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Snapdragon 1000 details leak: Qualcomm set to pass Atom, Celeron chips?
- Qualcomm is reportedly eyeing Intel’s Core U and Y series with its upcoming Snapdragon 1000 chipset.
- The new chip is said to pack a socketed design, which suggests the processor can be swapped out.
- The new Snapdragon silicon is reportedly much bigger than previous chips from the company.
Reports emerged last month that Qualcomm is working on a Snapdragon 1000 chipset for more powerful Windows 10 machines. Now, more details have dropped via WinFuture.de (translated version), and it looks like the new chip is a big upgrade over existing Snapdragon silicon.
The earlier report noted that the new chipset would likely have new Cortex-A76 cores and lightweight Cortex-A55 cores. The latest news reveals Qualcomm has a test platform with a Snapdragon 1000 chipset (codenamed Project Poipu), 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, Gigabit Wi-Fi, and a new power management chip.
The new article adds that the Qualcomm CPUs draw 6.5 watts of power alone, and 12 watts of power in total. By comparison, Intel’s latest U series chips top out at 15 watts of power. In other words, the Snapdragon 1000 is approaching Intel’s latest two-in-one chips for power consumption. This means the new chip will probably be significantly better than the Atom and Celeron chips.
The new Qualcomm chip is apparently much bigger than previous Snapdragon flagship processors too — 20 x 15 millimeters versus 12.4 x 12.4 millimeters. Nevertheless, WinFuture says it’s still smaller than Intel’s 15-watt chips, which apparently measure 45 x 24 millimeters.
Snapdragon 1000 to be socketed?
The processor itself is apparently socketed like a traditional computer chipset — at least on the test hardware. It suggests that the owner of the test device can swap out the chip.
Does this mean consumers could also swap out their old Snapdragon processor for the latest chip in their Windows 10 machine? This would be new territory for Qualcomm’s wares, which are traditionally a tightly woven, interlinked package, with the processor soldered to the motherboard.
The outlet also spotted a Qualcomm employee’s LinkedIn profile, which alludes to “desktop” products. By comparison, the Snapdragon 835 found itself in two-in-ones and convertibles.
There’s no word on a launch window for devices with the new chip, but WinFuture says ASUS is working on a Snapdragon 1000 device called “Primus.” This upcoming device is purportedly based on a Qualcomm reference design.