Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core CPU: First Benchmarks Reveal Disappointing GPU Performance

The first benchmarks of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus “X1P-42-100” 8-core CPU have surfaced, and the results are less than stellar, particularly in the GPU department. This new entry-level chip, designed to bring the Snapdragon X platform to budget and mainstream audiences, has shown significant shortcomings in its graphical capabilities.

Specifications Overview

The Snapdragon X Plus “X1P-42-100” features eight Oryon CPU cores based on a 4nm process node. These cores are divided into two clusters, with one cluster operating at 3.24 GHz and the other at 3.42 GHz. The CPU includes a total of 30 MB of cache, with each cluster offering 12 MB of L2 cache.

On the GPU side, the Snapdragon X Plus is equipped with the Adreno X1-45 integrated chip, clocked at 280 MHz, delivering a mere 1.7 TFLOPs of compute power. This is significantly lower than the standard 4.6-3.8 TFLOPs seen in other SKUs.

Benchmark Results

CPU Performance

In CPU benchmarks, the Snapdragon X Plus “X1P-42-100” showed mixed results. In Cinebench 2024, it scored 102 points in single-core and 649 points in multi-core tests. For comparison, the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus model on the Microsoft Surface scored 107 points in single-core and 809 points in multi-core tests. This indicates a 5% drop in single-core performance and a 20% drop in multi-core performance.

GPU Performance

The GPU performance is where the Snapdragon X Plus “X1P-42-100” truly falls short. In 3DMark benchmarks, the GPU was up to 40% slower compared to other models in the Snapdragon X lineup. This significant lag in graphical performance suggests that Qualcomm may have prioritized NPU or AI performance over GPU capabilities to meet specific requirements, such as those for Microsoft’s Copilot+.

Conclusion

While the Snapdragon X Plus “X1P-42-100” offers decent CPU performance for an entry-level chip, its GPU performance leaves much to be desired. This could be a critical factor for users looking for a balanced performance in both computing and graphical tasks. As Qualcomm continues to expand its Snapdragon X lineup, it will be interesting to see how they address these performance gaps in future iterations.