Qualcomm pulls the curtain back on the Adreno X1 GPU, the beating heart of their upcoming Snapdragon X processors designed specifically for Windows on Arm laptops set to launch next week.
A New Generation Dawns: Adreno X1 and Beyond
The Adreno X1 marks a turning point for Qualcomm, representing their first custom-designed GPU for Windows on Arm systems. This “X1” designation hints at a future roadmap with iterations likely named Adreno X2, X3, and so on.
Unleashing Performance: X1-85 at the Forefront
The top-of-the-line configuration, dubbed the X1-85, boasts impressive firepower. Packing up to 6 shader cores with a total of 1536 FP32 ALUs, it tackles 96 texture units per cycle and delivers a peak performance of 4.6 TFLOPS – that’s trillion floating-point operations per second! Additionally, it can process a mind-boggling 72 million pixels per second.
Broad Compatibility for Developers, Seamless Experience for Users
The Adreno X1 ensures compatibility with major graphics APIs like DirectX 12.1, DirectX 11, Vulkan 1.3, and OpenCL 3.0. This wide net ensures developers can tap into the Adreno X1’s capabilities for a vast array of applications.
Matching or Surpassing the Competition?
Qualcomm throws down the gauntlet, claiming the Adreno X1-85 can rival or even outperform Intel’s Core Ultra 7 155H mobile processor with 8 Xe cores in several games – all benchmarked at 1080p resolution. However, specifics regarding game settings and testing platforms remain under wraps.
Fine-Tuning Performance: The Adreno Control Panel
Committed to user control and continuous improvement, Qualcomm introduces the “Adreno Control Panel” – a dedicated app for managing game optimization and driver updates. With updates promised at least once a month, Qualcomm demonstrates their dedication to refining the Adreno X1’s performance over time.
The arrival of the Adreno X1 GPU marks a significant step forward for Windows on Arm laptops. With its focus on performance, compatibility, and user control, Qualcomm is poised to be a major player in this evolving market.
