How long until smartphone CPUs are as powerful as a 2500k?

[AstroManLuca]

we should try to quantify the performance of phone chips in desktop-chip terms. IE Cortex A15 is clock/clock competitive with Core2Duo (I don't know that it is, just giving an example) A9 competetive with P4 clock/clock....or something.

That would be interesting if we could find a trend, and forecast, "OK in 4 years the new phones are going to have as much power as PCs today, and that's the singularity point after which
a). nobody needs a PC anymore except for hardcore gaming and
b). can just use a docking station to plug in their keyboard, mouse, HDMI display
c). Intel, AMD largely cease to exist in the desktop segment and sell almost exclusively to the server market.

There's also the software. A smartphone today might be comparable to, say, a 7-year-old PC in terms of raw power, but it doesn't necessarily yield equal results in terms of actual usage. The smartphone runs brand NEW software and can access modern web services much better than an old computer can.

 

[podspi]

Also, more memory. IMHO, smartphones have really shown us what you can do with a (relatively) anemic processor and lots of RAM/storage capacity.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

the better question is, what is the x86 desktop CPU equivalent of a modern day mobile CPU like the tegra 3?

 

[2timer]

the better question is, what is the x86 desktop CPU equivalent of a modern day mobile CPU like the tegra 3?

Hmm. Hard to say really. Like someone before me posted, SoCs have taken enormous leaps, but software has also gotten better too. It's hard to say because the OS's and software of the previous decade was much more archaic.

 

[Mopetar]

the better question is, what is the x86 desktop CPU equivalent of a modern day mobile CPU like the tegra 3?

Really depends on what you're trying to do as in some benchmarks an ARM SoC will compare much more favorably than in others.

Probably worse than a Core duo clocked similarly if I had to guess, and that's just on some synthetic benchmarks. Floating point is going to be a lot better on the x86 chip, as well as anything that can't be parallelized.

 

[BUTCH1]

It might be quite awhile IMO, it's not possible to put a HSF on a tablet or phone SOC so there's a limiting factor right there. Even my lowly A10/MALI-400 tablet gets noticeably warm when playing intense games, I could imagine what the quad SOC's must be like..

 

[Red Storm]

Thankfully we don't need a 2500K to run bloated OSes, the mobile market is more efficient, both in hardware, and software.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Aren't ARM processors RISC based and Intel/AMD CISC based?

 

[Munky]

Long. I don't care if a smartphone has a quad core 1.5ghz ARM, an IVB Intel will spank it hard, even when downclocked to the same speed.

And here's my forecast:
1. Average Joe buys a tablet/smartphone thinking it will replace his PC
2. Average Joe realizes 2-3 years later his gadget is obsolete and takes 30 seconds to load Adobe apps, has run out of non-expandable storage capacity to hold his files, his non-replaceable battery can barely hold a charge, his I/O ports are a generation behind the new industry standard, the newer apps are dropping support for his outdated cpu and gpu, his proprietary peripherals are hard to replace, and his hipster friends are no longer impressed by his toy.
3. Average Joe learns nothing, and goes to Best Buy to waste another $600 for a new gadget + accessories so he can show off to his hipster friends.

 

[Red Storm]

Long. I don't care if a smartphone has a quad core 1.5ghz ARM, an IVB Intel will spank it hard, even when downclocked to the same speed.

And here's my forecast:
1. Average Joe buys a tablet/smartphone thinking it will replace his PC
2. Average Joe realizes 2-3 years later his gadget is obsolete and takes 30 seconds to load Adobe apps, has run out of non-expandable storage capacity to hold his files, his non-replaceable battery can barely hold a charge, his I/O ports are a generation behind the new industry standard, the newer apps are dropping support for his outdated cpu and gpu, his proprietary peripherals are hard to replace, and his hipster friends are no longer impressed by his toy.
3. Average Joe learns nothing, and goes to Best Buy to waste another $600 for a new gadget + accessories so he can show off to his hipster friends.

More like:

Spends ~$300 on tablet. Enjoys for a few years, then spends ~$300 on another.

Good luck being able to do that with a PC. And if the exploding tablet market has shown us anything, it's that a whole lotta people don't want/need Windows.

 

[Dominato3r]

Thankfully we don't need a 2500K to run bloated OSes, the mobile market is more efficient, both in hardware, and software.

That doesn't seem to be the case honestly. Windows is getting less and less resource dependent every release (see 7 vs vista and now 8 vs 7). And its not uncommon to see Windows 7 running on some ancient system by PC standards.

ICS on the other hand is a horrendous experience on my nexus s. Terrible memory management, rampant force closing issues and generally just sluggish and annoying.

 

[Munky]

More like:

Spends ~$300 on tablet. Enjoys for a few years, then spends ~$300 on another.

Good luck being able to do that with a PC. And if the exploding tablet market has shown us anything, it's that a whole lotta people don't want/need Windows.

Define "Enjoys it for a few years." Attention whoring on Facebook? Playing 1980's games polished up with shiny icons? Watching movies on a tiny screen and puny speakers? Yeah, that's a use of a true PC replacement alright, lol.

Try video editing, photo editing, 3D gaming with a real mouse and KB at 1920x1200 rez and surround sound, music production, 3D modeling, and a million other things that only a real PC can do.

For $300 I can build a PC from used 5-year old parts off ebay that will do more than your latest and greatest tablet toy. And best of all, a few years down the road I only have to upgrade a few components, instead of throwing everything away like an obsolete all-in-one toy.

If anything, the exploding tablet market has shown that most people are easily separated from their money.

 

[Soleron]

Try video editing, photo editing, 3D gaming with a real mouse and KB at 1920x1200 rez and surround sound, music production, 3D modeling, and a million other things that only a real PC can do.

None of what you listed would be something "Average Joe" does. People use their laptops for pretty much what a tablet does: internet, email, viewing photos and videos, and music. Content creation or high-end gaming remains niche and PCs will still exist for those people.

The tablet market shows people are willing to trade that performance for the form factor and ease of use.

 

[Munky]

Thankfully we don't need a 2500K to run bloated OSes, the mobile market is more efficient, both in hardware, and software.

That reminds me of all the idiots posting youtube videos how their 20-year-old Mac boots faster than a modern Windows PC. No mention of how their "efficient" OS had all the security of swiss cheese, the multi-tasking of a dumb phone, the backwards compatibility of a disposable razor, and future upgrade options of an iMac.

 

[Red Storm]

That reminds me of all the idiots posting youtube videos how their 20-year-old Mac boots faster than a modern Windows PC. No mention of how their "efficient" OS had all the security of swiss cheese, the multi-tasking of a dumb phone, the backwards compatibility of a disposable razor, and future upgrade options of an iMac.

Clearly you've got some emotional attachment to the desktop market cause I don't know why else you're acting this way.

The majority of people check email, browse the web, play a time waster game, and do things that apps handle just fine nowadays (movie tickets, looking up an address, Netflix and Youtube, etc.). They neither care for nor do any of the things you listed. And it's becoming increasingly easier to hook up a tablet to your TV and/or surround sound system.

I'd like to see this $300 PC of yours. Show me please.

 

[Munky]

Clearly you've got some emotional attachment to the desktop market cause I don't know why else you're acting this way.

The majority of people check email, browse the web, play a time waster game, and do things that apps handle just fine nowadays (movie tickets, looking up an address, Netflix and Youtube, etc.). They neither care for nor do any of the things you listed. And it's becoming increasingly easier to hook up a tablet to your TV and/or surround sound system.

I'd like to see this $300 PC of yours. Show me please.

Nah, it's just too much fun poking holes in some people's delusional bubble. The "efficiency" argument is one of those.

I don't doubt that for some typical users a tablet can replace a PC, even if it's not as cost-efficient, but for others, the idea is simply laughable. It's even more absurd when the user who only utilizes 5% of what a PC can do starts claiming that his tablet will make PC's obsolete or some such nonsense.

You can price out a system on ebay yourself. I saw s939 motherboards for $40, AMD64 cpu's for $10, just to give you an idea.

 

[dagamer34]

Nah, it's just too much fun poking holes in some people's delusional bubble. The "efficiency" argument is one of those.

I don't doubt that for some typical users a tablet can replace a PC, even if it's not as cost-efficient, but for others, the idea is simply laughable. It's even more absurd when the user who only utilizes 5% of what a PC can do starts claiming that his tablet will make PC's obsolete or some such nonsense.

You can price out a system on ebay yourself. I saw s939 motherboards for $40, AMD64 cpu's for $10, just to give you an idea.

The evidence I use for why tablets aren't an area to ignore is because most people buy a new PC for two reasons: a) their current computer breaks and b) they "feel" it is old and want something new.

 

[SickBeast]

Tablets are ok. I have a Playbook and I used it quite a bit when it was new, but now that the fad has worn off I primarily use my PC and my phone.

The Nexus tablet does look cool though. With a quad core it's got enough power to do most things.

 

[mammador]

I don't see why a smartphone needs to be a beast in performance. The form factor/value proposition don't lend to it. Smartphones as we know them today (probably from the early Nokia models or the iPhone 1) were meant to be computers on the go, make a phone call and surf the Web in one, etc. For most apps that the average Joe uses, a beast CPU is not needed.

An example is netbooks. Yes, they were a bit of a pre-iPad fad, but they were as they were due to their value proposition/form factor. For simple office apps, Web browsing, etc. a hefty CPU and associated specs are not required.

 

[bearxor]

Define "Enjoys it for a few years." Attention whoring on Facebook? Playing 1980's games polished up with shiny icons? Watching movies on a tiny screen and puny speakers? Yeah, that's a use of a true PC replacement alright, lol.

I don't think you have realistic expectations of what the vast majority of computer owners do with their computers. Because this is pretty much it.