Qualcomm expands its Snapdragon X lineup with a new entry-level 8-core model

Qualcomm has quietly introduced a new SKU to its Snapdragon X processor family, which should lower the cost of Copilot+ PCs with Windows 11. As of right now, the cheapest computers with Snapdragon X chips start at $999 (some of them are already discounted), which is still too high for many customers. Qualcomm recently promised to lower the cost of PCs with its processors, and the new version of Snapdragon X Plus should help with that.

The new entry-level Snapdragon X Plus debuted under the "X1P-42-100" moniker. It is the first eight-core processor in the lineup, which also means it has less cache and lower clocks. Single-core clocks are the same as in the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100, but the maximum multithreaded frequencies are lower by 200 MHz.

The built-in graphics is another area where the X1P-42-100 cuts corners. According to an SKU comparison table from Qualcomm (via VideoCardz), the new X1P-42-100 outputs 1.7 TFLOPS while its 10-core sibling generates over two times more—3.8 TFLOPS. This difference will directly translate to notably lower performance in graphics-intensive tasks, so do not expect this processor to handle the latest PC games very well.

As for the NPU, it has the same 45 TOPS as all the other chips in the lineup. Memory support is also the same—LPDDR5X at 8,448 MT/S.

Here is a brief spec comparison:

So far, only ASUS has two models with the new Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 processor, but more models should follow suit. Qualcomm certainly feels pressure from Intel and AMD with their upcoming AI-capable chips, so you can expect the current generation of Windows on ARM computers to become more affordable.