WEBVTT 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 00:00:07.560 --> 00:00:11.480 actually pretty good. 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 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, 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. 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 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:42.000 a Mac? And why do we even need an ARM chip for Windows anyway? 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 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 00:00:51.760 --> 00:00:56.360 it used so often in phones, where battery life is a key concern. 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 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 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:13.480 power consumption wasn't nearly as big of an issue. 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:18.560 But using a different architecture that focuses on efficiency means that compatibility and 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 00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:28.640 the marketplace. So how is Snapdragon X different? 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:34.120 Well, similar to when Apple first unveiled its M-series Apple Silicon to the world, Qualcomm 00:01:34.120 --> 00:01:39.800 is hammering home the point that testing shows it's faster than Intel's laptop chips, 00:01:39.800 --> 00:01:43.280 specifically faster than their current Core Ultra 7 offering. 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:47.320 Combined with their performance comparisons to the Apple M3, it's a pretty clear signal 00:01:47.320 --> 00:01:52.920 that Qualcomm and Microsoft aren't content to let Apple run away with the performance 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 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 00:02:05.360 --> 00:02:10.640 process. Despite these similarities, there's one specific area where Microsoft is hoping Snapdragon 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 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 00:02:24.880 --> 00:02:30.440 previous chips, and the Snapdragon X lineup has NPUs that can deliver 45 trillion operations 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 00:02:36.920 --> 00:02:42.400 is currently taking the form of a lineup of PCs the company is calling Copilot Plus, 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:46.160 which require NPUs that can deliver at least 40 TOPs. 00:02:46.160 --> 00:02:50.800 And Snapdragon X is technically the first to market with that level of performance, 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, 00:02:56.760 --> 00:03:00.680 with both companies looking to release compatible CPUs later this year. 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:05.080 And it also doesn't mean that everyone will necessarily embrace AI features. 00:03:05.080 --> 00:03:10.440 The overall sentiment around AI-driven tech right now is relatively mixed, and there doesn't 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 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:19.160 in droves for a Snapdragon X laptop to run it. 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 00:03:25.760 --> 00:03:30.600 leap forward compared to the underpowered ARM laptop chips of yesteryear. 00:03:30.600 --> 00:03:34.960 Although emulating native x86 apps still comes with a performance penalty, just as 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:40.120 it does on Apple, the more powerful hardware should make emulation less of a pain. 00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:43.760 Although early reviews suggest it still struggles in some applications. 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 00:03:47.760 --> 00:03:51.200 more native ARM versions of software being developed. 00:03:51.200 --> 00:03:56.040 Notably, Adobe has released popular programs for creatives like Photoshop and Lightroom 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 00:04:00.880 --> 00:04:05.720 competitor to Apple Silicon, as MacBooks have been targeted at creators for quite a long 00:04:05.720 --> 00:04:10.520 time. There's even been some impressive gaming results, according to some reviewers. 00:04:10.520 --> 00:04:14.640 Even though the Snapdragon X isn't really being marketed as a gaming chip, for us, 00:04:14.640 --> 00:04:19.360 the bigger implication here is that emulation performance of non-ARM programs might end 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:22.520 up being a pleasant surprise, even shortly after launch. 00:04:22.520 --> 00:04:28.760 However, one very important caveat is that unlike Apple Silicon, there isn't one company 00:04:28.760 --> 00:04:35.080 controlling the whole hardware and software stack, meaning hiccups may be more likely. 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 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 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, 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:54.800 that is a shameless plug for our other channels. 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. 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 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:05.440 why Intel and AMD have dominated for so long. 00:05:05.440 --> 00:05:09.480 Comment below with video suggestions and don't forget to subscribe and follow TechWiki, the 00:05:09.480 --> 00:05:14.160 channel. You may have not known that that was the name. 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:15.660 TechWiki. So.