Recently, Hardware Canucks, a well-known Canadian technology review media, took the lead in reviewing the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite (Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite) processor, the ASUS Zenbook prototype underwent a series of benchmark tests. The results were impressive, with the chip, which has not yet been officially launched, beating Apple’s latest chip three times in five benchmark tests. M5 chip, while completely crushing the previous generation Snapdragon X Elite. It is worth noting that what was tested this time was the Snapdragon X2 Elite standard version, not the higher-positioned Extreme version, but its performance improvement has been quite amazing, indicating that the Windows on ARM camp finally has the strength to challenge Apple’s Silicon ecosystem.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite’s multi-core performance significantly surpasses Apple M5
This test used a pre-production Asus Zenbook A14 laptop equipped with a Snapdragon X2 Elite processor. Both the driver and firmware are in the early stages of development, and there may be room for further improvement in the performance of the final retail version. In terms of power consumption, the Snapdragon X2 Elite is about 31W, which is about 5W higher than the 26W of the Apple M5.
The five running score results are analyzed one by one.
1. Cinebench 2024 single-core test: Apple M5 leads by a wide margin
In the Cinebench 2024 single-core test, the Apple M5 200 pointsFar ahead of the Snapdragon X2 Elite 146 points, about 37% higher. Compared with the 108 points of the previous generation Snapdragon X Elite, the Snapdragon X2 Elite has improved by about 35.2%. Apple still retains a significant advantage in single-core architecture, and the M5’s single-core performance is even comparable to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K desktop processor.
2. Cinebench 2024 multi-core test: Snapdragon X2 Elite overtakes 24%
Snapdragon X2 Elite starts with 1,432 pointsSignificantly ahead of Apple M5 1,153 points, an advantage of 24.2%. Compared with the previous generation, it has increased by 48.7%. At the same time, it is significantly ahead of Intel Panther Lake by 47%, and surpasses AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 by about 55%.
3. Blender 5.01 rendering test: Qualcomm wins
Snapdragon X2 Elite only takes time 3 minutes 31 seconds, Apple M5 requires 5 minutes 33 seconds, rendering speed is nearly 37% faster.
4. Handbrake video conversion test: Qualcomm wins again
Snapdragon X2 Elite starts with 3 minutes 29 secondsDone, beat the M5’s 5 minutes 14 seconds, the 18-core architecture demonstrates overwhelming throughput advantages.
5. DaVinci Resolve video export: Apple M5 wins
Apple M5 with 9 minutes 43 secondsFar ahead of the Snapdragon X2 Elite 22 minutes 06 seconds, the difference is more than double. Mainly due to Apple’s highly optimized media engine and software integration.
Simultaneous improvement of game performance
Snapdragon X2 Elite can achieve an average of 40 FPS in “Cyberpunk 2077” at 1200p medium quality with FSR 3, significantly exceeding the 22 FPS of the previous generation. However, the 1% Low frame rate is only 18 FPS, and there is still room for improvement in driver optimization. Generally speaking, except that CS2 is not supported, the game performance of CyberPunk 2077 and Baldur’s Gate 3 is also better than that of the current Snapdragon X2 Elite. However, the game compatibility of the two is actually not high.
The video below also has detailed test and comparison numerical content. Friends who are interested can check it out:
Snapdragon X2 Elite defeated Apple M5 with three wins and two losses, which is the first time in the history of ARM-based notebook processors. However, it still needs to be noted: the test environment is pre-production hardware, the power consumption is about 19% higher than that of M5, and the software ecological integration is still Apple’s strength. The first batch of laptops equipped with the Snapdragon X2 series are expected to be launched later this year. The actual performance, software compatibility and battery life data will determine whether this chip can truly shake the dominance of Apple and Intel in the field of high-performance thin and light laptops.
Source: KOCPC Chinese