Archive for the ‘speeds and feeds’ category

Apple A4 vs Snapdragon – Clash of the Chipsets!

April 4th, 2010

Apple A4 vs. Qualcomm Snapdragon

AnandTech has put the iPad’s new Apple A4 chip-to-chip against the Windows Phone- and Google Android Superphone-powering Snapdragon from Qualcomm in a clash of the 1Ghz titans. And the results?

To quote Steve Jobs – boom!

If we take the network out of the equation, the A4 in the iPad has a 37.6% performance advantage over the Qualcomm QSD8250. This actually supports some of the larger performance differences we saw earlier. If Apple can manage to deliver this sort of performance in its smartphone version of the A4, we’re in for a treat.

Indeed! They’re not sure why the difference is what it is, but possible reasons could include iPhone OS being better optimized than Android, or higher IPC based on better core architecture, larger caches, or faster memory bus.

They, like TiPb, want that bad boy in the 4th generation iPhone (which still won’t be called iPhone 4G!). Qualcomm and other chipsets like Tegra won’t sit still, however, so Apple has to keep pushing that bar as well — if they want the cachet that comes with spinning premiere, custom silicon.

[AnandTech via Engaget]

Apple A4 vs Snapdragon – Clash of the Chipsets! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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iPad A4 Chipset Uses PowerVR SGX Graphics Core

February 24th, 2010

iphone_3g_s_speed_force

The iPhone 3.2 SDK for iPad has officially outed the PowerVR SGX as the graphics core inside Apple’s A4 chipset:

Using OpenGL ES on iPad is identical to using OpenGL ES on other iPhone OS devices. An iPad is a PowerVR SGX device and supports the same basic capabilities as other SGX devices. However, because the processor, memory architecture, and screen dimensions are different for iPad, you should always test your code on an iPad device before shipping to ensure performance meets your requirements.

Since Apple is a major stakeholder in PowerVR creator, Imagination, this was widely assumed, Bright Side of the News had suggested otherwise.

Whether or not it’s the same PowerVR SGX in the current iPhone 3GS, or the latest generation announced back in January at CES remains unknown. We’re hoping for the latter, of course, and that the 4th generation iPhone gets it as well…

[Via MacRumors -- Happy 10th anniversary from everyone at TiPb!]

iPad A4 Chipset Uses PowerVR SGX Graphics Core is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog


Apple A4 iPad Chipset = ARM Multicore Cortex A9 + Mali 50 GPU

January 28th, 2010

Apple A4 chip

According to Bright Side of the News, it turns out that newly spun Apple A4 system-on-a-chip that debuted alongside the iPad does indeed pack more punch than the Sammy in the iPhone 3GS:

A4 is a System-on-a-Chip, or SOC, that integrates the main processor [ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore i.e. Multi-Processing Core, identical to ones used in nVidia Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon] with graphics silicon [ARM Mali 50-Series GPU], and other functions like the memory controller on one piece of silicon – not unlike what Intel is trying to achieve with its future “Moorestown” Atom processor that debuted inside LG’s Smartphone

Cortex A9 indeed? But no PowerVR SGX like the iPhone. Engadget says this is also similar to the Tegra2 platform. So, it’s more of an Apple assemblage of ARM components rather than anything PA Semi unique, but is it a first step towards more customized silicon? Either way, we’d still love to see this baby powering the 4th gen iPhone and iPod touch.

Still no word on RAM though…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple A4 iPad Chipset = ARM Multicore Cortex A9 + Mali 50 GPU


Imagination at CES: POWERVR SGX545 Graphics Core… Could it be the 4th Gen iPhone GPU?

January 8th, 2010

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Imagination, which counts Apple as one of its owners, has provided the GPU (graphics processing unit) for every iPhone to date, including the current iPhone 3GS PowerVR SGX, so it’s not unreasonable to assume the latest, greatest PowerVR SGX545 introduced at CES will be in the 4th generation iPhone, likely to be announced in June/July (and the iPod touch to follow):

SGX545 will also deliver OpenGL ES 2.x and OpenGL 3.2 to deliver class leading 3D graphics performance, and will also support OpenCL 1.0 full profile capability which will enable mobile and embedded applications to take maximum advantage of the capabilities offered by these GPU APIs for both 3D graphics and general purpose applications.

Could we see this spun into a new, ARM Cortex A9 multi-core cpu by Apple’s own PA Semi? We’ve already got great 3D gaming, what’s this one designed to do, burn our eyeballs into the back of our Avatar-scorched skulls?

[Imagination via 9to5mac]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Imagination at CES: POWERVR SGX545 Graphics Core… Could it be the 4th Gen iPhone GPU?


Potential iPhone Gen 4 ARM Cortex A9 Multicore Processor Demo

January 6th, 2010

iphone_3g_s_speed_force

ARM is showing off their new Cortex A9 multi-core mobile processor, which will scale over 2Ghz at less than 0.25W of power per proc — and since Apple is rumored to be a massive ARM licensee and Apple staff were hinting that developers should prepare themselves for multi-core, rumors once again resurface that this smoking hot chip might become part of the 4th generation iPhone and iPod touch. (As part of PA Semi system-on-a-chip, ‘natch).

The current iPhone 3GS and iPod touch G3, as well as a bunch of competing smartphones (and superphones, don’t get us started!) use the ARM Cortex A8. MacRumors is guessing it might just make its way into the iTablet/iSlate as well.

CES is ramping up folks, and remember TiPb will be there, so we’ll bring you back anything more we can find out.

Video highlights after the break…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Potential iPhone Gen 4 ARM Cortex A9 Multicore Processor Demo


iPod touch Speed Test: How Much Faster is 50%?

September 15th, 2009

iphone_3g_s_speed_force

In typical Apple fashion, they announced the new third generation iPod touch 32GB and 64GB as being 50% faster than the previous generation (the 8GB is the same old bag as last year), with nary a word on what chipsets made it so.

Well, some digging has been done, and some benches have been marked, and the early word is… zoom zoom.

Macworld’s tests show some impressive gains. Boot went down from 31 to 19 seconds. Launching apps went from 12, 20, and 10 seconds to 7, 15, and 5 for Peggle, HR Battle, and Rolando 2 respectively. Web page rendering for the NYT site was down from 34 to 15 seconds, and the Sunspider JS test went from 34.2 to 15.6 seconds.

So, yeah, about 50%.

TUAW, meanwhile, went to the heart of the matter, and discovered that the new iPod touch shares similar, if slightly incremented internals over this year’s iPhone 3GS. More plainly, same Samsung ARM Cortex A8 processor (S5L8922X, however, as opposed to the iPhone 3GS S5L8920X). No word yet on what may be different, if anything about the PowerVR SGX graphic core, but as we heard already, the 802.11n potential is in the WiFi chip.

The second generation iPod touch was faster than the iPhone 3G, so it’s not hard to imagine lack of cell-radio concerns and slightly new components could push the third generation iPod touch across the finish line before the iPhone 3GS as well.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPod touch Speed Test: How Much Faster is 50%?