Snapdragon X Elite vs Z1 Extreme: Which One is Better?
Elite X offers impressive AI support, but it lacks in multimedia performance
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Elite Z1 Extreme is one of the best mobile CPUs on the market, but with the release of the new Qualcomm CPUs, it’s time to make Snapdragon X Elite and Z1 Extreme comparison.
Snapdragon X Elite vs Z1 Extreme, here’s what you should know
Hardware specs
| Snapdragon X Elite | Ryzen Z1 Extreme | |
| Cores/threads | 12/12 | 8/16 |
| Architecture | ARM | x86 |
| Hyperthreading | No | Yes |
| Base frequency | 1.00 GHz | 3.30 GHz |
| Turbo frequency | 4.20 GHz | 5.10 GHz |
| TDP | 15-80W | 9-30W |
| Memory support | LPDDR5X-8448 | DDR5- 4800 to LPDDR5X-7500 |
| Memory channels | 8 | 2 |
| Memory bandwidth | 133.9 GB/s | 120 GB/s |
| L2/L3 cache | 42MB / NA | 8MB/16MB |
Looking at the specs, the Z1 Extreme is faster and has more threads. However, Snapdragon X Elite has better memory bandwidth and more L2 cache.
Z1 Extreme has an incredibly small TDP, and it outperforms Snapdragon in every regard which means that it will produce less heat even during the most intense tasks.
Benchmark results
According to CPUBenchmark, Snapdragon X Elite outperforms Z1 Extreme in single thread results while Z1 Extreme gives better multithread results.
The single thread difference isn’t that noticeable, however, when it comes to multithread results, Z1 Extreme easily outperforms Snapdragon.
On the other hand, Geekbench paints a different picture and according to their results, Snapdragon X Elite outperforms Ryzen Z1 Extreme in both single and multithread tests.
| Snapdragon X Elite | Ryzen Z1 Extreme | |
| Single thread | 2898 | 2206 |
| Multithread | 15404 | 9661 |
While single-thread differences are noticeable, we were surprised to see the 37% difference in favor of Snapdragon X Elite for multithread results.
GPU and NPU
As for AI support, Z1 Extreme doesn’t have an NPU, while Snapdragon X Elite has a dedicated NPU that can provide up to 45 TOPS. If AI capabilities are your focus, then Z1 Extreme might not be a good choice.
As for GPU support, the situation is a bit different
| Adreno X1 | AMD Radeon 780M | |
| Compute units | 6 | 12 |
| Hardware Raytracing | No | Yes |
| Base frequency | 1.50 GHz | 0.80 GHz |
| Turbo frequency | NA | 2.70Hz |
While Z1 has more computing units, and Raytracing, its base frequency is lower than on Snapdragon X Exlite. However, it makes up for with with much higher Turbo frequency.
GPU benchmark results
| Adreno X1 | AMD Radeon 780M | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Score | 5787 | 7056 |
As you can see, according to 3Dmark, the Z1 Extreme iGPU offers almost 18% better performance, which makes it a better choice for multimedia and gaming.
Conclusion
If you need a CPU that has AI support, then Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite is an obvious choice. As for performance, Z1 Extreme is faster with much lower TDP, and it outperforms Snapdragon in terms of multimedia performance.
As for performance, we got some conflicting results, but most everyday users probably won’t notice a difference.
To learn more, we suggest reading about different Snapdragon X Elite processors or taking a look at our Snapdragon X Elite vs Intel Core i7 guide to see how it compares with it.
If you’re a gamer, you might be interested in learning more about Snapdragon X Elite gaming performance, and we have an entire article dedicated to it.
We also have a great Snapdragon X Elite comparison guide that analyzes the performance differences between different models.
If you’re a fan of iOS, don’t miss our Snapdragon X Elite vs M4 guide for more information.
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