Apple A8X vs Apple A7. Specifications, performance, tests

Comprehensive background on the processors being compared, detailing their series, generation, and targeted market segment.

• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Family
  Apple A series Apple A series
• Generation
  8 7
• CPU group
  Apple A8/A8X Apple A7
• Successor
  Apple A9X Apple A8

Essential parameters including the number of cores, threads, base and turbo frequencies, and cache size. These metrics provide insight into the processor’s speed—higher values generally indicate better performance.

• Frequency
  1.50 GHz 1.30 GHz
• CPU Cores
  3 2
• Turbo (1 Core)
  No turbo 1.40 GHz
• CPU Threads
  3 2
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  normal normal
• A core
  3x Typhoon 2x Cyclone

The integrated graphics (iGPU) do not influence the CPU performance significantly; they serve as a substitute for a dedicated graphics card in the absence of one or are utilized in mobile devices.

• GPU name
  Apple A8X PowerVR G6430
• GPU frequency
  0.45 GHz 0.45 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo 0.45 GHz
• Execution units
  8 4
• Shader
  256 64
• Max. GPU Memory
  4 GB --
• Max. displays
  1 1
• Generation
  5
• DirectX Version
  10
• Technology
  20 nm 28 nm
• Release date
  Q3/2014 Q3/2013

This section details the built-in codecs used for encoding and decoding media content, which significantly enhance processing speed and efficiency.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  No No
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  No No
• h264
  Decode No
• VP9
  No No
• VP8
  No No
• AV1
  No No
• AVC
  Decode No
• VC-1
  Decode No
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode No

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by Apple A7 and Apple A8X. The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR3-1600 LPDDR3-1333
• Max. Memory
  4 GB 1 GB
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  2 1

• AES-NI
  No No

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of Apple A8X and Apple A7 to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

• TDP (PL1)
  8 W

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by Apple A8X and Apple A7, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  x86-64 (64 bit) x86-64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  None None
• L2-Cache
  2.00 MB 1.00 MB
• L3-Cache
  4.00 MB 4.00 MB
• Architecture
  A8 A7
• Technology
  20 nm 28 nm
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q3/2014 Q3/2013
• Part Number
  -- S5L8960X