Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100
► remove from comparison
The Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 is a pretty fast ARM architecture processor (SoC) for use in Windows laptops. As the second-fastest X Elite chip in September 2024, the X1E-84-100 has 12 Oryon CPU cores running at up to 4.2 GHz, along with the 4.6 TFLOPS Adreno X1-85 iGPU, the 45 TOPS Hexagon NPU and an impressively fast LPDDR5x-8448 memory controller delivering over 100 GB/s of throughput. USB 4.0, TB 4 and PCIe 4 are all onboard, too.
Two slower Snapdragon X Elite flavors exist, known as the X1E-80-100 and X1E-78-100. In the meantime, the X1E-00-1DE is a special version of the X1E-84-100 aimed at system makers and software developers that has just slightly higher single-core and dual-core Boost clock speeds of 4.3 GHz but otherwise the same CPU/GPU/NPU configuration.
Architecture and Features
The Oryon cores (3 clusters of essentially identical cores; 12 threads) are mostly based on Nuvia IP and they reportedly make use of the ARM v8.7 microarchitecture. Much like modern AMD and Intel processors, the Snapdragon chip is compatible with USB 4 and thus with Thunderbolt 4 however it does not appear to support eGPUs as of September 2024.
Like most X Elite and X Plus processors, the X1E-84-100 is based on the larger die codenamed Hamoa. The processor is believed to have at least 12 PCIe 4 and 4 PCIe 3 lanes for connecting various kinds of devices. NVMe SSDs are supported with a throughput of up to 7.9 GB/s; furthermore, most laptops built around the chip are expected to have 16 GB of LPDDR5X-8448 RAM. There is also a 45 TOPS NPU present for accelerating AI workloads.
Performance
When all of the 12 cores are under load, they run at up to 3.8 GHz. The 4.2 GHz clock speed is only achievable under single-thread or dual-thread loads.
If the Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 review is any indication, the Snapdragon is almost as fast as the Core Ultra 7 155H in applications compiled for ARM while being up to 30% slower when executing x86 code.
A lot depends on how high the power limits of the system are, and how competent its cooling solution is.
Graphics
The 4.6 TFLOPS X1-85 iGPU has 1,536 unified shaders running at up to 1,500 MHz. It is reportedly (ChipsAndCheese) based on the significantly older Adreno 730 iGPU, rendering the X1-85 DX12-compatible but not DX12 Ultimate-compatible. AVC, HEVC and AV1 video codecs can be both hardware-decoded and hardware-encoded; with VP9, only decoding is possible. The highest monitor resolution supported is UHD 2160p rather than SUHD 4320p.
Its gaming performance is in many use cases almost as good as the Intel Arc 8 for reasonably playable experience in many 2023 and 2024 games such as Baldur's Gate 3 at 1080p on low graphics settings.
Power consumption
An X1E-84-100 can eat up to 80 watts depending on the system and the power profile chosen. This will differ from one laptop to another, with most designs expected to target the ~45 W sweet spot. The Samsung laptop that we finished testing in early September certainly does.
It must be said that the power consumption figures include RAM, unlike it is with most Intel and AMD chips.
The Qualcomm SoC is built with the TSMC N4P process for better-than-average, as of H2 2024, energy efficiency.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100
► remove from comparison
The Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 is a pretty fast ARM architecture processor (SoC) for use in Windows laptops. The X1E-80-100 is the second-fastest member of the Snapdragon X series, as of May 2024; as such, it has 12 Oryon CPU cores (3 clusters of equally powerful cores; 12 threads) running at up to 4.0 GHz, the 3.8 TFLOPS Adreno X1-85 GPU, the 45 TOPS Hexagon NPU and an impressively fast LPDDR5x-8448 memory controller.
The faster Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 is thought to be based on the same die with the same NPU and the same number of CPU cores but with a higher GPU and CPU clock speeds.
Architecture and Features
Qualcomm Oryon cores are in part based on Nuvia IP; they most likely make use of the ARM v8.7 microarchitecture. Much like modern AMD and Intel processors, the Snapdragon chip is compatible with USB 4 and thus with Thunderbolt 4 but it remains to be seen if it is is compatible with GeForce or Radeon discrete graphics cards.
The Qualcomm SoC is thought to have at least 12 PCIe 4 and 4 PCIe 3 lanes for connecting various kinds of devices. NVMe SSDs are supported with a throughput of up to 7.9 GB/s; furthermore, most laptops built around the chip are expected to have 16 GB of LPDDR5X-8448 RAM. There is also a 45 TOPS NPU for accelerating AI workloads.
Performance
When all of the 12 cores are under load, they can run at up to 3.4 GHz. The much more desirable 4.0 GHz clock speed is only achievable under single-thread or dual-thread loads.
Given the very similar clock speeds, its multi-thread benchmark scores should be about the same as that of the X1E-78-100 for Ryzen 7 7840U and Apple M3-like performance in most real-world tasks. We'll make sure to update this section once we get our hands on a system powered by the X1E-80-100.
Like any other Windows on ARM platform, the Snapdragon X chip works best with applications and games compiled specifically for ARM processors. If making use of the built-in x86 to ARM emulation mode, a performance penalty of about 20% is to be expected.
Graphics
The integrated 3.8 TFLOPS Adreno X1-85 GPU is DirectX 12-enabled but not DirectX 12 Ultimate-enabled, despite featuring VRS and ray tracing support. The 3.8 TFLOPS of performance that it delivers pale in comparison to the slowest current-generation professional Nvidia Ada graphics card for laptops, the RTX 500 Ada, that delivers up to 9.2 TFLOPS.
Its gaming performance is somewhat underwhelming. While slightly faster than the aging Iris Xe (96 EUs), the Adreno is not fast enough to outpace the Radeon 780M meaning there is little point in comparing it with full-fat discrete graphics cards. Baldur's Gate 3, a triple-A title released in 2023, is pretty much unplayable at 1080p / Low. GTA V, a game that saw the light of day in 2015, is playable at 1080p / High.
The Qualcomm iGPU will let you use up to 3 UHD 2160p monitors simultaneously. 2160p120 integrated displays are supported, as are the popular AV1, HEVC and AVC video codecs (both decoding and encoding). The hardware does not support the VVC codec; that feature remains a Lunar Lake exclusive for now.
Power consumption
The X1E-80-100 is most likely going to be less power-hungry than its more powerful brother (the latter can be set to consume up to 80 Watts). Expect to see anything between 20 W and 45 W under long-term workloads because that's what Ryzen HS chips normally consume.
The SoC is built with a 4 nm TSMC process for decent, as of H1 2024, energy efficiency.
| Model | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Codename | Oryon | Oryon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series | Qualcomm Snapdragon X | Qualcomm Snapdragon X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series: Snapdragon X Oryon |
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clock | 3800 - 4200 MHz | <=4000 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L2 Cache | 12 MB | 12 MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L3 Cache | 6 MB | 6 MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cores / Threads | 12 / 12 12 x 4.2 GHz Qualcomm Oryon | 12 / 12 12 x 4.0 GHz Qualcomm Oryon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TDP Turbo PL2 | 80 Watt | 80 Watt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technology | 4 nm | 4 nm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| iGPU | Qualcomm SD X Adreno X1-85 4.6 TFLOPS | Qualcomm SD X Adreno X1-85 3.8 TFLOPS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architecture | ARM | ARM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announced | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | www.qualcomm.com | www.qualcomm.com |
Benchmarks
Average Benchmarks Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 → 100% n=24
Average Benchmarks Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 → 98% n=24
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation
