Lo, the Snapdragon X Elite hath been unleashed upon the world, and behold, laptop makers doth bring forth Copilot+ PCs into the marketplace. Verily, we hath laid our hands upon the Asus Vivobook S15, bedecked with the new Snapdragon X Elite chipset. To ascertain its mettle in performance, power consumption, clock speeds, and more, I hath subjected the Snapdragon X Elite chipset (X1E-78-100) to a myriad of trials using diverse tools. Let us now embark upon this journey.
### Testing Methodology
– We hath put the Asus Vivobook S 15 laptop, powered by the Snapdragon X Elite chipset, to the test. ‘Tis the X1E-78-100 SKU, the third in its line. It boasts 12 CPU cores and can attain a top clock speed of 3.4GHz.
– Ere conducting any tests, we hath updated Windows 11 to the latest version (Windows 11 24H2, Build 26100.1150). The Adreno GPU hath been cloaked with the latest driver version 31.0.56.0.
– All tests hath been carried out in the Best Performance mode, with the settings in the MyASUS app set to Full-speed mode to unlock the processor’s full potential.
– The refresh rate of the display hath been set to 120Hz.
### Geekbench 6 CPU
In the crucible of the Geekbench 6 CPU test, the Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-78-100) hath shown its prowess both on power and battery. Lo, there was nearly no difference in CPU performance, whether tethered or untethered. Keep in mind that all these trials hath been conducted in the Best Performance mode with Full-speed mode activated in the MyASUS app.
Upon power, Snapdragon X Elite hath achieved a single-core score of 2,441 points and a multi-core score of 14,050 points. Similarly, the X Elite hath marked 2,406 and 14,044 on single-core and multi-core tests on battery, respectively.
Behold the Snapdragon X Elite’s thermostats! The CPU temperature at idle hath registered at 41 degrees Celsius ere the Geekbench trial, and at its zenith, it surged to 75 degrees Celsius. The region around the keyboard hath remained at 29.7 degrees Celsius at idleness, yet ascended to 35.5 degrees Celsius during the crucible of rigorous labor.
### Cinebench 2024
Venture we now into the realm of Cinebench 2024, where Snapdragon X Elite doth reveal its might in both CPU and GPU domains. The Snapdragon X Elite hath sung a melodious tune, scoring 108 points in single-core and 1100 points in multi-core while tethered. Even on battery, the performance hath stayed consistent, garnering 104 and 1024 points in solo and multi-core trials, respectively.
Upon this trial, the Snapdragon X Elite hath seen its CPU temperature soar to 95 degrees Celsius, a realm both fiery and intense. The power consumption hath peaked at 88.7 watts, a hefty consumption indeed for a mobile SoC aimed at slender and light laptops. In the crucible of maximal strain, the temperature above the keyboard hastened to 41.1 degrees Celsius, a warm breath upon the surface.
### Geekbench 6 GPU
Lo, to discern the mettle of the integrated Adreno X1 GPU on the X Elite, we hath undertaken the Geekbench GPU test, utilizing the OpenCL and Vulkan APIs. Behold, the Adreno X1 GPU hath achieved a respectable score of 20,543 points on the OpenCL API whilst tethered, and 20,417 points on battery. On the Vulkan API, the GPU hath shown even greater prowess, scoring 23,635 points on power and 24,227 on battery.
Behold the Adreno X1 GPU on this X Elite SKU (X1E-78-100), running at 1.25GHz. Alas, the performance of the GPU upon the Snapdragon X Elite doth fall short. An 8-core Apple M2 GPU wields a mightier blade, scoring north of 24,000 points in the Geekbench OpenCL test.
### 3DMark
The Adreno X1 GPU upon the Snapdragon X Elite doth embrace the embrace of Microsoft’s DirectX 12 API, opening the gateway to games like Cyberpunk 2077 on low settings. In this quest, we embarked upon the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test in the realm of DX12 API, and the Snapdragon X Elite GPU hath shown prowess, scoring 37.82 FPS and 6,316 points whilst tethered.
