New Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 PC Processor: 85% Faster CPU

Miguel Nunes, VP Product Direction, Qualcomm

On the 2d Snapdragon Summit day in Hawaii, Qualcomm launched a couple of new hardware platforms for PCs, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 and the Snapdragon 7cx+. The 8cx Gen 3 is the leading edge of the whole "c" serial, and if yous don't already know, x stands for "eXtreme."

Photos credit: Eliane Fiolet, co-founder, Ubergizmo.

The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 has architectural similarities with the newly appear Snapdragon viii Gen 1 smartphone chip. However, its scale and thermal requirements are drastically dissimilar since it runs on a laptop form factor.

In the by few years, Qualcomm has steadily received more traction with its "always connected" PC platforms, especially since Microsoft keeps improving Windows for ARM and more software vendors such as Adobe are providing optimized apps for the 8c/7c chips.

Every bit an "ever-on, ever-connected" platform, the new Snapdragon 8cx gets an impeccable WI-FI 6E and Bluetooth, along with excellent 5G broadband options with the Qualcomm X55, X62, or X65 5G modems.

The different modem options match various 5G availability and cost points in specific countries or market segments. As a reminder, the X55 modem powers phones such every bit the United states of america version of the Milky way S21. The X65 is leading Qualcomm'southward 5G modems line up, with support for all global 5G networks and dual mmWave and sub-6 bands simultaneous utilization.

But I don't think anyone was worried about Qualcomm'due south connectivity performance, and so the side by side topic is calculating performance. On that front, Qualcomm's updated Snapdragon 8cx architecture and a new 5nm manufacturing process is a one-two performance punch to the competition.

According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 yields 85% meliorate CPU and 60% faster graphics than the 8cx Gen 2. That's very impressive progress you don't often meet in the PC world.

The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3's AI processor too got a vast 3X performance boost. Qualcomm uses it for many things such as noise-cancellation, face recognition, and other things related to user experience and security. The AI unit is used at the system/drivers level rather than being straight accessible past apps.

The integrated Paradigm Signal Processor (Isp) has no equivalent in the PC earth and tin can simultaneously manage upwards to iv high-resolution cameras. That'due south an expanse where OEMs using Qualcomm's platform can differentiate from their X86 counterparts considering the need for high-quality video has skyrocketed.

Up until this day, the laptop webcam situation is pretty desperate, and fifty-fifty mid-range selfie cameras are noticeably better.

Qualcomm started the ARM revolution on windows laptops in many ways, and today even Intel has adopted ARM's BIG.little mantra past using a heterogeneous CPU cluster. Since the original Snapdragon 8cx was launched, Apple successfully entered ARM laptop with its formidable M1 processor series.

We haven't run whatsoever benchmarks yet, but I doubtable that always-on connectivity and ultra-long battery life remain the main value-suggestion of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen three. The extra performance volition be highly appreciated, and it will be interesting to run into where the new platforms are relative to competitors.

Qualcomm says it is 60% more power-efficient than Intel

Qualcomm says information technology is significantly faster and more power-efficient than Intel but didn't say which Intel platform information technology is comparing itself to.

We can certainly believe the power-efficiency claim because Intel has yet to launch its new Cadre 12th generation processors in laptops. We accept recently reviewed the Desktop Intel Cadre Gen 12 CPU, and Intel made a remarkable operation comeback with a skilful potential for greater efficiency. Tin Intel beat Qualcomm'south power efficiency? Perhaps not, but I wait things to look much improve for Intel on that front.

Equally of late, we've besides reviewed ultra-low-cal computers with very long battery life, such equally the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 nano, but none would get "multi-twenty-four hours" battery life like Qualcomm says it has, nor equivalent broadband connectivity.

Some other thing to accept into consideration is the value-suggestion of Snapdragon laptops. Suppose yous apply metrics such as build quality, battery endurance, and productivity for the price. In that example, a laptop design such as the $999 Samsung Galaxy Book Southward offers smashing value and user experience.

For all the talk about "absolute operation," sheer speed isn't the end-game for millions of users who utilize Windows computers for communications, "office piece of work," and casual gaming. That'southward what the current (niche) market for an e'er-on laptop is, and the Snapdragon 8cx is tailored to deliver. Find your audition and brand them VERY happy. Grow from there.

In my opinion, the relative lack of native ARM software remains the primary point of friction for the Snapdragon compute platform, and information technology'due south really upwardly to Microsoft and software developers to make ARM-native apps first-class citizens.

In the concurrently, X86 compatibility exists with Snapdragon laptops, simply some users are reluctant to use whatever "CPU translation" mechanism that might remotely hurt performance, all the same slightly. Anyhow, Qualcomm needs to reassure potential users nigh this constantly.

Secondly, the toll of 5G information plans has to be considered. Depending on one's situation, information technology may be included in people's existing plans or might become an boosted monthly cost. The value of Snapdragon laptops heavily relies on their world-grade connectivity.

In the finish, the new Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 is an objectively formidable technological update, but its place inside a larger PC ecosystem is subject field to factors that Qualcomm doesn't entirely control. At the Snapdragon Summit, Microsoft seemed upbeat with Windows for ARM, and they should because there's pressure level from ARM-based hardware on Chrome Bone and Mac.

Filed in . Read more about Editorspick, Laptops, Processors, Qualcomm, Snapdragon Superlative, SoC and Windows 11.

Source: https://www.ubergizmo.com/2021/12/new-snapdragon-8cx-gen-3-launch/

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