Lackluster? The Surface Neo may be delayed, but the news keeps on coming. After all, it is one of the most ambitious hardware products that teams behind Redmond walls are currently working on.
Speaking of hardware, speculation regarding the processing prowess of the Neo has been one of the talking points of this upcoming machine. Although a lot could change between now and release, folks have been curious just how well will this device perform.
And by the same flip of the coin, the Windows 10X platform itself.
The last thing Microsoft needs is tame performance from its debut machine.
Interestingly, the Intel Lakefield chipset has made its way out recently. And this latest penta-core chip paints a picture for the possible performance of the device. It currently powers the Galaxy Book S, which is the latest Samsung effort.
And let’s just say, the performance of this new CPU is nothing to write home about.
According to benchmarks, the overall single-core performance of this chip is quite disappointing. The low clock speed of 2.4GHz during testing is well below the advertised 3.0GHz. The numbers actually put it behind the older dual-core Intel M3-8100Y that powers the Surface Go 2.
Multicore scores, however, are a tad better, around the same level as the Core i7-8500Y. And the integrated UHD Graphics G7 chip means that this chip falls behind the Iris Plus Graphics, mainly due to the lower clock speeds.
All said and done, this chip is not exactly your best bet for processing intensive tasks.
Then again, Intel Lakefield is not really about performance and gaming prowess. This hybrid processor is meant to take on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx line of processors that are found in the Always Connected Windows on ARM PCs.
These chips are designed to maximize both efficiency and battery life, their primary directive.
Perhaps there’s a reason why these CPUs are not optimized for Windows 10X, after all.
Besides, these Lakefield benchmarks from the Galaxy Book S may not even carry over to the Microsoft Surface Neo. They are not indicative of the power you will get from the Neo, which may make the most of its delayed launch to optimize its performance.
Still, it’s good to get some early insights into what the hardware is capable of.
