ARM vs X86
We saw already about SOC and what they are. But do you know the types of SOC
that is used in our device. With regard of the complexity of the coding done to the chip, it can be divided majorly between ARM and X86. lets see about both of them in this video.
What are S.O.C’s
Soc is the main component of any modern technology. Many people confuse SOC or system on a chip with CPU. Well… it is far more than that. this Soc is usually coded with high level languages such as java or C++. and this coding can be done in 2 ways depending upon the device that they are coding for. They are divided as follows:
Ø CISC(Complex Instruction Set Computer) technology which is commonly known as x86
Ø Advanced Risc(Advanced Reduced Instruction set Computer) which is known as ARM. Let take a look at both of them.
X86(CISC)
as by the name suggests CISC(or) X86 has complex form of coding done to it for a boosted performance by performing many tasks in a second, which increases the feature set of the computer. This is usually found in productivity devices.
Ø Why X86?Where is it used?
This type of tech is used where power consumption is not a barrier for performance, like in desktops and laptops. As desktops has power coming from the grid itself, it is easy for it to take power consuming tasks without worrying about the energy it takes, while in the laptop side even though laptops rely on battery more than ‘plugged in’ performance, The size of the battery is very big. So what the processor does is, when the laptop is plugged in, it boosts the performance to increase productivity and when it is on battery it slightly lowers the performance in a small amount which doesn’t bother much to increase efficiency.
ARM(RISC)
ARM or Advanced RISC Machine leans more on the power efficiency rater than raw performance. If you see, more complex coding increases the power consumption and to decrease the power usage the “arm” rater than x86 has very less or no complex coding. So it has less power but more energy efficiency.
Ø Why ARM? Where is it used?
This type of technology is used in devices that run on battery or where energy is a precious resource. This tech is not only used In devices like phones and laptops that are focused in power efficiency, but also in subtle day to day products like toys, printers etc…. lets take a very popular example for arm device, smart phones. Smartphones have small batteries inside, as it is a mobile device we take it with us wherever we go and in those places we cant always expect a power outlet stuck on a wall so, for devices that run mostly on batteries, ARM processors are used
After learning all these you may have a small question:
Why cant X86 be used in Mobile phones if they can be used in laptops?
In an above para I have told that processors can adapt the maximum performance according to if they are plugged in or if they are on battery. So you may ask a valid question on why cant we use x86 in mobile phones and scale down the performance when they are being used without being plugged in? But the answer lies on the size of the battery.(for a basic knowledge- the battery of the laptops are measured in watt per hour or WH while the battery size of mobile phones are measured in Milliamp per hour or mAh) An average size of a mobile battery is around 4,500 milliamp per hour and if we convert it we get around 15-20 watt hour while an average size of a laptop battery is 50+ watt hour so if your laptop can get a 5 hour battery life with it, your phone with the same processor can get only 1.5 hours of battery. So even if they lower the performance, the x86 powered phone will have very less battery life. But still there are many laptops that use ARM brands. There is also a fun fact that an arm laptop with the same size of battery can have 2 times more battery life.
Major ARM brands
Some major brands producing ARM processors are as follows
“Qualcomm snapdragon” which is used in most of your android phones ; Apple silicon which is used an all the iPhones, iPads and mac books ; and Exynos which is used in Samsung phones.
Major X86 brands
Some major brands producing X86 processors are as follows
Intel is used in most of the laptops and desktops that you use ; and there is AMD that is also another rising brand producing x86.
That’s been it for today’s article, this is the deepest that I can go while maintaining a simple English, so thank you, thanks for reading, hope you have understood many things from this article.
Have a great day