A game-changing desktop chip may be coming from an unlikely company

By Luke Larsen Published December 13, 2024

The Qualcomm developer kit PC on a white table. — Qualcomm

Qualcomm planted its flag in the Windows laptop world this year with the Snapdragon X chips, powering some of the best laptops you can buy right now. But could the company do the same in the desktop world? It might sound absurd, but a new leak claims that a Snapdragon X Elite Gen 2 chip is being tested alongside some components that only belong in a tried-and-true gaming desktop.

The leak comes from Roland Quandt, who posted over on Bluesky about an upcoming Qualcomm development referred to internally as “Project Glymur.”

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“I think Qualcomm is coming for the desktop with Snapdragon “X Elite 2″,” the post states. “They’re testing “Project Glymur” SC8480XP with an AIO liquid cooler feat 120mm fan(s?), just like what you’d use in a (gaming) desktop.”

Take that with a grain of salt, as you should with all rumors and leaks. But let’s not forget: Qualcomm has already stated its intentions to bring out desktops with Snapdragon X chips. Of course, no one would have guessed that it’d be something powerful enough to power a gaming desktop. We all assumed we’d be seeing the same mobile chips being put in all-in-ones or compact PCs, something to compete with an iMac or Mac mini.

But if the rumor is true, an AIO liquid cooler certainly implies that we could see Qualcomm venturing out into some exciting new territory with its second-generation Snapdragon X Elite chips.

The idea of an Arm-based gaming desktop sounds absurd and counter-intuitive. Mobile SoCs are all about efficiency, yes, but a gaming desktop needs all the power it can get to produce the best frame rates.

On the other hand, look at what Apple has done with the Mac Studio or Mac Pro. No, these aren’t gaming desktops, but that has to do more with Apple’s own marketing and design. In terms of performance, the elements are there, and with each new generation of Apple Silicon, the GPU performance is showing what’s possible — even without a monster discrete graphics card on hand.

Now, Qualcomm has a long way to go with its own integrated graphics to keep up. It’s currently lagging behind the competition, including both Intel and Apple. Also, Qualcomm recently canceled its own desktop developer kit, leaving some wondering how serious it was about diving into the world of desktop chips.

With all the buzz the company has created with its Snapdragon X chips this year, I’d be shocked if it didn’t have some big plans in store for 2025. Will that include a legitimate gaming desktop chip? I’m skeptical of that right now, but I fully expect Qualcomm to follow up its success with some surprises. That’s for sure.

Former Senior Editor, Computing

Luke Larsen is the Senior Editor of Computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.

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