Intel and AMD may have another desktop competitor – Qualcomm is supposedly working on a new Snapdragon X Elite Gen 2 desktop CPU

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Intel and AMD may have another desktop competitor – Qualcomm is supposedly working on a new Snapdragon X Elite Gen 2 desktop CPU

A new suggestion from a reliable leaker hints at Qualcomm’s new CPU heading to desktop PCs
The 2nd-gen Snapdragon X Elite processor codenamed ‘Project Glymur’ was tested with liquid cooling AIO
The chip likely be unveiled at CES 2025 in a few weeks

Both Intel and AMD have dominated the desktop PC scene when it comes to providing powerful processors for productivity and gaming – and now, Qualcomm could be joining the party, with 2nd-gen Snapdragon X Elite processors potentially making their way to desktop PCs.

As highlighted by Notebookcheck, reliable leaker Roland Quandt has hinted at Qualcomm’s new processor coming to desktop PCs as the brand is reportedly testing the SC8480XP (Project Glymur chip codename) with a 120 mm liquid cooling AIO. This assumption comes from the fact that AIOs as such being used for gaming desktop configurations, unlike the cooling mechanisms that would be required in lightweight laptops.

With CES 2025 now only weeks away, we could soon see what Qualcomm has to offer and whether Quandt’s prediction is accurate. The 2nd-gen Snapdragon X Elite processors may take advantage of Oryon V3 cores according to Quandt (based on Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon’s ‘next-gen’ CPU statements), so there could be a lot to get excited about here.

(Image credit: Qualcomm)

Could 2025’s CES event be one of the best in years?

Considering AMD and Nvidia’s presence at CES 2025 and their inevitable reveals of the Radeon RX 8000 series and RTX 5000 series GPUs, Qualcomm’s inclusion could easily make this one of the more interesting CES events in years.

While a potential new Snapdragon X Elite processor for desktop PCs could be beneficial for gamers with tight budgets (especially as a second-gen version of the existing X Elite), it’s still a little too early to suggest this. On laptops such as the Lenovo Yoga 7x Slim, gaming is possible but certainly not comparable to gaming laptops or handheld gaming PCs, and Qualcomm itself has stated that the X Elite chips are not targeted at serious gamers.

Nonetheless, the Yoga 7x Slim and fellow X Elite laptops come without discrete GPUs – for a desktop gaming PC that has a discrete GPU, a new Snapdragon chip could be promising depending on the improvements made with the new processors; potentially adding to the list of surprises I hope to see at CES 2025. Mind you, I don’t want to have to buy a new motherboard…