Journey we now to the 3DMark Solar Bay trial on the Vulkan API, wherein the Snapdragon X Elite GPU hath showcased its skills, achieving 10,239 points and 42.81 FPS in Solar Bay Section 1. Yet, in this very trial, Intel GPUs doth soar, scoring around 49 FPS and over 11,000 points.
### Geekbench ML
To put the AI prowess of the Snapdragon X Elite chipset to the test, we hath embarked upon the Geekbench ML trial. When employing the ONNX DirectML API (utilizing the GPU), it hath garnered 2,350 points, and with the ONNX CPU API, it reached an inference score of 2,885 points — all whilst tethered. Alas, the support for NPU in the realm of X Elite hath not yet taken root in the annals of Geekbench ML.
As we compare the CPU score, the Apple’s M3 chipset doth ascend above 4,000 in the same trial, with its own Core ML CPU API. With the Apple M3 GPU for AI inference, it reaches an apex around 7,800 points. Alas, for AI inference via the CPU or GPU, the Snapdragon X Elite doth not shine as brightly, at least in comparison to Apple’s M3 chipsets.
### AI Inference Test
After the Geekbench ML quest, mayhap we unravel the mysteries of the X Elite in practical AI applications. We hath summoned the beta version of LM Studio for Snapdragon X Elite, laden with the Phi 3 Mini 3B model. Stay aware, LM Studio doth solely supplicate CPU inferencing upon the Snapdragon X Elite in this epoch.
In our venture, Snapdragon X Elite’s CPU hath birthed responses at 24 tokens per second, a wonder to behold in on-device inferencing. In another trial, it hath sprouted responses at 21 tokens per second. Be mindful, for the speed hinges upon the 3 billion model. The token generation speed may slow should a larger model come to pass.
Yet, even to deploy the 3B and 7B models upon the CPU, Snapdragon X Elite hath shown prowess. With the advent of GPU and NPU offloading in the times to come, the experience may yet ascend to loftier heights.
### Speedometer and JetStream
Sail we now into the precincts of the browser benchmark trial. Speedometer 3.0 and JetStream 2.0 hath been embraced upon the native ARM64 version of Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. In a surprising turn, Google Chrome hath held high the standard over Edge in the Speedometer trial.
Chrome hath yielded a score of 27.2 while Edge hath mustered 22.5 points. For context, the Apple M3 MacBook Air doth procure around 32 points in the Speedometer 3.0 trial.
In the realm of JetStream, Chrome hast outperformed Edge by a slim margin. Chrome hath attained 303.016 points whilst Edge hath garnered 295.690 points. Should ye seek a swifter web browsing experience upon Snapdragon X Elite laptops, then Chrome’s embrace doth promise a better voyage than Edge.
### The Verdict
The Snapdragon X Elite, yea, the X1E-78-100 SKU, doth stand as a twin pillar of might, especially when weighed against x86 chipsets. Yet, its thirst for power doth leave a bitter taste, for low power consumption is a gem coveted by ARM processors.
Whilst the new Oryon cores doth wield power in abundance, they doth crave more sustenance than Apple’s M-series CPU cores. Laptops bedecked with the Snapdragon X Elite shalt surely offer a brighter battery life than Intel and AMD-powered brethren. Yet, do take heed, for these contraptions still crave active cooling, akin to their x86 counterparts.
The Asus Vivobook S 15 doth stand as a compelling artifact, yet from the standpoint of its chipset, our expectations had soared high for the X Elite from Qualcomm to draw nigh unto Apple’s famed performance-per-watt figures.
Notably, Qualcomm must needs elevate its Adreno GPU for PCs. ‘Tis but a grander version of the mobile Adreno GPU for now. Streamlined support in drivers and gaming compatibility shall be the lanterns guiding long-time Windows users to the ARM platform. Lastly, the support for the NPU within the labyrinth of framework is pivotal for the efficient processing of AI upon the device.