While Qualcomm has been bragging about its all-new Snapdragon X2 Elite CPUs being equipped with the "world's fastest NPU for laptops," I've been focused on another key aspect that should make these chips for upcoming Windows PCs a certified win: PC gaming.
Being able to play the latest PC games on ultra-thin Windows laptops is finally taking shape, and slowly, we'll start to see less of a need for full-blown discrete GPUs like Nvidia RTX 50-series graphics cards. I mean, if the best gaming handhelds can play demanding titles with a single chip like the latest AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, what's stopping laptops?
Now, I've been wanting this to happen in the form of Nvidia's rumored N1X chips, and in the recent Nvidia and Intel partnership for Intel x86 RTX silicon. But with Qualcomm's Arm-based Snapdragon X2 Elite (and Elite Extreme) chipsets, PC gaming is taking priority.
In fact, the X2 Elite Extreme is specifically "Snapdragon's biggest advancement in PC gaming," as noted by Qualcomm's SVP of Compute and Gaming, Kedar Kondap, during the keynote. With the gains over its previous-gen processors, I'd believe it, but there's still some work to be done.
In any case, Qualcomm is finally stepping up to the plate by bringing something that many Windows users all secretly (and no-so secretly) want, and its Snapdragon X2 Elite brings the gaming goods.
Doubling performance
"X2" is a fitting name for Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon chips, as it also appears to mean the multiplied performance we can expect across the board when it comes to PC gaming on these machines.
With an 18-core Oryon CPU (to put that into perspective, Apple's M4 Max comes with a maximum of 16 CPU cores) split between prime and performance cores, an advanced Adreno GPU and max boot frequencies of 5.0GHz (1.85 GHz for the GPU), it's hardly a surprise that X2 Elite Extreme claims to bring up to a 50% performance boost.
But it's also coming with 2.3x faster peak GPU performance compared to last-gen processors. That translates to higher graphics settings and faster frame rates, which (I hope) is a huge win for playing the latest AAA PC games on ultra-thin laptops.
Just how much faster? According to Qualcomm, this includes the following:
- GTA V: 1.6x
- Street Fighter 6: 1.8x
- Far Cry 6: 1.9x
- Dirt 5: 2.0x
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider: 2.0x
- Cyberpunk 2077: 2.1x
- Read Dead Redemption 2: 2.1x
- Black Myth Wukong: 2.1x
- Hitman World of Assassin: 2.2x
Okay, that isn't much to go on. But we have tested gaming on a Snapdragon X Elite laptop, including Cyberpunk 2077 and GTA V. In Cyberpunk, we saw an average frame rate of 30 FPS with 2880 x 1620 resolution and low settings, and 57 FPS in GTA V at 1080p resolution at low-to-medium settings.
With all this in mind, that means we can expect to see over 60 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at possibly higher settings, and close to 100 FPS in GTA V. Does that match the heights of the best gaming laptops? No, but that's still a surprisingly capable machine that's built to be thin and light, and with long-lasting battery life.
It's not just for laptops either, as the Snapdragon X2 Elite chipsets will be coming in different form factors, such as mini PCs and all-in-ones. That means gaming on these platforms will also see a boost in gaming performance, which is hugely welcome!
Yes, the competition like AMD's Ryzen AI Max 395+ in the Asus ROG Flow Z13 already shows the type of gaming performance that can be had out of an APU, but that's one pricey machine (over $2,000), and doesn't reach the heights of a battery-efficient laptop, unlike a Snapdragon X Elite device (think nearly 20 hours of battery life in the the Dell XPS 13).
Now, we won't know how the latest Snapdragon chips will perform until we get our hands on them in spring 2026 (stay tuned for benchmarks). But so far, gaming with these chips already looks promising.
Building past casual gaming
Qualcomm is finally making its stamp on gaming with its Snapdragon X2 Elite CPUs, but it still has a way to go.
It's nice to see that it's supporting anti-cheat software from Epic to bring more competitive shooters (Fortnite, of course) into the ring, and that Qualcomm is partnering with Razer to optimize its Synapse app on X2 Elite systems. It's even bringing an on-device AI experience in Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition using the X2 Elite's NPU.
However, these are still stepping stones in pushing PC gaming on Snapdragon devices further. As noted by Qualcomm's Group GM of Mobile, Compute and XR, Alex Katouzian, Snapdragon X series was "never advertised as a gaming platform, ever... until now." That's true, seeing as its chip was made to drive through productivity and creative work.
"It's a really, really good casual gaming platform," Katouzian said. "The more we attract from developers, we're going to see an increase in development of graphics, and take it step by step."
I mean, it's clear that X2 Elite, and especially the Elite Extreme model, will be capable of playing the best PC games, and at much higher performance. But there's still a long way to go to reach the heights of a discrete GPU. That said, for those of us who mainly use a laptop for work and like gaming when they get the chance, this type of performance won't be sneezed at — and certainly not by me.
The takeaway
We may already have stunning, sleek gaming laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and Razer Blade 14, but combining AI power, battery efficiency and gaming performance in a single Arm-based chip in the Snapdragon X2 Elite series already looks to be a compelling choice for PC gamers — even if they err more on the casual side.
We know big manufacturers like Asus, HP and more will be delivering laptops (and possibly other platforms) equipped with Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme chips on devices starting to arrive in the first half of 2026. That's when we'll know for sure just what the laptops are capable of gaming-wise.
Will the Nvidia and Intel partnership see its all-new processors with an Nvidia GPU built in surpass Qualcomm's next-gen chip? Only time will tell, but if we're seeing a new era of PC gaming on thinner, lighter laptops, then you won't see me complaining.
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