Qualcomm wants to cause a small computing revolution next year
The American company is choosing the same path as Apple three years ago
How does its Snapdragon X Elite processor compare to the Apple M3?
Three years ago, Apple began a gradual shift away from Intel processors to Apple’s own Silicon platform for its computers, creating a small computing revolution – its ARM chips proved they could be powerful yet highly efficient.
The Windows PC world has been experimenting with ARM processors for years (the first Microsoft Surface tablet from 2012, for example, was powered by an NVidia Tegra 3 chip), but these efforts have never been successful, either due to poor performance or compromises in the operating system. The first really serious candidate that can disrupt the hegemony of Intel and AMD in the Windows world is the Snapdragon X Elite processor. It was presented at the end of last month by Qualcomm, and in its presentation it was often not afraid of bold comparisons with the most powerful processors from Apple.
It should be noted that in the official materials, Qualcomm compared its chip with the competition quite creatively – sometimes it chose the high-performance Apple M2 Max as a rival, other times it preferred to go for the basic version of the Apple M2. Moreover, none of these comparisons are even relevant anymore, because a week after Qualcomm, Apple introduced its own third-generation computer chips, and even started offering them directly in MacBook Pro and iMac computers. The first benchmarks show which processor from the Apple M3 generation the Snapdragon X Elite is closest to.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite in two different flavors
First of all, it is necessary to note that the performance of the Snapdragon X Elite will be variable and will be directly proportional to its consumption. Qualcomm demonstrated its power on two different reference configurations – one had a TDP of 23 watts, the other 80 watts (this is the TDP of the entire platform, not just the processor unit). But it is possible that many more such configurations will appear in the future.
Snapdragon X Elite in two different reference designs
The difference between the reference units takes place in the clock of the processor cores – the “weaker” version provides peak performance at clocks of 4.0 and 3.4 GHz (single core/all cores), while the stronger one can run at clocks of up to 4.3 and 3.8 GHz. Apple also provides its M3 chips in a number of different variants, but in its case, the clock speed should be the same for all powerful processor cores – up to 4.05 GHz.
Of course, there are many more differences between the chips from Qualcomm and Apple, whether in the very composition of the processor unit, in access to memory or in the manufacturing process, but we are interested in how they will perform face to face in one arena, and here the answer was provided by a multi-platform processor benchmark Geekbench 6.
Snapdragon X Elite vs. Apple M3
According to tests published by Windows Central, the Snapdragon X Elite did not fare badly at all. Although both tested units finished just behind Apple’s competition in the performance of one core, they showed their strength when all cores were connected:
The unit with a TDP of 80 W matched the forces with the Apple M3 Pro in a configuration with 12 cores (6 powerful and 6 efficient) The 23 W model was placed halfway between the Apple M3 and the M3 Pro
The overwhelming winner of the entire test was quite convincingly the Apple M3 Max, which showed its back to all rivals – however, it must be noted that this chip is equipped with 16 processor cores, while the Snapdragon X Elite and Apple M3 Pro have “only” 12 of them.
Snapdragon X Elite and Apple M3 processors in the Geekbench benchmark
However, it cannot be ruled out that Qualcomm will introduce an even more powerful (and power-hungry) variant of its multi-core computer processor in the future, which could compete with Apple processors with the Max or even Ultra moniker.
As far as graphics performance is concerned, we do not yet have a comparison with the latest Apple processors, so we have to make do with the comparison with the M2 generation. Here, the Snapdragon X Elite is closer to the basic Apple M2 chip – in the Wild Life Extreme Unlimited test, which measures graphics performance, the chipset from Qualcomm achieved a display frequency of 44.5 and 38.5 frames per second, respectively (more powerful/weaker configuration). Apple processors have proven the following:
Apple M2 – 40,8 fps
Apple M2 Pro – 73 fps
Apple M2 Max – 80 fps
It is possible that the resulting performance of the Snapdragon X Elite will be able to increase a little more by the time of its launch – all benchmarks were conducted on pre-production units with unfinished drivers. However, we assume that the conclusions will not change much – in terms of processor performance, it will probably compete with the Apple M3 Pro, while in terms of graphics, it will be at the level of the basic Apple M3.
Snapdragon X Elite chipset graphics benchmark
Windows 12 as a system adapted for ARM?
Of course, a cross-platform comparison within a single benchmark is rather tricky, even the most powerful chip can bring down a poorly optimized operating system or its applications. Here it will depend on Microsoft how it prepares for the arrival of the new generation of ARM processors. It’s rumored to launch Windows 12 next year, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was tailored for ARM chipsets. After all, there is talk that Qualcomm will not be their only manufacturer – NVidia is also reportedly preparing to return to this industry, and Intel is also said to be considering the production of ARM processors.
We do not expect that ARM will significantly threaten the position of x86 processors in the Windows world in the near future, but its share will probably increase quietly. At least from the first benchmarks, the Snapdragon X Elite seems to be a fairly solid stepping stone.
Author of the article
Jakub Karásek
A fan of mobile technology, convertibles and wireless charging, a fan of hard music and a lover of fast driving in go-karts, bikes and skis. Opponent of FUP, slow internet and overgrown smartphones.
2023-11-12 19:30:00
#benchmarks #spoken #Snapdragon #Elite #compare #Apple
