Apple’s ARM Processors Closing in on Performance Parity of High-End Desktops

Citing a recent study by the University of Wisconsin, a lengthy article by Xavier Tobin (via Reddit) has highlighted how ARM processors, especially those produced by Apple, have caught up to high-end x86 processors in most perspectives of performance.

“Before I explain, let me clarify: the purpose of this article is not to suggest that one could take the A12X from an iPad Pro, put it in a desktop as-is and use it without any issues today, but rather to end the myth that ARM chips are behind performance-wise.

ARM chips have caught up because of significant demand in the market for fast, efficient chips in portable devices, and now servers. Because of this, ARM reference designs got better and better, and Apple began to double down in a big way.”

ARM chips on the market already run cooler and more efficiently than modern x86 chips. In fact, if Apple were to custom create an ARM chip designed to be used in a high-end desktop or laptop system with active cooling, they would likely produce the fastest consumer chip on the market.

220px Apple A12



While Apple isn’t the only company developing extremely fast chips, with the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 8CX expected to perform rather well, the iPad Pro’s A12X has more execution ports than any other consumer processor.

It is believed that even if Intel manages to drastically improve efficiency in the shift to 7nm chips, they would still be counting on ARM not making further strides ahead given the sheer levels of research and development being put into from the likes of Apple.

You can read the entire article at the source link.

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