Processor Review: Technology, Efficiency, Smart-lifestyle
The most important part to which consumers pay less attention when purchasing a laptop or device is the brain of the computer or device, which is also known as a processor.
Understanding device configuration (capabilities of the device) is key in consumers’ buying decisions and it determines their return on investment (ROI). The most important part to which consumers pay less attention when purchasing a laptop or device is the brain of the computer or device, which is also known as a processor.
The processor is the bit that does all the operations on the computer or a device and it measures in Hertz (Hz). It is like the human brain that instructs us to do things. It drives every component on your laptop or device, such as keyboard, screens, apps, or software and storage. So, it is worth understanding before acquiring one.
The processor makes your mobile phone “smart” because it enables it to perform the same function that your laptop can perform. For mobile phone freaks and gigs, attention shouldn’t just be on the aesthetic – feel and look, camera and storage, but it is imperative to know the capacity of the processor as well.
History of Processors
Moore’s Law observes that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every two years. Based on this law, the development of computer processors started in the year 1971. Let’s take a look at the journey so far.
Today, computers are a part of our lifestyle, but the first computer that was used was developed at the University of Pennsylvania in the year 1946! It had an ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) processor. The reprogramming feature that is so extensively used today, was introduced by Alan Turing and John von Neumann with their teams. The von Neumann architecture is the basis of modern computers.
Since the development of the first microprocessor – Intel’s 4004, the microprocessor technology has come a long way since the launch of 4004. The chip size has reduced, the clock speed has increased and the caches have further increased.
Today’s tech review focuses on some of the leading processor manufacturers, with reference to one of their most recent processors. This is to help consumers decide on the best new processor products to go for among these brands of processors – Intel, AMD, and Apple. These brands don’t only produce processors, they manufacture or produce other important components of a computer or devices such as motherboard, server computers, and computer-related hardware, but our review will be on the brain of the computer or a device.
Intel Processors
Intel Processor is the leading brand in the microprocessor industry since 1971 with Intel 4004, the first commercially produced microprocessor, and the first in a long line of Intel CPUs. It was used in the Busicom 141-PF calculator.
Since then Intel has gone to build processors of different types ranging from Intel 8008 in 1972 to Intel 8080 in 1974 to Intel 8085 in 1977and the likes, till the most recent one made in 2022 which is the Core i9-12900KS. This will be the subject matter of our review on Intel Processors.
Intel’s flagships haven’t been impressive over the past couple of generations, but the Core i9-12900K changes that. It’s the flagship of flagships, sporting 16 cores and single-core boost speeds of up to 5.2GHz. It blows past everything else on the market, making it a great choice for gaming, content creation, and everything in between.
Its testing shows that the Core i9-12900K can outperform AMD’s competing Ryzen 9 5950X by as much as 30% in some cases. And keep in mind that the Ryzen 9 5950X is anywhere from $100 to $200 more expensive. It holds a solid lead in gaming, but the Core i9-12900K shines in content creation workloads, where it’s much faster than the competition.
The Core i9-12900K is a clear showcase of Alder Lake’s hybrid architecture and what it can do for PCs, offering up a high core count and plenty of bandwidth for multitasking.
For a long time, the Core i9-12900K reigned as the ultimate king of the best processors on the market, but now it faces competition from itself. The Intel Core i9-12900KS is a specially-binned and overclocked 12900K that pushes that envelope a little further. Although it isn’t a lot better than the 12900K, it is better, making it the fastest CPU you can buy in 2022.
It has the same eight P-cores (performance) and eight E-cores (efficiency), as the 12900K, the same 24 threads, and high clock speeds. The difference is that these high clock speeds are a little higher. It can do 5.5GHz on a couple of cores at a time, and 5.2GHz on all of them at once, giving it a slight edge on the 12900K in most games and applications, though that isn’t always the case. That will make this the best chip for the next six months at least, and it will remain relevant for years to come.
However, despite being a fantastic desktop processor, it’s not without its flaws. It is the fastest Intel CPU right now, but it’s not the best value CPU. It’s quite expensive in comparison to the Core i9-12900K, and even more so when compared with mid-range offerings. It also doesn’t deliver enough of a performance jump to truly justify the price hike and it has even higher TDP demands. Buy it if you care about the performance and not your budget, but if you’re trying to remain price-conscious, the Core i9-12900KS may not be what you’re looking for.
The Intel processor is great for both gamers and content creators with the price ranging from $500 to $2,000.
AMD Processors
AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) is the second most popular microprocessor manufacturer after Intel. It is Intel’s biggest competitor. AMD is one of the top processors due to the incredible success of the Ryzen 5000 generation. The best AMD CPU right now is the Ryzen 9 5950X because of its incredible 16 cores, low power requirements, and high single-core performance. There are plenty of other options for AMD fans, though. With the price ranging from over $1,000 to over $3,000.
From the best Ryzen CPU for gaming to the best AMD processor on an extreme budget, there are plenty of options for fans of Team Red.
