1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,560 Imagine this, if you will, a PC that doesn't have an Intel or an AMD processor, but is 2 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:11,480 actually pretty good. 3 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:16,760 Just imagine it. Although Windows on ARM has been around for a while, the performance just hasn't been 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:24,640 good enough for it to be an attractive option. But now we're seeing the Snapdragon X processors from Qualcomm starting to hit the market, 5 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:33,000 going head to head with Apple's M series. Qualcomm is even claiming the Snapdragon X Elite soundly beats Apple's M3. 6 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:38,320 So can this chip make Windows laptops a compelling buy for folks that might be otherwise considering 7 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,000 a Mac? And why do we even need an ARM chip for Windows anyway? 8 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,760 Well one of the biggest advantages of ARM is that ARM chips tend to be more power efficient 9 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:51,760 than those using the long-serving x86 architecture, which is a big part of the reason you see 10 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:56,360 it used so often in phones, where battery life is a key concern. 11 00:00:56,360 --> 00:01:02,000 This isn't universally true, as it's certainly possible to have ARM chips that use lots of 12 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:10,480 power like in some supercomputers. But keep in mind that x86 was introduced way back in 1978 as a desktop platform, where 13 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,480 power consumption wasn't nearly as big of an issue. 14 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:18,560 But using a different architecture that focuses on efficiency means that compatibility and 15 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:24,920 performance can suffer. And those are indeed big reasons why Windows on ARM has struggled to gain popularity in 16 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,640 the marketplace. So how is Snapdragon X different? 17 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:34,120 Well, similar to when Apple first unveiled its M-series Apple Silicon to the world, Qualcomm 18 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:39,800 is hammering home the point that testing shows it's faster than Intel's laptop chips, 19 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,280 specifically faster than their current Core Ultra 7 offering. 20 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,320 Combined with their performance comparisons to the Apple M3, it's a pretty clear signal 21 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:52,920 that Qualcomm and Microsoft aren't content to let Apple run away with the performance 22 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:59,760 crown. The Snapdragon X lineup is built on a 4nm process and has between 10 and 12 high-performance 23 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:05,360 cores depending on the model, similarly to the Apple M3 Max, which is built on a 3nm 24 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:10,640 process. Despite these similarities, there's one specific area where Microsoft is hoping Snapdragon 25 00:02:10,640 --> 00:02:17,360 X will clearly beat Apple. It won't come as a surprise to many of you that Microsoft is leaning on Snapdragon X 26 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:24,880 to give it a big advantage in the AI space. Qualcomm already has experience building neural processing units, or NPUs, into its 27 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:30,440 previous chips, and the Snapdragon X lineup has NPUs that can deliver 45 trillion operations 28 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:36,920 per second, or TOPs. Microsoft's effort to get AI-enabled Windows features into everyone's hot little hands 29 00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:42,400 is currently taking the form of a lineup of PCs the company is calling Copilot Plus, 30 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:46,160 which require NPUs that can deliver at least 40 TOPs. 31 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:50,800 And Snapdragon X is technically the first to market with that level of performance, 32 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:56,760 even when you include Apple Silicon. Of course, this doesn't mean that Intel and AMD aren't trying to play catch-up, 33 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,680 with both companies looking to release compatible CPUs later this year. 34 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:05,080 And it also doesn't mean that everyone will necessarily embrace AI features. 35 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:10,440 The overall sentiment around AI-driven tech right now is relatively mixed, and there doesn't 36 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:15,680 yet appear to be a killer app that would compel people to run to their local Best Buy 37 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:19,160 in droves for a Snapdragon X laptop to run it. 38 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:25,760 But even if AI isn't your bag, it does appear that Snapdragon X represents a pretty significant 39 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:30,600 leap forward compared to the underpowered ARM laptop chips of yesteryear. 40 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:34,960 Although emulating native x86 apps still comes with a performance penalty, just as 41 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:40,120 it does on Apple, the more powerful hardware should make emulation less of a pain. 42 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:43,760 Although early reviews suggest it still struggles in some applications. 43 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,760 But the more exciting news on this front is that with this big push for ARM, we're seeing 44 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,200 more native ARM versions of software being developed. 45 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:56,040 Notably, Adobe has released popular programs for creatives like Photoshop and Lightroom 46 00:03:56,040 --> 00:04:00,880 on ARM, which could end up boosting the appeal of a chip like the Snapdragon X as a true 47 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:05,720 competitor to Apple Silicon, as MacBooks have been targeted at creators for quite a long 48 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:10,520 time. There's even been some impressive gaming results, according to some reviewers. 49 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,640 Even though the Snapdragon X isn't really being marketed as a gaming chip, for us, 50 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:19,360 the bigger implication here is that emulation performance of non-ARM programs might end 51 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,520 up being a pleasant surprise, even shortly after launch. 52 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:28,760 However, one very important caveat is that unlike Apple Silicon, there isn't one company 53 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:35,080 controlling the whole hardware and software stack, meaning hiccups may be more likely. 54 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:40,520 So while we're excited about what Snapdragon X can do, I wouldn't necessarily run out 55 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,400 to be one of the first people to buy one of these new laptops when they hit store shelves 56 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:51,680 this month. Instead, maybe I'd wait a bit and see what independent reviewers have to say, and yes, 57 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,800 that is a shameless plug for our other channels. 58 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:58,720 Something else I feel no shame about is how thankful I am to you for watching the video. 59 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,000 Like it if you liked it, dislike it if you disliked it, check out our other video on 60 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,440 why Intel and AMD have dominated for so long. 61 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:09,480 Comment below with video suggestions and don't forget to subscribe and follow TechWiki, the 62 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:14,160 channel. You may have not known that that was the name. 63 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:15,660 TechWiki. So.