Affordable Copilot+ PCs may be coming – but leak shows their 8-core Snapdragon CPUs aren’t suited for gaming
Rumor has it that more affordable Copilot+ PCs are coming to market soon, but the cheaper Snapdragon X Plus 8-core chip powering them may not offer much in the way of gaming performance compared to the beefier Arm-based silicon we’ve already gotten from Qualcomm, according to a recent leak.
Wccftech (via Techspot) highlighted leaked benchmarks for the 8-core Snapdragon X Plus chip, which are somewhat disappointing, especially for PC gaming.
The benchmarks were run on an Asus laptop (ProArt PZ13) and show the integrated GPU in the 8-core Snapdragon achieving 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.
When measuring frame rates in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the 8-core Snapdragon could only average 18 frames per second (fps) at 1080p with Low graphics settings, and just 12 fps with High graphics details. That’s too slow to be palatable, while the Snapdragon X Elite averages 33 fps with High details, a playable frame rate.
In other benchmarks outside of gaming, the incoming Snapdragon X Plus also appears a bit sluggish in some regards. Cinebench 24 saw the CPU hit 102 and 649 points for single- and multi-core performance respectively, which are 5% and 20% slower than the Snapdragon X Plus 10-core model powered by Microsoft’s Surface Copilot+ PCs.
Analysis: Gaming is not central here
This 8-core model is expected to power new laptops reportedly debuting at the IFA 2024 show, which kicks off later this week. The CPU will usher in cheaper Copilot+ laptops, which will reportedly start at $800 in the US (and presumably in line with that in other regions), which is of course a good thing – these AI laptops are pricey right now.
As we’ve seen, gaming performance is disappointing compared to the best Snapdragon X chips, but let’s be fair, Qualcomm’s own execs say these laptops aren’t made for gaming. Being able to play some games with decent frame rates on a Copilot+ laptop is a real bonus – albeit a nice bonus, admittedly – and if having to compromise on that front for a more affordable device is the price you’ll pay, it’s not going to bother many people.
In short, if you want a side serving of solid gaming performance with your Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ PC, you’ll have to pay for it. But those looking for a productivity workhorse or an everyday notebook for day-to-day computing won’t likely be bummed out by any shortcomings in the gaming department, as long as the 8-core Snapdragon delivers usable performance with their favorite apps – which it likely will, even if it does lag a little behind in the multi-core department.
Those looking for more powerful devices should also note that we’ll be seeing Copilot+ PCs powered by Intel Lunar Lake technology at IFA 2024, and these could be quite the punch indeed (with a secret weapon for gamers, mind you). Intel has certainly been bragging about it from the rooftops, and this series will be the first set of mobile chips from Team Blue powerful enough to qualify for the Copilot+ laptop designation, going head-to-head with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips and AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series. The AI laptop scene is about to get a lot more competitive.
