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Updated Nov 8. Article originally published on November 7.
Ahead of Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ event on Tuesday and the expected launch of the first ARM-powered Macs, there are two big questions that many hope will be answered. One of them is macOS’s ability on ARM to run Intel-based macOS applications developed for Macs; the second is how much performance Apple’s new ARM chips will have.
In the days leading up to launch, we’re getting closer to a post-response thanks to a leak through an online benchmarking tool.
CHINA – 2020/10/23: In this photo illustration, an iPhone 12 smartphone is placed on the keyboard of a … [+]
November 8 Update: Along with benchmarking performance numbers, more details on the support the A14X system-on-chip offers to Apple hardware designers. Chris Smith reports:
“According to CPU-Monkey, the A14X supports LPDDR4 and LPDDR5 RAM, and the memory can go up to 32 GB. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15 W. Comparatively, the A14 Bionic inside the iPhone 12 has a TDP of 6 W. “
An important consideration when looking at these possible specs is that Apple has an advantage over other chipmakers. You’re just designing the A14X for Apple hardware. Intel has to deal with a large number of desktops and laptops, as does Qualcomm’s ARM chips for desktop hardware. The native benefits of choosing ARM will be combined with tight hardware integration … a similar story to what we’ve seen on the iPhone and iPad.
Apple is expected to use its A14X processor inside the new MacBook Pro and MacBook laptops. The A14 family debuted on iPhone 12 phones, and the A14X variant is also expected to be the heart of the iPad Pro when the 2021 variant is announced early next year. But how does it compare to current Intel processors in Macs?
The benchmarks have appeared in the popular Geekbanch suite, with hardware running the A14X listed. Wesley Hillard has more:
“The alleged CPU benchmarks for the” A14X “show a 1.80 GHz processor capable of boosting the turbo to 3.10 GHz, marking this the first custom Apple Silicon to exceed 3 GHz. It is a 8-core processor with a large and small arrangement, GPU results show that 8 GB of RAM will be included with the processor.
“The single core benchmark for the” A14X “scored 1634 versus the A12Z at 1118. The A14 scored 1583 points for single core tests, which is expected as single core results should not change a lot between the normal and “X” models “.
How does that compare to Intel MacBooks? Very well! The current 16-inch MacBook Pro is rated at 1096 for single core and 6869 for multi-core.
This is purely about the grunt processing, the switch to ARM has many other advantages, including lower battery power consumption; running at a lower temperature that eliminates the need for aggressive cooling; And, of course, not depending on Intel’s design and production program.
Apple will undoubtedly lean heavily on some of these benchmarking scores when the hardware is introduced. And I have no doubt that when the hardware reaches consumers, there will be even more benchmarks and tests to find out how good the ARM is in terms of power.
Right now, the numbers are looking good, but once the machines hit the real world, we’ll know for sure.
Now read more about Apple’s classic storytelling technique surrounding the launch of the new MacBooks …
