Nvidia GB10 Superchip Shows Promise in Early Benchmark Tests

Key Takeaways

1. Asus and Dell have launched devices using Nvidia’s GB10 Grace Blackwell ARM chipset, following Nvidia’s Project DIGITS AI supercomputer announcement.
2. The GB10 chipset has shown varying benchmark results on Geekbench, labeled as ARMv8 despite using ARMv9 cores.
3. Performance metrics for the GB10 are inconsistent; it competes with top ARM and x86 processors but should be viewed cautiously.
4. The GB10’s Cortex-X925 cores can reach clock speeds of 3.9 GHz, but details on Cortex-X725 performance are lacking.
5. Nvidia may introduce N1 and N1X alternatives for desktops and laptops at Computex 2025 later this month.

Almost two months have gone since Asus and Dell introduced the first devices that use Nvidia’s GB10 Grace Blackwell ARM chipset. Prior to this, Nvidia showcased the Project DIGITS AI supercomputer at CES 2025, which it claimed would launch this month at a price of about $2,999.

Benchmark Findings

The so-called ‘superchip’ that supports these three devices has recently shown up on Geekbench with four different benchmark results. It’s important to mention that there are some peculiarities in these results. For instance, Geekbench labels the GB10 as an ARMv8 chipset, even though its ARM Cortex-X725 and Cortex-X925 CPU cores utilize the newer ARMv9 instruction set.

Performance Insights

Moreover, performance metrics are quite inconsistent at this point. To put it simply, we shouldn’t focus too much on these numbers, even though single-core performance competes with top-tier ARM and x86 processors. For context, Apple’s latest M4 generation chipsets are the leaders in this area, especially the M4 Max found in devices like the MacBook Pro 16, currently priced at $3,517 on Amazon.

Geekbench notes that the GB10’s Cortex-X925 cores can clock in at 3.9 GHz. Sadly, there are no details regarding the performance of the Cortex-X725 cores. Even though the GB10 is designed for workstation use, there are hints that Nvidia might be heading to Computex 2025 later this month with N1 and N1X alternatives targeting desktops and laptops.

Geekbench via @9550pro, Hardware Luxx – Image credit.

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