, ensuring robust protection of sensitive data.
12. AV1 Encode and Decode: Supports AV1 encode and decode for up to 4K HDR video streaming, delivering high-quality visuals.
13. Snapdragon Sound™ Technology Suite: Provides immersive, lossless audio experiences for high-fidelity music and entertainment with wireless headphones.
14. Triple UHD Monitor Support: Enables connectivity to up to three external UHD monitors running at 60Hz for snappier and smoother display experiences.
15. LPDDR5x Memory: Features LPDDR5x memory with 136 GB/s bandwidth, facilitating faster AI experiences and efficient multitasking.
16. Advanced MIPI Camera Support: Offers support for high-quality imaging and intelligent features such as auto-framing, background blur, and facial authentication at lower power consumption, enhancing the camera capabilities.

KEYPOINTS

• The Snapdragon® X Elite platform boasts the custom integrated Qualcomm Oryon™ CPU, setting new standards in mobile computing with up to 2 times faster CPU performance compared to competitors, all while consuming one-third of the power.
• Designed with AI in mind, Snapdragon X Elite can execute generative AI models with over 13 billion parameters on-device and solidifies Qualcomm’s AI dominance by offering 4.5 times faster AI processing power than rival products.
• Leading OEMs are set to unveil PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite from mid-2024 onwards.

At the Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. unveiled its most potent computing processor for PCs to date: Snapdragon X Elite. This revolutionary platform marks a significant advancement in premium computing, offering unparalleled CPU performance, top-tier on-device AI inferencing capabilities, and one of the most energy-efficient processors in a PC, delivering multiple days of battery life. With AI reshaping our interactions with PCs, Snapdragon X Elite is tailored to accommodate the intelligent and demanding tasks of the future, empowering robust productivity, creative endeavors, and immersive entertainment experiences from any location.

Seamless Windows Gaming on ARM-Based Laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite

During the 2024 Game Developers Conference, Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon X Elite systems as a promising avenue for Windows gaming, aiming to eliminate the need for developers to adapt their existing titles. Issam Khalil, a Qualcomm engineer, presented “Windows on Snapdragon, a Platform Ready for your PC Games,” emphasizing the use of emulation in ARM-based laptops to efficiently run x86/64 games at near-native performance speeds.

The company plans to launch Snapdragon X Elite-equipped systems in the summer of 2024, with speculation suggesting that new versions of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 may feature these chips as early as May.

Despite a relatively modest turnout at Qualcomm’s GDC presentation, as reported by Sean Hollister of The Verge, the company is poised to compete with Apple’s M3 series in the portable computing space by leveraging its ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite chipset, even in slimline notebooks where gaming has not traditionally been a focus.

Khalil’s presentation outlined various methods for game developers to adapt their titles for the Windows on Snapdragon ecosystem, including x64 emulation, ARM64, and a mixed approach utilizing an “ARM64EC” driver. He also introduced tools intended to streamline game adaptation for the Snapdragon + Windows platform, emphasizing that the Snapdragon X Elite’s emulation capabilities should allow x86/64 games to run at comparable speeds to their native platforms without requiring changes to game code or assets.

The Adreno GPU drivers have been updated to support DirectX 11, DirectX 12, Vulkan, and OpenCL, with additional compatibility layers for DirectX 9 and OpenGL up to version 4.6. Although specific games that are fully functional on Snapdragon X Elite devices were not detailed, Qualcomm’s team has been evaluating a range of popular games on platforms such as Steam to ensure compatibility and performance.

For more information, visit the Snapdragon X Elite webpage and product brief. 

Specifications of Snapdragon X Elite

CPU

• Name: Qualcomm® Oryon™
• Number of Cores: 12
• Architecture: 64-bit
• Clock Speed: 12 cores up to 3.8 GHz, Single and Dual-Core Boost up to 4.3 GHz

GPU

• Name: Qualcomm® Adreno™
• Tera Floating Point Operations Per Second: Up to 4.6 TFLOPS
• APIs: DirectX® 12

NPU

• Name: Qualcomm® Hexagon™
• Tera Operations Per Second: 45 TOPS (which is a requirement to run windows 12)

Memory

• Type: LPDDR5x
• Bit Width: 16-bit
• Number of Channels: 8
• Transfer Rate: 8533 MT/s
• Bandwidth: 136 GB/s
• Capacity: Up to 64 GB

Storage

• SD: SD 3.0
• SSD/NVMe Interface: NVMe, Over PCIe 4.0
• UFS: UFS 4.0

Process Node and Technology

• Process Node: 4 nm

Display

• Display Processing Unit (DPU) Name: Qualcomm® Adreno™
• Maximum On-Device Display Resolution: 4K Ultra HD @ 120 Hz
• Maximum External Display Resolution: 4K Ultra HD @ 60 Hz
• High Dynamic Range (HDR): HDR10
• Number of Concurrent Displays: 31
• Interface Type: DisplayPort 1.42

VPU

• Video Processing Unit (VPU) Name: Qualcomm® Adreno™ VPU
• Encoding Resolution: 4K @ 60 Hz
• Encoding Bit Depth: 10-bit
• Encoding Formats: H.264, AV1, H.265
• Decoding Resolution: 4K @ 120 Hz
• Decoding Bit Depth: 10-bit
• Decoding Formats: H.264, VP9, AV1, H.265

Camera

• Image Signal Processor (ISP) Name: Qualcomm® Spectra™
• Image Signal Processor (ISP) Number: Dual ISP
• Image Signal Processor (ISP) Bit Depth: 18-bit
• Dual Camera: 36+36 MP
• Single Camera: Up to 64 MP
• Video Capture: 4K
• Video Capture Formats: H.264, H.265
• Video Capture Features: High Dynamic Range (HDR)

Audio

• Qualcomm Aqstic™ technology support
• Qualcomm® aptX™ audio technology support

Cellular Modem-RF

• Modem Name: Snapdragon™ X65 5G Modem-RF System
• Peak Download Speed: 10 Gbps
• Peak Upload Speed: 3.5 Gbps
• Cellular Technology: 5G NR, LTE, WCDMA, CBRS, mmWave

Wi-Fi

• Wi-Fi/Bluetooth System: Qualcomm® FastConnect™ 7800
• Generation: Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7
• Standards: 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11a, 802.11ax, 802.11be

Bluetooth

• Specification Version: Bluetooth® 5.4

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

• Interface Type: 3x USB-C
• Specification Version: USB4

Interfaces

• Platform Extensions: 5G, Wi-Fi

snaAbout Qualcomm

Qualcomm is dedicated to ushering in a world where seamless connectivity empowers everyone and everything to be intelligently interconnected. Leveraging a unified technology roadmap, we extend the transformative innovations that spearheaded the mobile revolution – encompassing cutting-edge connectivity, high-performance computing, energy-efficient solutions, on-device intelligence, and more – to drive the evolution of connected smart devices across diverse industries. Through breakthroughs pioneered by Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms, we aim to facilitate the convergence of cloud and edge computing, revolutionize industries, fuel the digital economy, and reimagine our interaction with the world, all for the greater good.

Qualcomm Incorporated comprises our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Operating as a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. oversees a significant portion of our engineering, research, and development endeavors, as well as the majority of our product and service offerings, including our QCT semiconductor business. Products carrying the Snapdragon and Qualcomm brands are the result of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries’ efforts. Qualcomm’s patented technologies are licensed through Qualcomm Incorporated.

Thank you for reading!