Snapdragon X Elite PCs aren’t built for gaming, but this Baldur’s Gate 3 demo is impressive
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite is powerful enough to run demanding programs in emulation.
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What you need to know
Could your next gaming PC run a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor? Probably not. But a recent demo of the processor shows that it’s a powerful chip that can run programs well in emulation. A video shared by Devin Arthur shows a reference device with a Snapdragon X Elite processor and an integrated Adreno GPU playing Baldur’s Gate 3.
Arthur, who is a Snapdragon Insider, filmed a laptop with a 1080p resolution runningBaldur’s Gate 3at around 30 FPS. That framerate won’t wow anyone on its own, but it shows a Snapdragon X Elite can run more demanding programs, even if those apps aren’t fully optimized for ARM.
As a quick refresher, game developers will have three options to have titles run on PCs running Windows 11 on ARM.
We believe Baldur’s Gate 3 is running in emulation in the video shared by Arthur. That makes the performance much more impressive. In a perfect world, developers would optimize all of their apps and games for ARM-powered PCs, but that’s not realistic. Optimizing programs takes time, money, and effort, and a lot more of those things than developers can afford to dole out for every piece of software.
Importantly, Snapdragon X Elite PCs are not being marketed as gaming PCs. Running games like Baldur’s Gate 3 demonstrates the power of the chip and the viability of emulation. No one should expect the Surface Pro 10 or other ARM-powered computers to compete with thebest gaming laptops.
Here’s a demo of Baulders Gate 3 running at 1080p hovering around 30FPS, which is perfectly playable! https://t.co/ZieiHtzRlN pic.twitter.com/VvFKbUVK5JMarch 25, 2024
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite benchmarks
Qualcomm held aspecial benchmarking sessionfor reporters late last year to demo the Snapdragon X Elite. There, the company backed its bold claims about the CPU competing with the likes of Apple’s M2 and Intel’s best13th-generation Core laptop CPUs. Our Editor-in-Chief broke down that event and some of the key takeaways of the plethora of tests Qualcomm ran on Snapdragon X Elite PCs.
RELATED:Snapdragon X Elite will run Windows games ‘just fine’ using emulation
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The PCMark 10 results beat the best Windows laptops, and it wasn’t especially close. The most powerful Windows laptop we’ve ever reviewed was theASUS ROG Strix SCAR with an AMD R9 7945HX3D. That PC from ASUS hit just over 9,000 in the PCMark 10 test. Both configurations of Snapdragon X Elite-powered PCs hit over 13,000. Those same Snapdragon X Elite PCs also did well in Geekbench 6 and several other tests.
Of course, new chips come out regularly, so by the time the Snapdragon X Elite ships we’ll have to stack it up against different processors from Apple, Intel, and AMD. But Qualcomm’s benchmarks and demos of the Snapdragon X Elite in action show why the company is hyping up the processor.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
