NVIDIA’s most ambitious ARM chip is now running on Windows, but its current figures reveal that it is still far from final maturity.
The upcoming NVIDIA N1X SoC has leaked again, this time through the FurMark benchmark database, providing a first glimpse of its native performance on Windows 11. Although the results may not seem impressive at first glance, the fact that it runs on Windows is a significant milestone in its development.
Code-named “JMJWOA,” the N1X scored 4,286 points in the 720p stress test, with an average of 71 frames per second. This performance is even below some RTX 2060 cards, despite the N1X reportedly having 6,144 CUDA cores, surpassing even the future RTX 5070.
However, this apparent lack of power can be reasonably explained: it is clearly an early engineering sample. The chip is neither optimized nor finished, with a commercial debut expected in 2026. The test was conducted with a modest thermal budget of 120 W and preliminary drivers version 590.22, which are still transitioning from older architectures like Kepler and Maxwell.
🔍 More symbolic than representative testing
It’s important to remember that FurMark is not a conventional benchmark but an extreme stress testing tool. Such tests are often limited by thermal and power management systems, especially in hardware that is not final. In this case, the N1X only reached about 63% utilization and a temperature of 59°C, suggesting restrictions imposed by the firmware, BIOS, or drivers still in development.
Beyond the numbers, the most relevant data is that the chip is running Windows 11 natively, indicating that NVIDIA is already validating the system in both x86 and ARM environments—a crucial step in enabling software support for its future deployment.
🧠 Not a gaming chip
All signs point to the N1X being designed as a versatile computing platform rather than a gaming GPU. Previous leaks suggest it is a cut-down version of the GB10 chip, aimed at AI workloads and professional workstations. Its ARM architecture represents a strategic shift for NVIDIA, seeking to solidify its ecosystem in new markets against alternatives like Apple Silicon, AMD Instinct, or Qualcomm and Ampere solutions.
⏳ A long-term race
There is still a year before the official launch of the N1X, and this leak should be viewed as another stage in its technological maturation, not a definitive judgment of its performance. Driver infrastructure, power management, and Windows compatibility will evolve significantly by the time it hits the market.
With this new SoC, NVIDIA aims to shape its most ambitious ARM proposal to date, competing in key segments such as high-performance computing, AI, and professional environments. Although the journey is long, this first step shows that the roadmap is on the right track.
via: tomshardware