The Ryzen 9 5950X which is a powerhouse and an over-powered chip for most users will be our subject matter of review. It comes with 16 cores and 32 threads that can boost up to 4.9GHz, along with a whopping 72MB of combined L2 and L3 cache. As is the case with most high-end components, the 5950X’s power is clear from the specs, but it takes a little more digging to see its performance benefit in real-world use. It might offer a marginal benefit over the 5900X while running CPU-intensive applications, however, the 5950X shines when it comes to multithreaded performance. In tasks that require a lot of cores, such as hardware encryption and 3D rendering, the 5950X aces the charts and shoots far ahead of the 5900X. Tasks that use a dominant core will see less of a benefit compared to the 5900X.
As for gaming, while the 5950X can show slight improvements in certain titles, most games won’t be able to take advantage of the processor’s full horsepower. Even in CPU-intensive titles like Hitman 2 and Microsoft Flight Simulator, the 5950X is overkill. It’s a highly capable gaming CPU, topping benchmarks alongside all of the Ryzen 5000 processors. Thus, it is worth noting that this processor is just not worth the extra cost if you’re primarily going to use your PC for gaming.
The Ryzen 9 5950X was created for content creators and professionals looking for core CPU performance.
Apple Processor
Apple has before now not been making their processors for laptops or mobile devices. Apple initially relied on Intel for central processing units in its desktop products and Samsung for its mobile products. However, in recent years Apple announced its plan to switch Mac computers from Intel processors to Apple silicon at WWDC 2020 on June 22, 2020. The first Macs built with the Apple M1 processor were unveiled on November 10, 2020. In early 2022, most Mac models were built with Apple silicon; exceptions included the Core i5/i7 Mac Mini and the Mac Pro.
Apple outsources the chips’ manufacture but fully controls their integration with the company’s hardware and software. Johny Srouji is in charge of Apple’s silicon design.
The Apple “M” series is a family of Systems on a Chip (SoC) used in Mac computers from November 2020 or later, iPad Pro tablets from April 2021 or later, and iPad Air tablets from March 2022. The “M” designation was previously used for Apple motion coprocessors. These unique processors are known for their quality, speed, and efficiency with the intent of gaining market share.
The Apple M1 is an ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. as a central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) for its Macintosh desktops, MacBook notebooks, iPad Pro, and iPad Air tablets. M1 is the original Apple Silicon processor for Macs, announced in 2020. The M1 Pro and Max were announced in the fall of 2021.
M1 chip, Apple’s first processor designed for use in Macs, is manufactured using TSMC’s 5 nm process. Announced on November 10, 2020, it is used in the MacBook Air (M1, 2020), Mac mini (M1, 2020), MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020), iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021), iPad Pro (5th generation) and iPad Air (5th generation).
M1 Ultra delivers breathtaking computing power to the new Mac Studio while maintaining industry-leading performance per watt. The M1 Ultra chip consists of two M1 Max dies connected by a silicon interposer through Apple’s UltraFusion technology. It has 114 billion transistors, 16 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, 48 to 64 GPU cores, and 32 Neural Engine cores; it can be configured with up to 128 GB unified RAM of 800 GB/s memory bandwidth. It was announced on March 8, 2022, as an optional upgrade for the Mac Studio. Apple claims the M1 Ultra can deliver up to 18 streams of 8K ProRes video playback.
M1 Ultra can be configured with up to 128GB of high-bandwidth, low-latency unified memory that can be accessed by the 20-core CPU, 64-core GPU, and 32-core Neural Engine, providing astonishing performance for developers compiling code, artists working in huge 3D environments that were previously impossible to render, and video professionals who can transcode video to ProRes up to 5.6x faster than with a 28-core Mac Pro with Afterburner. The M1 Ultra-powered Mac Studio desktop computer price ranges from $3,999.
The Apple M1 processor is very good for graphics designers and gamers. The price of the M1 processor ranges from over $1,000 to over $3,000.
Conclusion
Microprocessors are generally defined by their type, speed, and more importantly, cost.
The demand for high-performance processors will continue to be on the rise as technology becomes the panacea for driving efficiency and effectiveness in the ecosystem. Therefore, powerful processors will not only make your computer think fast or work faster but it will save you more time and make you work smarter. Getting a system with a pretty good processor is dependent on what you need it for and what you intend to do with it.
If you’re a gamer who wants to use your laptop for games then the Apple processor is your go-to processor, this is the same with the Intel processor. However, if you’re a content creator the AMD processor is the perfect processor for what you desire. Likewise, as a graphics designer, you’re expected to get the Apple processor because it provides the best GPU that would enhance your design. While the AMD processor was made basically for professionals, the Apple processor was not made for professionals.
If you’re the type that is cost-conscious then the Apple processor and AMD processor might not be your go-to processors as they’re quite expensive. The Intel processor on the other hand is cheap and has a long history of producing the best processors.
Thank you for the detailed review. Very enlightening.
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This is a very beautifully arranged write up…really. Im impressed….plus, its a whole lot of exposure on processors…i didn’t know this much before now. Thanks Seun!
Thank you very much☺️. Stick around to get more reviews on tech gadgets. And you can also follow us on our social media pages for more updates.
Waoh! This is a great eye opener, was ignorant of this before now. But have learnt something new. This is a well articulated write up. Keep it up! More Grace kid bro!!!
Thank you very much ☺️. Stick around to get more reviews on tech gadgets. And you can also follow us on our social media pages for more update.