Qualcomm Unveils First Benchmark Score Of Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 Based On Oryon Cores

Qualcomm is slowly but steadily working toward launching its first true PC chip for Windows devices on ARM. Benchmark results are now available for the first time, showing how potent the 12-core Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 based on the “Oryon” cores developed by ex-Apple employees will be.

Geekbench 5 test with x86 emulation delivers initial values

The first test results have been available in the Geekbench database since the end of September, allowing us to get a first impression of the performance of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4. The new SoC combines a total of twelve custom CPU cores, which Qualcomm calls “Oryon” cores. The CPU is being developed by the team at the startup Nuvia, founded by former Apple chip designers, which Qualcomm bought a few years ago.

The chip, codenamed “Hamoa” internally, has the model number SC8380 and is said to consist of two clusters of eight lower and four higher-clocked cores. The chip’s clock speed is given as 3.01 gigahertz in the Geekbench database, but it should actually be a little higher.

Emulation distorts performance tests

The benchmark results now available were measured with Geekbench 5 using a Windows 11 Insider build. The tests were apparently carried out with an x86 version of Geekbench operated via emulation, so these are not natively determined values.

The fact that “Hamoa” achieved 9337 points in the multi-core test even under the conditions made more difficult by the x86 emulation is certainly impressive, as we know that mobile PC systems with Intel chips are in a similar range. In addition, the actual performance of the new ARM chip for PCs from Qualcomm in native operation is likely to be significantly higher. The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 should easily outpace the Apple M2, at least in the variants used in the Apple iPad Pro.

One might have some concerns about the comparatively low single-core score of the tests carried out with Geekbench 5, after all, the value measured here of only 1197 points is relatively low. Here too, it remains to be seen what results the SC8380 achieves when using natively running benchmark software. The single-core score is still quite disappointing.

The official presentation of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 will probably take place at the Snapdragon Summit on April 24th-26th. October 2023. According to the chip manufacturer, the first notebooks and 2-in-1 systems equipped with the new high-end chip for ARM PCs from Qualcomm are already being developed and could come onto the market at the beginning of 2024.