The rumor mill reckons that more affordable Copilot+ PCs are set to debut imminently, but the cheaper Snapdragon X Plus 8-core chip they are built around can’t do much on the gaming front in comparison to the beefier Arm-based silicon we’ve already had from Qualcomm, going by a fresh leak.
Wccftech (via Techspot) highlighted leaked benchmarks for the Snapdragon X Plus chip with 8-cores which are somewhat disappointing, particularly for PC gaming.
The benchmarks were carried out on an Asus laptop (ProArt PZ13) and show that the integrated GPU in the 8-core Snapdragon hit a score of 1,025 in 3DMark Time Spy, and a result of 916 for graphics – compared to 1,900 overall for the Snapdragon X Elite.
Measuring frame rates in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the 8-core Snapdragon could only manage 18 frames per second (fps) on average at 1080p with low graphics settings, and just 12 fps with high graphics details. That’s too slow to be palatable, whereas the Snapdragon X Elite can average 33 fps with high details, a playable frame rate.
In other benchmarks away from gaming, the inbound Snapdragon X Plus looks a little slow in some respects, too. Cinebench 24 witnessed the CPU hit 102 points and 649 points for single and multi-core performance respectively, which is 5% and 20% slower than the Snapdragon X Plus 10-core model in Microsoft’s Surface Copilot+ PCs.
Analysis: Gaming is not the focus here
This 8-core model is expected to power new laptops that are rumored to drop at the IFA 2024 show that’ll kick off later this week. The CPU will usher in cheaper Copilot+ laptops apparently starting from $800 in the US (and presumably in line with that in other regions), which is obviously a good thing – these AI laptops are pricey as it stands.
As we’ve seen, gaming performance compared to the top Snapdragon X chips is disappointing, but then to be fair, Qualcomm's own execs say that these laptops aren’t made for gaming. Being able to play some games at decent frame rates on a Copilot+ laptop is a bonus, really – though a nice one, admittedly – and if compromising on that front for a more affordable device is the price you must pay, that’s not going to bother a good many folks.
In short, if you want a side-serving of solid gaming performance with your Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ PC, then you’re going to have to pay for it. But those looking for a productivity workhorse or everyday notebook for daily computing use doubtless won’t be phased by any shortfall on the gaming front, as long as the 8-core Snapdragon provides serviceable performance with their preferred apps – which it likely will do, even if it’s lagging somewhat in the multi-core stakes.
Those looking for more powerful devices should also bear firmly in mind that we’ll see Intel Lunar Lake-powered Copilot+ PCs at IFA 2024, and these could be pretty peppy indeed (with a secret weapon for gamers, incidentally). Intel has certainly been boasting about them from the rooftops, and this range will be Team Blue’s first set of mobile chips powerful enough to qualify for the Copilot+ laptop designation, going up against Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips and AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series. The AI laptop scene is about to get considerably more competitive.
